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How to Read Drum Tabs Download ArticleExplore this Article Steps Steps Other Sections Expert Q&A Video Tips and Warnings Related Articles Expert Interview References Co-authored by Bart Robley
Last Updated: April 16, 2025
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This article was co-authored by Bart Robley. Bart Robley is a Drummer, Drum Teacher, and Author based in Ontario, California. Bart has been sharing his expertise in drumming knowledge through teaching for over 30 years. He makes his teachings globally accessible by offering lessons in an online format. Bart has authored three instructional books and created three instructional DVDs. He received a Bronze Telly Award in 2009 for his DVD "School Of Hard Rocks. Additionally, Bart has been the drummer for the Sam Morrison Band for over 25 years. This article has been viewed 405,551 times.
A Drum Tablature, or Tab, is a method of denoting the required components for a drummer to play a song. Like regular music, it contains instructions to the musician which will allow them to mimic the drumming for a particular song. Drum Tabs are available on the internet, commonly created by drummers for drummers. Reading a drum tab is simple, when you know what to do, but can be confusing to the novice. Each tab describes the beat and the measures are well divided. The tab will give you a good overview of the requirements in a piece. All skill levels of drummers use tabs to help them learn new songs, from beginners to professionals.
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1 Know which drums to use. At the beginning of each line, or the staff, the parts of the drumset used within that line are denoted by an abbreviation. Other drums or cymbals may be used throughout the song, but will not be indicated on the line if they are not required for this part. Common abbreviations for instruments include:
BD: Bass Drum / Kick
SD: Snare
HH: Hi-hat
HT/T1/T - High Tom / Rack 1
LT/T2/t - Low Tom / Rack 2
FT - Floor
RC - Ride Cymbal
CC - Crash Cymbal
2 An example of a staff using Kick, Snare & Hat only would be:
HH |--
SD |--
BD |--
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3 Read the beat. In addition to the instruments to be played, the beat is sometimes added above the staff. This is often divided into 8th or 16th counts, depending on the complexity of the tab. Variations for 3/4 or other beats are also possible. The beat is not repeated for subsequent lines, but the hyphens or rests are.
4 Below is one bar in 16th notation. As there are only hyphens, this would be a do nothing bar. |1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a HH |---------------- SD |---------------- BD |----------------
5 Know how to hit the drums As there are various methods to hit a drum, the notation has various letters to denote this. Examples are:
o: Strike (Normal hit)
O: Accent (Hit harder)
g: Ghost (Quieter hit)
f: Flam
d: Double Stroke
6 Know how to hit the cymbals As with the drums, the cymbals and hi-hats can be hit in many different ways.[1]XResearch source Examples are:
x: Strike (Cymbal or Hi-hat)
X: Hit Hard Cymbal or Loose Hi-hat
o: Hit Open Hi-hat
#: Choke (hit the cymbal then grab it)
7 Use Basic Examples first. Below is a basic drumbeat, using 16th notes, with a hi-hat every 1/2 beat, kick drums on first & third and snare on the 2nd & 4th. |1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a HH |x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-| SD |----o-------o---| BD |o-------o-------| Accents on the first hi-hat & second snare hit can be added as below: |1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a HH |x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-| SD |----o-------o---| BD |o-------o-------|
8 Move up in complexity. As you become familiar with the notation, the tabs become more complex, as shown below |1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a|1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a|1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a|1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a| HH |o---o---o---o---|o---o---o---o---|----------------|----------------| SD |----------------|----------------|o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-|oooooooooooooooo| CC |x---------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| HH |--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-----| SD |----o-------o---|----o--o----o---|----o-------o---|----o---o-o-oooo| BD |o-------o-------|o-------o-o-----|o-------o-o-----|o---------------| CC |----------------|x-----------x---|x-----------x---|x---------------| HH |x---x---x-------|--x-x-x-x-x---x-|--x-x-x-x-x---x-|--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-| SD |----o-------o-oo|----o-------o---|----o-------o---|----o-------o---| BD |o-------o--o--o-|o-------o-o-----|o-------o-o-----|o-------o-o-----|
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Question How do I improve my drumming skills? Bart Robley Drummer, Drum Teacher, and Author Bart Robley is a Drummer, Drum Teacher, and Author based in Ontario, California. Bart has been sharing his expertise in drumming knowledge through teaching for over 30 years. He makes his teachings globally accessible by offering lessons in an online format. Bart has authored three instructional books and created three instructional DVDs. He received a Bronze Telly Award in 2009 for his DVD "School Of Hard Rocks. Additionally, Bart has been the drummer for the Sam Morrison Band for over 25 years. Bart Robley Drummer, Drum Teacher, and Author Expert Answer Play with musicians who are better than you. This was the best advice that I got when I started playing drums. You will learn a lot when playing with someone who is more experienced while also pushing you to become a better one. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3
Question Do the high hat cymbols stay open or closed when at rest? Community Answer In drum tabs, the high-hat should stay closed unless it is written in the music. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 9
Question What do the letters CC, LT and MT mean on drums? Community Answer Crash Cymbol, Left tom (usually higher) and Medium or Middle, usually the middle sounded tom. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 4 Helpful 6
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Tips
Don't start with difficult pieces to read. Start with simple songs with simple drumlines like Seven Nation Army or The Hardest Button To Button...both by The White Stripes, to get a feel for tabulature. Eventually work your way up as your skill in reading tabs increases. A great starter song is "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. Thanks Helpful 71 Not Helpful 16
If you come across an abbreviation for a part of the drum set that's unknown, you should try a variety of methods to figure it out. For example, listen to the song to try to pick it out, look it up on the internet, or ask the tabber. However, usually tabs have a legend at the top of the page to save the hassle or trouble of the reader. Thanks Helpful 19 Not Helpful 5
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Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about playing music, check out our in-depth interview with Bart Robley.
