Your One-Stop Source For
Music Lyrics
Bass and Guitar Tabs
and More...
>Music Lyrics Bass and Guitar Tabs

 

 

Learn To Read Drum Tabs

I got the following information from this website.

It should help you understand how to read the drum tabs on my site. Good luck!!

I have tried make the songs as comprehensive as possible,
but at the same time easy to read. A very good idea is to
listen to the song or the ra. files while following the tab,
that way you will get a much better understanding of my method
of tabbing. I recommend that you print this out and refer to
it as your reading the tabs.

  

 

Every "-" represents a quarter of a beat (eg. 1 e + a 2 e + a. - more elaborately...

1-ee-and-uh-2-ee-and-uh-)

 

{3} - means the three beats directly below it is a triplet. (eg. 1TL2TL3TL4TL -

more elaborately... 1 Trip-let 2 Trip-let 3 Trip-let 4 Trip-let)

 

 

______X times______

when there is... / \ "X" represents the number of times those

bars are played, it does NOT mean play that bar once and then repeat it X

number of times.

 

 

 

p. - piano (soft)

f. - forte (loud)

mp. - mezzo piano (moderately soft)

mf. - mezzo forte (moderately loud)

c. - crescendo (getting louder - keeps getting louder from where the "c." is written to the end

of the "<" signs).

dc - decrescendo (getting softer - keeps getting softer from where the "dc." is written to the

end of the ">" signs).

 

 

Cym = Cymbals

^ - ride cymbal

~ - bell of ride cymbal (the bell of a cymbal is the raised part in the center of it).

x - hit fully closed hi hat

@ - hit loose hihat (used in loud, heavy parts)

= - close hi hat with foot (also used when hihat is to be choked).

o - hit open hi hat softly

+ - hit bell of open hi hat.

X - crash cymbal (Dave Grohl often uses the ride cymbal as a crash and also uses two at once

so I won't go into the specifics of what ones he used where, it's up to you.)

# - splash cymbal

 

other cymbal stuff..

Choke - choke the cymbal

shoulder - this means shoulder the cymbal, this usually
only occurs for the hi-hat. Should-

ering means to play every second hit with more forte.
If you don't understand this,

take a look at the Milk It tab and listen to the song;
the shouldering happens in

the first bars of the song for example. Another one is
to listen to In Bloom, he

does it in the verses, and if you have a copy of the
video clip for it you will

notice how he does it.

 

S = Snare

* - soft snare hit (also not as ghost note).

o - normal snare hit

O - accented snare

/ - stick across rim

X - rim shot

f - flam

F - accented flam

 

 

B = Bass Drum

0 - normal bass drum hit

 

 

 

(Dave Grohl uses only two toms, a mounted tom and a small
tom, so in the songs that he plays I

have used these...)

 

MT = Mounted tom

o - normal mounted tom hit

O - accented mounted tom

f - flam on mounted tom

F - accented flam on mounted tom

 

FT = Floor tom

o - normal floor tom hit

O - accented floor tom

f - flam on floor tom

F - accented flam on floor tom

 

 

 

(Chad Channing used three toms, in the songs that he plays I have used these....)

 

MT1 = Mounted Tom 1 (the smallest one)

o - normal small tom hit.

O - accented small tom

f - flam on small tom

F - accented flam on small tom

 

MT2 = Mounted Tom 2

o - normal medium tom hit.

O - accented medium tom

f - flam on medium tom

F - accented flam on medium tom

 

FT = Floor tom

o - normal floor tom hit

O - accented floor tom

f - flam on floor tom

F - accented flam on floor tom

 

 

NOTE: if you have trouble differentiating between "0" and "O",
because of your browser then let
me know, thanx.

 

 

An simple example with some guidelines.....

 

 

__{one bar}__

/ \

| | |

Cym X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|

FT --------------------------------|

S ----o-------o-------o-------o---|

MT --------------------------------|

B 0-------0-0---0-0---------0-----|

1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a1 (it can be counted like this).

 

 

 

NOTE: the mounted tom (MT) and floor tom (FT) lines normally
wouldn't be in there seeing that
there is nothing played on them.

 

 

 

Click here to return to my music page

Sign Up For My Newsletter
Subscribe | Unsubscribe

Site Map | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Media Kit | Submissions/Corrections

Website © 2000-2014 mattsmusicpage.com. All rights reserved.

Legal & DMCA: Matt's Music Page has been providing lyrics and tabs in a legal way, paying royalties each year to a few organizations. Then, all lyrics and tabs were removed from the site. Now, there's a new owner to the site, which purchased it August 26, 2014, and he is in negotiation to obtain licensing from BMI at the moment. If you have a specific DMCA request -- please do not hesitate to contact me via the contact button on top. I will do my very best to keep this site fully legal.

Get our toolbar!

 


VINTAGE SETH THOMAS BANJO CHIMEING WALL CLOCK WITH PENDULUM WORKS GREAT
$
VINTAGE SETH THOMAS BANJO CHIMEING WALL CLOCK WITH PENDULUM WORKS GREAT picture


Halloween Animated Dueling Banjo Skeletons Decorations
$
Halloween Animated Dueling Banjo Skeletons Decorations picture


Funko Pop Games Banjo-Kazooie - Vinyl Figure - #981
$
Funko Pop Games Banjo-Kazooie - Vinyl Figure - #981 picture


Vintage Banjo Taylor Instruments Barometer Humidity Temperature Weather Station
$
Vintage Banjo Taylor Instruments Barometer Humidity Temperature Weather Station  picture


Funko Pop Games Banjo ~ Kazooie #981 ~ New In Box ~
$
Funko Pop Games Banjo ~ Kazooie #981 ~ New In Box ~   picture


Waltham Perrys Victory Lake Erie Mini 21" Banjo Wall Clock 1940s Parts or Repair
$
Waltham Perrys Victory Lake Erie Mini 21


Vtg Tennessee Souvenir State Rubber Refrigerator Magnet w/ Nashville & Banjo
$
Vtg Tennessee Souvenir State Rubber Refrigerator Magnet w/ Nashville & Banjo picture


VINTAGE Banjo Kazooie Button Pin Nintendo 64 Promo
$
VINTAGE Banjo Kazooie Button Pin Nintendo 64 Promo picture


Skeleton Playing Banjo Animated Halloween Decoration
$
Skeleton Playing Banjo Animated Halloween Decoration picture


Vtg Cast Iron Banjo Player w Glass Eyes Clock Man Collectible Memorabilia, Rare
$
Vtg Cast Iron Banjo Player w Glass Eyes Clock Man Collectible Memorabilia, Rare picture