This is weird.learning to read sheet music!

[Bridie]

Hi, I have started yr10 and in music we are getting 'serious' yay finally, trouble is my teacher presumes I read music, well I read charts, and I have to learn. he doesn't read drum charts btw.
I have been taught the American quarter notes, eighth notes and so on, but I have had to learn British, semibreves,crotchets,quavers and so on AND there are two rows to read at oncef!
We are all doing music grade exams, but I am the only drummer, the others play piano,guitar flute etc
Wish me luck!
My mum did play piano, so has helped me get it so far, but looking at piano music it is all different!!
Any tips, do I just Plow on? And have any of you learnt different charts/tabs/notes.
Thanks
Bridie

[8beat]

I learned a little bit about reading piano music. I think it helps me communicate with others in the band. It helps me sing too. Just study it slowly and practice a little every day and you'll learn it.

[Ricardo]

Just like learning a foreign language.
Many good reading drummers will ask for a piano or bass chart if no drum chart exists...............no problem.

[JoePasko]

Mnemonics !!

eg :

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.

F A C E.

Fat Cats Get Dizzy After Eating Beans.

I learned many of them in grade school, and still use 'em almost 50 years later !

[drummer]

Always challenging but you will be rewarded with the knowledge. It will make so many things easier going forward and you'll have a competitive advantage. I read music and it has helped in so many situations.

[wired]

This guy's videos help me out a lot. Drum notation is totally different then regular music notation as you already know. But I guess as he explains in his videos the key to becoming a fast sight reader is understanding "Intervocalic reading" this is where you take 2 notes and you quickly recognize that they are like a 3rd apart, Or maybe a 4th apart, a 5th apart ect..

You then see how the melody is moving. for instance up a third or down a third. What get's hard is reading chords where you have up to 5 or more notes on the G clef alone.
About the only way to get good at reading chords is by recognizing what that chord is usually by a sharp or flat in the chord. For instance an E7th chord will have a G# in it.
An A major chord will C# in it. A D major chord will have an F# in it. You just over time recognize the chord on paper over time. Doesn't happen over night.
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On a related subject is the circle of 5ths which has to do with key signatures. It's a lot to remember and I use to make flash cards and it still took me a good while drilling it to commit it to memory. I use to recite all the sharps and flats in every key while driving that sort thing.

But in one of Andrew's videos he has a method of remembering the circle of 5ths. and in counter clockwise motion it's the circle of 4ths.
If I remember correctly it's goes like
"Father Charles goes down and ends battle lol..some thing like that..srry it's been a long time. but here's a video.



But the true key to understanding all this nonsense is you have to have a crazy wild hairdo like this guy... What I found anyways

[jgziegler]

Our singer is a Brit, she pretends like she doesn't understand quarters, eighths ect, but it's much easier. It's a real shame they use a system that's harder and antiquated (like the imperial system of measurements)...

[wired]

Our singer is a Brit, she pretends like she doesn't understand quarters, eighths ect, but it's much easier. It's a real shame they use a system that's harder and antiquated (like the imperial system of measurements)...

Your singer's hot! Quit complaining hehe..

[rickthedrummer]

Just like learning a foreign language.
Many good reading drummers will ask for a piano or bass chart if no drum chart exists...............no problem.

Ricardo, I heard years ago that Shawn and other big band drummers looked at the trumpet charts.

[8beat]

for the bass cleff:

All Cows Eat Grass

Good Bikes Don't Fall Apart

[Bridie]

Our singer is a Brit, she pretends like she doesn't understand quarters, eighths ect, but it's much easier. It's a real shame they use a system that's harder and antiquated (like the imperial system of measurements)...

I know! I can't even say some of the note names yet, Pfffft!
I think I will get it, my tutor was here last night and he drew a chart to help me memorise it
Today We all have to do a performance in front of the class, I think it is to see how well we deal with performing, I am just doing a grade peice I am learning, hope it's ok, I am taking my own pedal and snare in because the school kits are all destroyed.
Bridie

[jgziegler]

I would ask your teacher if it's really necessary to call them by their french names. I know people (brits especially) like to hold on to traditions, but here's how I see it:

1. It's wasting your time when you could be be learning something useful (like learning chords).
2. I speak Czech with my mentor. I had no idea how to call any notes in Czech, but because they use the same system (1/4s, 1/16th, ect), i understood from the beginning. If I only knew the Brit terms, we would have spent 5min just figuring out what the notes are called!

