How to Read Drum Tabs

Co-authored by Bart Robley

Last Updated: October 11, 2023

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.

Steps

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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.^{[1]
X
Research source} Common abbreviations for instruments include:^{[2]
X
Research source}
- 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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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.^{[3]
X
Research 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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