How important is note reading for beginning drummers?

My observation is musicians now have many feathers in their caps because it’s not just mastery of playing but understanding music/acoustics/recording/lots of technology engineering/finance and business/education/developing relationships/etc. it’s not just “I play the drums” and I’ll succeed. As much as music contributes to culture and people’s personal lives it’s not an easy path from people I know in public schools and universities. It’s a busy lifestyle juggling. Under appreciating all the Arts really sticks in my craw.
 
Note reading is what Beginning drummers learn then you can go fly off the handle
😁
 
Seafroggys said:
While knowing how to read music isn't "required", it makes learning material astronomically easier, AND it makes learning songs far easier, especially if there's charts involved (and even if there's no charts involved, you can write your own charts to make it easier to learn).
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this...I started learning how to read music via piano in 1st grade (6years old); what it did was allow me to figure out the rhythms of music by relating subdivision to pulse. It took about 2 years to get that really solid, but I was using it on drum set by age 9 to figure out Styx, Rush and Kansas songs back in the day. Being able to envision what those patterns would look like if the ywere written out helped me learn a lot quicker than just random trial by error and "making up systems" to recreate what the written music was already saying

I would actually sit and write out musical patterns I was tryignto learm to get the true visual representation of what I was hearing. Usually during math, science, or english class....
 
Square said:
Yes! Important for all levels.

The level you can play at will dictate what level of reading you need to be comfortable with.

As you advance in your playing new concepts in reading will present themselves.

You don’t need to be able to read The Black Page if you are still learning Back in Black.

Don’t get overwhelmed, just get started.
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dude...that is going in my "Book of Stolen Wisdom"....
 
striker said:
I have two questions:

1) Is this a skill that is useful for professional drummers and recording artists only or all drummers?
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All drummers
striker said:
2) Is note reading a beginner subject or an intermediate subject that has to be taught?
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IMO Best case scenario.... from day one.

Though to clarify - note reading itself isn't really the point. It is the things we learn in the process of learning to read notes that are essential.

The process of learning to read notes is also the most efficient way I know to truly learn the vocabulary of rhythm. Certainly it is not necessary to understand a written representation of a rhythm - but it is absolutely necessary to understand and be able to play that rhythm. And by rhythm I don't really mean drum beats or patterns... but all of the rhythmic building blocks that make up music. We use those building blocks in time patterns, but also in fills, also in building to hear and understand what others are playing - and how what we're playing fits together with them.
striker said:
So, how does going through something like "Alfred's Drum Method Book 1" help in increasing one's playing skill and ability?
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Personally not so much a "Alfred's Drum Method" guy.... much more a Haskell Harr Drum Method proponent... most typically, not having gone through a basic course like this will result in a player whose hand-to-hand (single surface) will be limited (if not outright deficient), they will tend to avoid or be unable to accurately execute many common syncopations, to learn new music is a slow and tedious process...

All this stuff doesn't get covered completely by going through a basic drum method book.... but I've known no players to get to that level without at least getting though that first step.

None of this is at all meant to be dictatorial - if playing the drums at whatever level is fun and enjoyable, great. Do that. But most clamor to be better - to play more like the drummers they see on stages, hear on recordings. And to do that requires some skill sets that just can't be avoided.... they can be accomplished a few different ways. But most of the same skills end up being essential in the end.

My advice though if you are able - try to at least get together with a competent teacher (one that sees the value of helping you through your basics - sadly there are folks teaching that somehow put little stock in fundamentals) - even for just a few lessons. There some things that really need to get a bit one on one feedback as you start working on them. You don't want to invest time into fundamentals only to learn later on that you mis-understood the book and have been doing them wrong. Find someone to check on your progress now and then.

Best of luck...
 
Bo Eder said:
I’ll chime in and say yes, it’s important, especially if you plan on moving onto playing with a lot of different bands on a quest to becoming a working professional. But if you’re not sure where you want to end up, I wouldn’t get too stressed from everyone making it sound like you “must or else”. It’s music and an art and everybody finds their way through it however they want to do it. So figure out what you want to be and do as a drummer and find the path that gets you there.

Personally, it turns me off when I meet people who tell me “YOU MUST DO THIS OR ELSE I’LL SPANK YOU” - especially when they’re assuming I’m just like them (yeah, ain’t that arrogant?). You can do what you want - just have fun with it. I can’t tell you how many failed musicians I’ve met who quit because others forced them into thinking they must do things. It’s a shame.
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On the other hand, I could tell you of so many folks in their mid-20's - that wanted to really do it, play, tour, work in bands, etc... even investing in some post-secondary eduction, feeling they could do it how they wanted to do it and they would find their way. Only to come to realize 8, 9 10 years after high school bemoaning the fact that they hadn't been able to get themselves to do the work needed, regretting their repeated dismissals of those that tried to show them what they were going to need. I used to teach at both the Grove School of Music and Musician's Institute and most guys that had quit a few years after weren't depressed about having been told what they needed to do.... but were kicking themselves for wasting 5-10 years not listening. But were by then ready to move - because they really had really wanted to play well and finally realized that wasn't going to happen without putting in the 5-10 years it was going to take - starting then at 25, 27, 28...

