Writing for Drum Set

[rrayner]

I've put a number of scores in Share Your Music, which include rudimentary drum parts, but I still don't feel comfortable with anything beyond the basics. My drummers always took care of the details.

I've done some research, trying to find some books that might help me to learn more what to do, particularly with writing special rhythms and fills. I have found several books online that I'd like to ask if anyone is familiar with any of them, or might know of some other books that may be a help to me.

The books I've found are listed below, along with the link to their information:

Composition for Computer Musicians (Artistpro) by Michael Hewitt, at:
http://www.amazon.com/Composition-Computer-Musicians-Artistpro-Michael/dp/1598638610/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278938656&sr=8-26

How to Write for PERCUSSION by Samuel Z. Solomon, at:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-PERCUSSION-Samuel-Solomon/dp/0974472107/ref=sr_1_41?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278938697&sr=8-41

Guide to Standardized Drumset Notation by Norman Weinberg, at:
http://www.amazon.com/Standardized-Drumset-Notation-Norman-Weinberg/dp/0966492811/ref=pd_cp_b_1

If any of you have used any of these books, would you please give me your insight? And, if you know of any others, I'd appreciate knowing what they are. Thank you.

Ralph Rayner

[rrayner]

I've created a little "cheat sheet" for myself for what I use as standard dance/swing/jazz band drum notation. It doesn't have to be this rigid, but it is what I am using. Essentially, drummers say, "Just tell me which line or space is which specific drum sound, and I can do it." But, I want to be consistent in my writing.

With the help of others, I have begun creating two drum parts: a "working" part for the actual GM pitches and sounds; and another parallel drum part that looks pretty for the live drummer.

The attached file represents "standard" notation for drums that I have found in several sources. (Please excuse the outlandish time signature -- I couldn't find a way to get rid of it. Time signature removed, as per Sherry's guidance above. RRR) Also, the stem direction is arbitrary -- I wanted to get the stems out of the way for the text, so I used upper and lower voice to change the stem direction. I removed the bar lines for the same reason.

Ralph Rayner

[Sherry C]

Hi Ralph,

Great idea!

Additional item: to get rid of the time signature,


Double-click it to bring up the "Change Meter" dialog.
Uncheck the "Split Measure" box (not sure why that is "on" here, but it was)
Check the "Hide" radio button on the upper right.
Click "Ok" to save the changes.

Thanks for sharing this with us :)


ttfn,
Sherry

[rrayner]

Cool. Thanks, Sherry. I had tried using the "Hide" button, but it wouldn't hide! I will update the file. RRR

[rrayner]

In my ongoing search for supplementing my knowledge of drum parts, I got the notion that I should search for "free latin drum beats midi", trying to find a simple notation of a samba beat, a rhumba beat, etc. My immediate searches did not come up with what I am looking for, but mididrumfiles.com has an interesting set of 50 freebies that some of you might be interested in (who doesn't like FREE?).

You can start at:

http://mididrumfiles.com/product/free-midi-files-package/

They require your name, address, etc., but the 50 are free and interesting, and of course, Composer can show you the notation. You can do the Add to Cart, and proceed from there.

Ralph Rayner

[rrayner]

Here is another link to some really neat drum midi files:

https://delivery.shopifyapps.com/-/0271f6457d393445/691c9731978d2510

Ralph