Learn to Read Drum Music – Part 8 – Imaginary Bar Lines

Drummers! Thanks once again for checking out this Learn to Read Drum Music Series. We’ve explored a lot from the basics of whole notes all the way to 16th notes and beyond, dotted notes, time signatures, and ties.

In this post, we will be taking a look at a device that is used to make reading and writing as simple as possible: Imaginary Bar Lines.

Learn to Read Drum Music – Part 7 – Tied Notes

Hey all you drummers! So glad you’ve come back for yet another lesson from my How to Read Drum Music series. This topic has builds upon the last post about dotted notes, so if you haven’t checked that out yet, do yourself a favor and catch up.

In this section we will be adding on to what we’ve learned about note additions, and look at Tied Notes. Tied notes are similar to dots, but have a few extra applications.

Learn to Read Drum Music – Part 6 – Dotted Notes Explained

What’s up Drummers! We’ve made it to part 6 of my How to Read Drum Music series. You have done very well up to this point. We have covered a lot of topics so far, so if you’re here out of order, click the links to see what you’ve missed:

This post will take us back to looking at notes – more correctly, an addition to notes: The Dot

Learn to Read Drum Music – Part 5 – Time Signatures Explained

Hey Drummers! Welcome to part 5 of my How to Read Drum Music Series. This post will be covering a new topic, so if you haven’t already, you might want to go back and check out the other posts you’ve missed.

Up to this point, you should have a good idea of what the majority of the notes you will see are. You should know how to recognize them, read them, and put them in different combinations with each other. There is a lot more to learn, but we have made great progress so far.

This post’s topic is going to depart from learning what specific notes are, and moving into a slightly different subject: The Time Signature

Learn to Read Drum Music – Part 4 – 16th Note Groupings

Howdy drummers! Welcome to Part 4 of my Learn to Read Drum Music series. This section is a continuation on Part 3, so click the link to go there, or back even further if you’re a beginner:

If you recall from part 3, we introduced the Sixteenth Note, what it looked like, how to read it, and it’s corresponding rest. In this section, we will go deeper into the 16th note and discuss the different groupings and how they look:

Learn to Read Drum Music – Part 3 – The Sixteenth Note

Hey drummers! Welcome back to my series on learning to read drum sheet music! This is part 3 in the series, so if you’re a beginner and stumbled upon this page out of order, click the links below to start at the beginning:

In this section I will be expanding upon what we’ve learned already. Next, I will be moving onto one of the larger topics, the sixteenth note (16th note). Don’t be afraid, it really isn’t that hard once you understand what everything looks like:

What are the Best Practice Pads for Drummers?

Musicians know that practice is essential for progress, but for drummers, sometimes it’s not so simple. A drum set is loud, takes up plenty of space, or set up time may not be available.

One of the top solutions for the inconvenience of practicing drums is to grab a practice pad. Practice pads (sometimes referred to as “drum pads“) are useful for keeping skills sharp when on the road, can’t make too much noise, or to pinpoint specific aspects of a drummer’s playing.

So what are the best practice pads for drummers? With so many different pads available on the market, it can be confusing and overwhelming. I’ve compiled this practice pad buyers guide of the top selling pads to make things easier.

Learn to Read Drum Music – Part 2 – The Eighth Note

Hey y’all!

Welcome to part 2 of “Learn to Read Drum Music”. In this section we will build off and expand upon of what you learned in Part 1. Click the link for Learn to Read Drum Music – Part 1, if you missed my first post or are confused and need to go back to the basics.

Understanding Skins – Resonant Drumhead Explained

I have heard the cries and wailing: “Can someone please explain what the resonant head does!!!” Ok, not really, but it is a question that doesn’t seem to have many straight forward answers. Not only that, most of the information available online is either sorely lacking, or is just downright wrong.

The reso head of a drum is probably one of the more overlooked areas when it comes to the set up of your drum kit. Most drummers understand that they need a reso skin, but once it’s put on the drum, it’s rarely tuned or replaced. Not only that, but buying new heads seems to be a large expense for something that you don’t know what to do with.

So what exactly is the resonant head of a drum, and what does it do?

5 Tips to For a Successful Practice Session

Recently, I was asked by one of my students how to practice more effectively. This student didn’t have a lot of time to practice, and was looking to get the most out of their time.

Normally I avoid these types of questions, because practice is so unique to everyone. At any time a person can be at any stage in their learning, and no exact schedule is going to work for everyone.

However, I believe that there are a few things that all musicians can take into consideration that can help them get the most out of their time.