LESSON 2: counting quarter notes

This lesson is going to teach you to count quarter notes in 4/4 time. This is the basics, the foundation, to learning the eighth notes, eighth note triplets, sixteenth notes, sixteenth note triplets, and 32nd notes.

Now starting at the first exercise of sheet music, there are four quarter notes in one measure. So, each quarter note is taking 1/4 or one quarter of the measure. The counts are on the top of each note. So, you just count : one, two, three, four (and then going back again to one at the end of the measure).




1)
















The second diagram has two measures of quarter notes. You can tell a measure apart by the vertical line which shows you where it begins and ends. Counting these quarter notes are as simple as counting one, two, three, four out loud and then restarting at each measure, as i mentioned above. Now, for this next example you would count both measures as: one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four.




2)

The third exercise has got four measures of quarter notes. This is almost the same as the other exercises, only that the notes are indicating the various drum set sounds. As I explained in lesson one, the notes in there various vertical places represent the different sounds (parts) of a drum kit.

Even though these notes are placed differently on the staff, they are still quarter notes. A quarter note is a solid note (meaning one in which the circle in the middle is filled) in the measure with a single stem (line) coming up from it.  

3)

Go over this a couple times until it all makes sense to you, until you FULLY understand it. The next lesson will incorporate quarter and eighth notes to help you to count and get used to both.

A Staff and Stave

Now, I know for most musicians this is common knowledge, but here's a little bit of the basics you must know. The diagram of lines and spaces below is called a stave. A stave has got five horizontal lines and four spaces used in musical notation. In between each line is a gap called a space. Most music notes are oval shaped symbols that are placed on the lines and in the space. However, in drum notation we will come across a lot more symbols.

                                                     



           

Example of a stave with notes on the lines and in the spaces

LESSON 1: basic drum patterns and place key

Here are all the basic quarter notes you should be familiar with. Think of this as a place to find the drum set "voices" that you will come across in different beats, patterns and fills. Each measure has four quarter notes that use the same symbol to show the different drum set "voices".

So, from the diagram above it can be said that the snare drum note is on the 3rd  line and that the bass drum note is on the 4th space and so on respectively. Take in to account the shapes (symbols) of the head and it's position.- They are very important in differentiating one note from another. 

Intro

This program will be spread out over different lessons, from a beginners level to a pretty advance one. I'll try to post a new lesson or two every day, so keep an eye out for the latest lessons. There will also be tips, ideas and personal suggestions on what types of drums and drum sticks to purchase as well as how to get the most out this drum notation guide. Please contact me if you have any suggestions, ideas and tips of your own which would be  instrumental in helping others to learn from this blog. So let's get started, cheerz!