http://www.mxtabs.net/drum_tabs/ - Good user community around creating drum tabs
About This Article
Co-authored by: Bart Robley Drummer, Drum Teacher, and Author This article was co-authored by Bart Robley. Bart Robley is a Drummer, Drum Teacher, and Author based in Ontario, California. Bart has been sharing his expertise in drumming knowledge through teaching for over 30 years. He makes his teachings globally accessible by offering lessons in an online format. Bart has authored three instructional books and created three instructional DVDs. He received a Bronze Telly Award in 2009 for his DVD "School Of Hard Rocks. Additionally, Bart has been the drummer for the Sam Morrison Band for over 25 years. This article has been viewed 405,551 times. 61 votes - 69% Co-authors: 30Updated: April 16, 2025 Views: 405,551 Categories: Reading Music | Learning Drums In other languages Italian Spanish German Portuguese Russian French
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Download Article Explore this Article Steps Steps Other Sections Expert Q&A Video Tips and Warnings Related Articles Expert Interview References Co-authored by Bart Robley 
How toPlay the Snare Drum 
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Co-authored by: Bart Robley Drummer, Drum Teacher, and Author This article was co-authored by Bart Robley. Bart Robley is a Drummer, Drum Teacher, and Author based in Ontario, California. Bart has been sharing his expertise in drumming knowledge through teaching for over 30 years. He makes his teachings globally accessible by offering lessons in an online format. Bart has authored three instructional books and created three instructional DVDs. He received a Bronze Telly Award in 2009 for his DVD "School Of Hard Rocks. Additionally, Bart has been the drummer for the Sam Morrison Band for over 25 years. This article has been viewed 405,551 times. 61 votes - 69% Co-authors: 30 Updated: April 16, 2025 Views: 405,551 Categories: Reading Music | Learning Drums In other languages Italian Spanish German Portuguese Russian French 
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1 Know which drums to use. At the beginning of each line, or the staff, the parts of the drumset used within that line are denoted by an abbreviation. Other drums or cymbals may be used throughout the song, but will not be indicated on the line if they are not required for this part. Common abbreviations for instruments include: 
2 An example of a staff using Kick, Snare & Hat only would be: 
3 Read the beat. In addition to the instruments to be played, the beat is sometimes added above the staff. This is often divided into 8th or 16th counts, depending on the complexity of the tab. Variations for 3/4 or other beats are also possible. The beat is not repeated for subsequent lines, but the hyphens or rests are. 
4 Below is one bar in 16th notation. As there are only hyphens, this would be a do nothing bar. |1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a HH |---------------- SD |---------------- BD |---------------- 
5 Know how to hit the drums As there are various methods to hit a drum, the notation has various letters to denote this. Examples are: 
6 Know how to hit the cymbals As with the drums, the cymbals and hi-hats can be hit in many different ways.[1] Examples are: 
7 Use Basic Examples first. Below is a basic drumbeat, using 16th notes, with a hi-hat every 1/2 beat, kick drums on first & third and snare on the 2nd & 4th. |1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a HH |x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-| SD |----o-------o---| BD |o-------o-------| Accents on the first hi-hat & second snare hit can be added as below: |1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a HH |x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-| SD |----o-------o---| BD |o-------o-------| 
8 Move up in complexity. As you become familiar with the notation, the tabs become more complex, as shown below |1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a|1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a|1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a|1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a| HH |o---o---o---o---|o---o---o---o---|----------------|----------------| SD |----------------|----------------|o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-|oooooooooooooooo| CC |x---------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| HH |--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-----| SD |----o-------o---|----o--o----o---|----o-------o---|----o---o-o-oooo| BD |o-------o-------|o-------o-o-----|o-------o-o-----|o---------------| CC |----------------|x-----------x---|x-----------x---|x---------------| HH |x---x---x-------|--x-x-x-x-x---x-|--x-x-x-x-x---x-|--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-| SD |----o-------o-oo|----o-------o---|----o-------o---|----o-------o---| BD |o-------o--o--o-|o-------o-o-----|o-------o-o-----|o-------o-o-----| Advertisement 
Bart Robley Drummer, Drum Teacher, and Author Bart Robley is a Drummer, Drum Teacher, and Author based in Ontario, California. Bart has been sharing his expertise in drumming knowledge through teaching for over 30 years. He makes his teachings globally accessible by offering lessons in an online format. Bart has authored three instructional books and created three instructional DVDs. He received a Bronze Telly Award in 2009 for his DVD "School Of Hard Rocks. Additionally, Bart has been the drummer for the Sam Morrison Band for over 25 years. 
Community Answer In drum tabs, the high-hat should stay closed unless it is written in the music. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 9