THE CHART DOCTOR by ROn hess rhess@filmmusicweekly.com Trap Set Notation Basics: Give Your Drummer A Break Ah, drummers. ‘Twould be a dull world without ‘em. And the way they can be mistreated or neglected by composers, it’s a wonder we have them at all. Frequently and notationally, they are given the shortest shrift and yet are expected to be the most dominant force in the ensemble. Let’s look at ways to give them what they need to become our best allies in our war on lame rehearsals and performances. To begin with, let’s clear up the symbology. The “x’s and o’s” that make up your drummer’s notational language are frequently confused and often misnotated. Simply put, x’s are for cymbals (crash, ride, hi-hat, gongs, etc.) and some miscellaneous percussion, and ovals are for drums (snare, toms, kick, etc.) (See example 1.) Where they go is still somewhat a matter of debate, but the rough conventions are shown in example 1. Wherever you place the cymbals and toms, label them at their first appearance and stick to your scheme. Since drums don’t sustain, it’s not necessary to be hyper-accurate in your durations. Simplify. Always think readability. If the kick drum only hits on one and three, telegraph the quarter feel with nothing more precise than quarter notes and quarter rests (example 2A). Same for the snare, unless it’s rolling (example 2B). For cymbals, include clues as to the amount of “ring” or precisely when they are to be hand-damped (example 2C). It’s always tempting to put a couple of descriptive words like “hard rock” and a bunch of slashes and count on your drummer to provide the magic that you’ve left out. In a word, don’t. Despite the jokes, your drummer is a musician; treat him like one. He’ll forget more about some aspects of ensemble control than you will ever know. Nobody has the power to hold your chart together, control its dynamics, or drive your audience than he does. As no other band member interacts so strongly with what everyone else is doing, he needs and deserves more score detail from which to work, not less. Give him the right amount of info and he’s yours for life. (Well, the life of the gig, anyway...) Make the road map of the composition clear with his page layout, just like any other player. Obviously, he doesn’t have key signatures, but lay out his page as if he did, with the beginnings of compositional subsections falling at the left margin (example 3A). As he’s only got two arms and two legs, and they’re usually busy, minimize page turns by going eight bars to the system through the use of single- and double-repeat bars (example 3B) and try to make them fall where he has a momentary free hand (example 3C). For the reasons given above, absolutely complete dynamics are a must. To get him started, fully notate a bar or two of each section to make the “feel” clear. Descriptive words help, but can’t replace, that initial notation. It’s not that difficult. Carefully imagine exactly what you want him to play, and notate accordingly. Once you’ve established the style, use slashes or repeat bars and the words “cont. sim.” (continue simile) or simply “sim.” or something to that effect (example 3D). Punches and fills are a little more forgiving, and can be short-cut in a couple of ways. Major (tutti) ensemble hits can be indicated with slash/rhythm notation (example 4A). Lesser punches can be hinted at with cues above the running slashes (example 4B). Fills, almost by definition, do not need spelling out. Your drummer will intuit what the chart needs better than you probably can, but he does require precise indicators of where and how long (example 4C). Of course, this is just a beginning. To complete your education, ask drummers you encounter to take a moment and point out well-notated charts in their books and, if there’s time, ask what the player likes about them. Do a quick analysis, keeping in mind what we’ve discussed above. In actuality, despite our many discussions on the importance of sight readability in the studio, it’s even more important on the live gig, where rehearsal time is even less certain. Make that your standard.. n Ron Hess works as a studio conductor, orchestrator, copyist and score supervisor in Los Angeles, where he’s well-known for his quick ability to ferret out the most hidden performance problems and spot score glitches rapidly. He holds a Master’s Degree from the New England Conservatory, and is considered one of the top Finale experts in Los Angeles. Email Ron at rhess@filmmusicweekly.com 14 ISSUE 42 • DECEMBER 4, 2007 FILM MUSICweekly
FILM MUSICweekly ISSUE 42 • DECEMBER 4, 2007 15