We need data! We can’t guess about something as important as a drummer using sheet music to play in a band.
And what’s the best way to get data from a drummer? Hang out at the local drum store? How about conducting a phone survey?
But before we get into the phone survey, let me give you a little background.
I was asked this question recently: “aw hey i’d love to learn drums this might be a dumb question but can you get sheet music for it or is everything done by ear?”
It sounded to me like 3 different questions:
- Can you get sheet music for drums?
- Is sheet music used when you play drums in a band?
- Should you learn to play the drums by ear or by using sheet music?
I answered the first question here. This post is answering the second question. Now, back to the drum sheet music phone survey.
The Phone Survey
[African Drum ring tone plays]
Drummer: Hey.
Pollster: Hi, I’m from LearnDrumsNow.com and I’m conducting a not-so-random survey to find out if sheet music is used when playing drums in a band. Is the drummer of the house available?
Drummer: Yeah, that’s me.
Pollster: Do you or anyone you know have an affiliation with LearnDrumsNow.com?
Drummer: Well yes, I’m the one who hired you to conduct this survey for my site. I even gave you my phone number!
Pollster: Sorry, I got a little carried away with this survey thing. For background purposes, how long have you been playing drums?
Drummer: Many years.
Pollster: And how many bands have you been in?
Drummer: Lots of bands.
Pollster: And what kind of music have you played in those bands?
Drummer: All different styles: Rock, Country, Blues, Funk, Christian Pop, Jazz, Big Band and Brazilian. About the only thing I haven’t played is Metal and Rap. But I could if I had the opportunity!
Rock & Country Band Drum Sheet Music
Pollster: Could you please tell me all of the Rock, Country, Blues, Funk and Christian Pop bands you’ve played in that had pre-written sheet music for drums?
Drummer: That’s easy. Gary & the Geezers and the band at church.
Pollster: That’s it? Two bands?
Drummer: Yes, those are the only ones.
Pollster: Ok, could you please tell me all of the Rock, Country, Blues, Funk and Christian Pop bands you’ve played in that DID NOT have pre-written sheet music for drums?
Drummer: American Spirit, The Mel Palmer Trio, Elysium, Rip Edwards, Rapid Transit (in Portland), The Family Jewels, The Myron Kline Band, Carnival, Steve Unruh & Sun, Heinsight, Shakey Bone, James Lawill, Gambler, DD Smith & Taxi, Mainstreet, Montana Al & The Mutton Punchers, Tony Murphy, The Chris Ward Band.
Pollster: What?!? You mean all those bands DID NOT have drum sheet music?
Drummer: None of them had PRE-WRITTEN drum music. If I wanted sheet music, I had to create it myself using my own song sketch method. [See The Magic of Song Sketches].
Pollster: By the way, those are some weird band names.
Drummer: Well, a band is kind of like a democracy but the people with the PA, the place to practice and the vehicle to transport equipment have the most votes.
Jazz and Big Bands
Pollster: Next question: Name the jazz and big bands where you had sheet music.
Drummer: Sam Barlow High School Stage & Pep Bands, Mt. Hood Community College Big Band & Dixieland Pep Band, Herb Marti & the Martinis, Los Angeles Rehearsal Band, Swing Set, Brazz.
Pollster: Ok, how about the jazz and big bands where you did NOT have sheet music.
Drummer: Forecast and Klyber/Nyberg Fusion Band. Both of these bands played a mix of cover tunes (songs done by another artist) and original compositions.
Pollster: So jazz is just the opposite of rock: Most jazz bands have sheet music for drums.
Drummer: Yes, that’s right.
Orchestra Music
Pollster: Name the symphony orchestras that you’ve played in that have used sheet music.
Drummer: Sam Barlow High Concert Band and Percussion Ensemble, Mt. Hood Community College Symphonic Band. And I know what you’re going to ask next, and the answer is, “No, I’ve never played in (or have I heard of) a symphony orchestra that did not have percussion music.”
Other Drumming Situations
Pollster: Have you ever played drums in the studio?
Drummer: Yes, I have, mostly for song writers who have written original songs and need a demo of their music. In those cases I usually do not have sheet music. I’ve never played a big time studio gig where everyone’s getting paid a lot of money but I understand that they ALWAYS have sheet music.
Pollster: Are there any other musical situations where you did or didn’t use drum sheet music.
Drummer: I played snare drum solos in high school and I always had sheet music but I was expected to have the solo memorized for a performance.
Pollster: Cool. Anything else?
Drummer: I’ve never played in a marching band but I’ve heard that you read music to learn the songs and then are expected to have it memorized by the time you perform.
Pollster: What about drum circles?
Drummer: Sheet music is NEVER used in a drum circle. It’s all about listening to each other and playing the rhythm you feel!
Pollster: Thank you for you very much for your time. We’ll tabulate the results from this one-person survey and let you know what we conclude.
Drummer: Ok, sounds good. Bye!
Pollster: Bye!
Conclusion
So there you have it. Here are the conclusions from our one person phone survey:
- Almost all rock bands do not use drum sheet music unless the drummer creates it.
- Almost all jazz bands DO use drum sheet music.
- All symphony bands use percussion sheet music.
- Informal studio gigs don’t use sheet music but the big time studio gigs ALWAYS use sheet music.
- Solo snare drummers and marching bands use sheet music to learn their parts but never use sheet music during a performance.
- Drum circles NEVER use drum music because it would “kill the buzz, man.”
I hope this has been helpful and not too goofy. Just trying to make the boring subject of drum sheet music a little fun! Let me know what your drum sheet music experiences have been by leaving a comment below.