What does sheet music for a drummer look like?

Answer 1

It pretty much looks like any other instrument sheet music with the note, stem, beam,

stave, and rests but the spaces and lines don't represent pitch they indicate that a

certain drum is to be played.

Starting from the bottom up...

Below the bottom line on the last space is where you would play the hi-hat pedal,

on the bottom line you would play a second bass drum if you have one, on the

bottom space you would play the primary bass pedal, on the second space you would

play the low tom also called the floor tom, on the middle line you would play the mid

tom, on the third space you would play the snare drum, on the fifthe space you would

play the hi-tom, and above the first line on the space you would play the hi-hat cymbal

with your hand, and if you put a circle around the "x" indicating a hi-hat stroke it

becomes a "crash cymbal".

usually

x = cymbal

o = drum

x on snare = rim knock

*trianles in some drummers notation means "cow bell"

But once you ger into sheet music you'll find out that a lot of drummers have their

own way of writting it so eventually you'll come up with your own way also after you

pick what you like and don't like.