Drum tabs website
- Thread starter Ikebongo
- Start date
Odd-Arne Oseberg
Platinum Member
That's probably the answer you'll get from most.
Learn how to read regular notation and there's an endless bounty of materials available. You'll also understand music better, be able to communicate easier with other musicians and be able to be part of so many more musical situations.
Learn how to read regular notation and there's an endless bounty of materials available. You'll also understand music better, be able to communicate easier with other musicians and be able to be part of so many more musical situations.
I'll try to put a positive spin on this. I didn't even know drum tabs existed, so curiosity killed the cat and I went looking.
It isn't what I thought at all. I was expecting some convoluted cheat sheet more like a guitar tab. This isn't the case. The layout of the drum tabs is pretty damn close to standard notation. Some things are lost, both good and bad. The layout is cleaner, everything has been reduced to basically a whole note. There are no legs or flags (I don't know what these are called) to clutter up the staff. You don't need to know the note values of the staff. You also don't get the time signature, but it is written out at the bottom as feel: 1e&e 2e&e etc. and is done linearly so the timing is still there. The measures are all broken down so it isn't all just one long mess.
If anyone has ever done drum programming on an on/off format (FruityLoops, etc.) the layout is basically the same.
The tabs do have pitch order, just like standard notation. Cymbals on top, kick on the bottom, everything else in between in descending order. I imagine some of y'all's hand written charts are in the same format.
I can see this as a useful teaching tool to a degree, for very young children who can't read notation or are just learning to do so. Also for people who have never done anything musically at all then decide they want to learn.
I am with the others, however. You really should learn standard notation. It's easy once you get the hang of it, and it's everywhere, there is no escaping it. I haven't myself used it in a long time as I learn songs by ear and put everything to memory, but if WhoIsTony? (he knows his shit, absorb ALL of it) handed me a sheet to learn I could still grind it out without much thought. It really is that easy. If you can read the tab, you can read the notation.
For other sites, I have no idea. Sorry I am of no use there.
It isn't what I thought at all. I was expecting some convoluted cheat sheet more like a guitar tab. This isn't the case. The layout of the drum tabs is pretty damn close to standard notation. Some things are lost, both good and bad. The layout is cleaner, everything has been reduced to basically a whole note. There are no legs or flags (I don't know what these are called) to clutter up the staff. You don't need to know the note values of the staff. You also don't get the time signature, but it is written out at the bottom as feel: 1e&e 2e&e etc. and is done linearly so the timing is still there. The measures are all broken down so it isn't all just one long mess.
If anyone has ever done drum programming on an on/off format (FruityLoops, etc.) the layout is basically the same.
The tabs do have pitch order, just like standard notation. Cymbals on top, kick on the bottom, everything else in between in descending order. I imagine some of y'all's hand written charts are in the same format.
I can see this as a useful teaching tool to a degree, for very young children who can't read notation or are just learning to do so. Also for people who have never done anything musically at all then decide they want to learn.
I am with the others, however. You really should learn standard notation. It's easy once you get the hang of it, and it's everywhere, there is no escaping it. I haven't myself used it in a long time as I learn songs by ear and put everything to memory, but if WhoIsTony? (he knows his shit, absorb ALL of it) handed me a sheet to learn I could still grind it out without much thought. It really is that easy. If you can read the tab, you can read the notation.
For other sites, I have no idea. Sorry I am of no use there.
You can search whatever song + drum notation on Google images. Something should surface.
I don't know what you listen to, but here is the basics on how to read the notation and a pretty simple beat so you can see how it looks and is read.
I don't know what you listen to, but here is the basics on how to read the notation and a pretty simple beat so you can see how it looks and is read.
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One Up One Down
Senior Member
I usually start with a google image search as well. It typically gives you the main beat of a song.
Next I go to youtube and find videos. Often, the person who is teaching the beat will show the notation on the screen, or even provide a link to a pdf.
But there are lots of sites with free and pay-for transcriptions: http://roelvanhelden.com/fulltranscipts.html
Next I go to youtube and find videos. Often, the person who is teaching the beat will show the notation on the screen, or even provide a link to a pdf.
But there are lots of sites with free and pay-for transcriptions: http://roelvanhelden.com/fulltranscipts.html