My singer is cute Wired, and also a pain sometimes! I'll pass on your admiration

[ludleg]

Best of luck, Bridie!

[crispycritters]

If I look at regular sheet music its like trying to read hieroglyphics - I can read sheet music for drums, but didn't know the system I have learned was American. Whoever designed it I'm glad they did as even a total numpty like me can get the hang of it.

It seems bizarre that the 'English' system uses French names for notes (whole, half, quarters, eighth, sixteenth, thirty second = Semibreve, Minim, Crotchet, Quaver, Semiquaver, Demi-Semiquaver) and Performance direction signs to indicate how a piece should be played are written in Italian, that probably makes sense to someone out there but it is totally lost on me.

Does anyone know of a you tube vid or similar that can explain the use of crossed tremolo lines and flags (on crotchets?) in (English system) written music as this would probably be of some use to Bridie to indicate how a piece should be performed on the drumset?

[Bridie]

What a disaster
I went in to play my piece, and the drums sounded awful, they wouldn't tune anything like decent, I swapped pedals, but mine wouldn't reach the head, so HAD to use theirs which was too slow an sluggish, then to top it off the bell went half way through and the teacher stopped me and ended the lesson, feeling pretty disappointed to say the least! Everyone is going to think I play like that all the time, and in front of everyone in my class, I hated it.
Bridie

[Pearl MCX Man]

Give it time Bridie you just weren't comfortable with it. Next time will be better cause you will know what to expect. Once you settle into this new experience then the rest of them will see the Bridie we know and will appreciate your talent. Good luck girl we are behind you.

[js218]

Just show them one of your videos



Jim

[8beat]

There is something wrong with this. You were tested with defective drum gear.

I agree, show them your videos.

[Bridie]

Hi, feeling a bit better about it today, my Mum is sending an email explaining how I felt, and about the state of the kit, it was truly horrendous :(
I know the girls who played piano used school stuff, but to be fair they have a lovely grand piano! And everyone with bass and guitars and flutes brought theirs in.
Will let you know what happens, if anything.
Bridie

[xweasel]

the state of the kit, it was truly horrendous :(

Unfortunately that seems to be the rule with school kits. They're always falling to bits, have 5 year old heads, snares with broken lugs, the cymbal stands missing sleeves/felts/wing nuts, thrones with broken height adjustment, etc etc. The ones I played at music school were also anchored in place with a single wire rope, looping through all the stands and drum hardware. If I raised the snare, then the slack in the cable would run out so I couldn't move the cymbal stands around.

[Bridie]

Yeah it is a shame about the state of the drum sets, the cymbals are keholed and battered,the heads look like they have been shot at with bb guns, the mounts do not adjust and the pedal was direct drive, so I couldn't get on with it, as Mine is chain. :(
I guess I shouldn't blame 'the tools'
But I have played their piano, and even tough I am not a pianist, I did a decent job on it. Because the keys and pedals all worked.
When It gets to exams and assessments I will have to ask to bring in my kit.
Bridie

[Bridie]

Now I am trying to memorise common key signatures!
My Mum has printed some off for me to help me by sticking them around my room, this is complicated!
Bridie

[Ricardo]

Now I am trying to memorise common key signatures!
My Mum has printed some off for me to help me by sticking them around my room, this is complicated!
Bridie

Circle of 5ths.......................memorize it.

[wired]

Watch that video I posted it will help..and make flash cards.

One thing to remember about the circle of 5ths is this. Going clockwise you have your sharp keys C.G,D,A,E,B,F#,C# and this does move up a "5th" . Where as the key of C has no sharps or flats. The Key of G kicks it off with one sharp,The Key of D has 2 sharps.the Key of A has 3 #s and so forth. the keys are all a 5th apart from each other.

But if we were to go counter clock wise the circle of 5ths now becomes the Circle of 4ths for the flat keys and they move in 4ths not 5ths from each other very important to remember that.. Key of F has 1 flat, Bb has 2 flats ect... also the word "BEAD" is spelled in the flat keys and this also helps to remember the order in which they fall in.

[Bridie]

I can't see the video. There is just a space, can anyone else see it?
Bridie