Drum Notes and Notes Values

NOTES

First of all, we shall look to the notes on typical drum set:

These are the ones we use always. There are numerous drum notes when you are continue to adding new drums to the kit ,but you have to be rich first. Besides this, rarely cymbal's notes writing and its place on lines can be change depend on the region to region.

How it's read?

Initial thing that we should talk on is "bar" notion.

We call "bar" between two lines as you see on top. We limited the "bar"s with proportion and start to write. For instance 4/4 measure: 

In here, 4 on top shows that the number of notes which will be write to the bar (it is upper limit for that value) ; 4 on bottom indicates the value of notes.

For instance 6/8 measure:

6 pieces eighth notes can be written (you don't have put 6 notes it is upper limit for 8 value).

What are the "note values" ?

*Almost all songs written in 4/4 pattern, will give continue with that proportion.

Value of note indicates the proportion of notes to each other. So, whole note equals to two times  half note. 

As you see when we count like 1,2,3,4 ; 

• Whole note: we hit and wait until the time of "bar" finish.
• Half note: we hit two times with equal intervals.
• Quarter note: hitting on 1,2,3,4 with equaivalent intervals.
• Eighth note: we divide quarter notes and still playing same "bar" time
• Sixteenth note: dividing the quarter note's time to four equal part, and so on...

You see in this picture how we write notes alone (with tail) and together. It is same logic with other notes just number of tail or line is changing. *Quarter-half-whole notes don't include tail.

You see in here what is time dividings and equaivelants.

How notes and values look on rhythm?

Hi-hat notes was written 8 times in 4/4, so it is eighth notes. If we add one more notes just after the eighth notes, it become sixteenth notes.

Notes takes two lines upon them because they are still in same "bar".

What is the thing in red circle represents?

It is beats per minute (bpm). So 52 strokes in 60 second will be done. Bpm shows us that 52 strokes in 60 seconds consist to quarter notes and you have 4 quarter notes in one "bar" (4/4 time signature). It means you must play 13 "bar" in one minute.
İngilizcesi bpm(beats per minute) olan bir dakikadaki vuruş sayısını belirtir yani metronom hızını. 60 saniye içerisinde 52 tane vuruş yapılacak demektir. Ve biz 4/4'lük ölçüden bahsettiğimize göre 52 / 4 = 13 'ten anlıyoruz ki bir dakika içerisinde 13 ölçü çalacağız. Her aynı ölçüden nota (dörtlük nota gibi) eşit aralıklarla çalınacak ve kendini yineleyerek ritim devam edecektir.

If we keep going on last two picture : 

• For first picture, let's say bpm=80. Eighty strokes in one minute will be double with equal intervals. 
• For second picture, let's say bpm=52. 52 strokes, which is spread among one minute multiplying with 4 in same time. It means that you will play 16 strokes in one "bar" and keep it at least during 13 "bar" to complete one minute. We called that -16 strokes in 4/4 time signature- sixteenth notes (you are hitting 3 more in the quarter note's time).

Silent Symbols

These are same logic with regular notes, you just will be silent in the same time with its equivalent note times.

Writing will be improve time by time.