My Notation by
Raquy Danziger
I
created this notation
system based on the Indian notation system.
It can easily be read by those who aren’t
familiar with Western musical notation, and it works well for Middle
Eastern
rhythms.
The
system is based on underlines,
each underline representing one beat (see below for a more detailed
explanation)
The
Notation Key
(Updated February 2007!)
T = Tek (right hand rim hit)
t = Soft Tek
K = Ka (left hand rim hit)
k = Soft Ka
P = Pop
S = Slap
~ = Left Hand Finger Roll
~ ~ = Right Hand Finger Roll, then Left Hand Finger Roll
* = Rest (silence)
B = Both Dum and Ka at same time
DD = Double Dum (right and left hand dums)
N = Snap with first finger nail
N2 = Snap with second then first finger nails
N3 = Snap with third, then second, then first finger nails
N3p = Snap w/ third, then second, then first finger nails & Pop
NN = Snap, Snap -- second finger and then first finger
NNN = Snap, Snap, Snap as a triplet -- third, then second, then first fingers
dddd = Double-Decker Snaps -- right, right, left, left
F = Right Flam using thumb nail, third and fourth fingers
ZZ = Zarb Roll (Right Flam, Left Flam)
13 = Turkish Doubles Left Hand (first finger down and third finger up)
3113 = Interlaced Turkish Split Hand third up (right), first down (left), first down (right), third up (left)
NNPP = Combination Right Hand Snaps with Left Hand Turkish Double with side of right thumb pressing down
O = Tok - Low Tek with base of first finger.
NEW HITS!
L = low. left hand split hand lower on the drum. Each finger is a little slap
∇ = r hand thumb in middle of drum
Δ = right hand three fingers on lower part of drum
Fingers are counted like this:
The
location of the letter on the line determines when to play it. Here is an
example of one hit per beat:
|
T |
|
K |
|
T |
|
K |
Here
are two hits per
beat. The second
letter on each line
goes on the second half of the beat, in other words, dividing it into
two. It sounds
twice as fast as the previous example:
|
T K |
|
T K |
|
T K |
|
T K |
If
the beat has three
equal letters on it, as in the following example, it is a triplet (the
beat is
divided into thirds):
|
TKT |
|
KTK |
|
TKT |
|
KTK |
Here
are four hits per beat:
|
TKTK |
|
TKTK |
|
TKTK |
|
TKTK |
Here,
each beat is divided into one half and two quarters:
|
T
TK |
|
T
TK |
|
T
TK |
|
T
TK |
The
upper case letters signify a loud hit while the lower case letters are
soft and
ghost–like:
|
D k |
|
k T |
|
k k |
|
T k |
To
get a better grasp of this system, put on a metronome at 70bpm. Tap the beats on the page
one at a time, one
beat per line at a
steady pace, NO
MATTER HOW MANY LETTERS ARE ON THAT LINE.
At the same time, read out loud what is on the lines. For example the following
example reads “Tek
Ka Tek Ka.”
|
T |
|
K |
|
T |
|
K |
T K |
|
T K |
|
T K |
|
T K |