And likely all that meant is it wasn't going to happen anyway - because as you wrote, one has to figure out what they want to do and find a path to accomplish it. The problem is - that doesn't mean make up whatever path you want and just assume it will work. The path actually has to have a chance of succeeding. Or you end like all of these guys....

Anyway - just wanted to chime in that I haven't seen anyone quoting because they were put in a box.... just those that avoided doing the work and then get depressed about never getting good enough...
 
You take it as far as you want/need to, but understanding a chart is the most basic, though obviously depends of the difficulty of the piece.

It makes everything easier, by a lot,
 
Being able to "Read" also helps my ability to communicate intelligently with other musicians in the band. If I may depart a bit and also add, I'd recommend taking at least a beginner's level piano course to learn about the structure of music. Even as a drummer I've found that knowledge to be massively helpful in a band situation.
 
JoeVermont said:
Being able to "Read" also helps my ability to communicate intelligently with other musicians in the band. If I may depart a bit and also add, I'd recommend taking at least a beginner's level piano course to learn about the structure of music. Even as a drummer I've found that knowledge to be massively helpful in a band situation.
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yep, I always surprise "meoldic/harmonic" types with my knowledge of that side of music as well. That has been real helpful in studio gigs. When we are foguring out phrasing and the guys talk about doing the "2/5 rhythm changes into the tonic chorus section", it always surprises them that I know where the yare talking about.

knowing what the bass player is doing structurally also helps me sync up and learn phrases quicker. none of that would have happened with out my ability to read
 
As someone who has struggled to learn to read, I can understand why people may choose not to learn. @Alex Sanguinetti has a very good system for teaching drum notation that has helped me

1) Reading is useful for all drummers. For beginners it speeds up learning, opens up plethora of material/educational publications and allows visualisation of rhythms and concepts. For more advanced players it allows them to "steal" licks from other players and perform complex music without having to memorise everything
2) Note reading is a beginner subject
 
striker said:
Thanks. That is why I asked the question in the first place. Personally, I learn better and get more motivated by knowing "why" I do this and "how" it helps me in becoming a better player, rather than just being told "what" to do.
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People aren't always well served by that approach, with this instrument-- full, satisfying explanations aren't always easy to come by. Usually things happen by finding out what people who can do it do, and doing that. Somebody telling you how it's done should be exciting, I want to run home and work on it when I get a piece of valuable information like that from somebody who can play.

"You do you" isn't real helpful if the you in question can't play the drums.
 
Just to add a good (and free) resource with exercises for *all* skill levels that is helping me brush up on my reading:

https://youtube.com/@SightReadDrums?feature=shared

It's one of the better online teaching channels that I've found that sticks to the task at hand without any editorializing or macho d***-swinging. God bless the person who is running it.
 
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I’m all for learning to read, and I use my reading skills all the time, but our art form is aural. Having good ears is the most important asset a musician can have.

Obviously there many out standing musicians that can’t read at all. Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Dave Bruebeck, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Ringo, Jimmy Hendrix, Buddy Rich are just a few I can think of off the top of my head, that couldn’t read music.

With that being said, I don’t think a beginner has to learn note reading from day one (although I certainly did) My daughter started violin at age four and her teacher didn’t introduce note reading until she could play pretty well. She‘s 20 now and is already playing in professional orchestras, but her ear is much better than many more seasoned string players, which allows her to work gigs that have little to no notation, like country, pop, mariachi and prairie and worship bands.

So my short answer is to learn to read, but also strive to develop your ears to a high level.
 
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Paul Blood said:
I’m all for learning to read, and I use my reading skills all the time, but our art form is aural. Having good ears is the most important asset a musician can have.

Obviously there many out standing musicians that can’t read at all. Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Dave Bruebeck, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Ringo, Jimmy Hendrix, Buddy Rich are just a few I can think of off the top of my head, that couldn’t read music.

With that being said, I don’t think a beginner has to learn note reading from day one (although I certainly did) My daughter started violin at age four and her teacher didn’t introduce note reading until she could play pretty well. She‘s 20 now and is already playing in professional orchestras, but her ear is much better than many more seasoned string players, which allows her to work gigs that have little to know notation, like country, pop, mariachi and prairie and worship bands.

So my short answer is to learn to read, but also strive to develop your ears to a high level.
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I think this is a good point. I'm a beginner in all aspects of drums, but have some reading skill from years spent with the guitar. There are obvious differences.

My instructor will on occasion write something I should play and I may not get it. I will asking him to play it so I can hear it. After that I can play it and that makes some of my bewilderment vanish. I can then see it on the page.

Hearing it, reading it, and counting it, all essential elements to my personal journey.
 
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