How to read snare drum music

Snare drum music uses the same rhythms as every other band part, plus a few marks of its own: which hand to use, which notes to accent, and where to roll. Here's a short snare part with every mark numbered. Tap a number in the list to jump to what it means, or press play to hear the part.

A snare part, labeled

The percussion staff

The percussion clef is two thick vertical lines. It doesn't name any pitches; it just tells you the part is for drums. Snare parts usually come in one of two layouts:

• One line. Every note sits on the line. This is common in beginning books.
• Five lines. Most parts put the snare in the third space. In parts that combine drums, the bass drum usually sits lower, in the bottom space. These spots are a convention, not a rule, so check the key or the drum names at the start of the part. See how to read drum set music.

Time signatures and bar lines work the same way as in any other part. In 4/4 there are four beats in each bar, and a quarter note gets one beat. For more, see time signatures.

Rhythm values

Eighth and sixteenth notes are usually joined by beams: one beam for eighths, two for sixteenths. Beams usually group notes by the beat, so each group here fills one beat. Play these with the counts showing:

Here's what surprises wind players: you can't hold a note on a drum. The sound fades on its own soon after the stroke, whatever note is written. A half note and a quarter note are the same stroke. What changes is how long you wait before the next one. Listen:

To get faster at counting, try Rhythm Trainer, or see counting systems.

Rests

Every note value has a rest that lasts just as long. A rest means you don't play, and you keep the sticks ready for the next note. The drum may still ring a little from the note before. You don't need to stop that ring unless the music or your director asks you to.

Count straight through rests. The counts in parentheses are the silent ones:

Sticking markings

R and L above or below the notes tell you which hand plays each one. When there's no sticking written, there are two common choices. Your director will tell you which one your band uses:

• Alternating: R L R L, no matter the rhythm.
• Right-hand lead: the right hand plays the main parts of each beat, and the left fills in the notes between. In eighth notes, that's R on each beat and L on each &. In sixteenths, R plays 1 and &, and L plays e and a.

Accents

An accent (>) over or under a note means play it louder than the notes around it. A marcato (^) is an even stronger accent. Listen to the same bar with and without accents:

Most of an accent's extra volume comes from a higher, faster stroke, not from squeezing the stick. See how to play accents on snare drum.

Roll notation

Slashes through a note's stem change how you play it. On a quarter note, one slash divides it into eighth notes, two into sixteenths. Three slashes, or a "z", mean a roll: a smooth, sustained sound that lasts for the note's full value.

Flags and beams count as lines too. An eighth note already has one, so a rolled eighth needs only two slashes. A rolled sixteenth needs one. Count every line, slashes plus flags or beams: three lines in all usually means a roll.

Rolls are often tied. Look at the note after the tie to see what happens:

• The next note has no roll marks. Keep rolling right up to that note and end with one stroke on it. That last stroke is the release.
• The next note is rolled too. The two notes make one long roll. Keep rolling straight through with no break, even across a bar line.
• No tie. The roll fills its own value, then stops. Players often leave a tiny lift before the next note so it has a clear start.

Notes tied together with no roll marks at all are played once, as one long note. A tie by itself doesn't tell you to roll. For all three cases side by side, see ties vs. slurs.

Which roll should you play, a buzz roll or a double stroke roll, and does the number of slashes change that? See buzz roll vs double stroke roll.

Read a line on your own

Before you play, take it in three steps:

• Count it out loud, including the rests.
• Check the marks: accents, rolls, and any sticking.
• Play it slowly, then check yourself with the play button.

Practice

Reading gets fast when you see the same patterns again and again. In Rudiment ID, you read a rudiment's notation and name it, which drills sticking and rhythm together. Then tap along with single strokes to keep the counting steady.