The Drum-Set Notation Key
The widely used map — codified by the Percussive Arts Society — that assigns each drum and cymbal of the kit to a line, space, and notehead shape on the five-line percussion staff.
How the system works
Read staff position for which instrument and notehead shape for how it's played: round noteheads are drums, x-shapes are cymbals. In the common PAS-derived layout the kit runs roughly feet-to-hands from the bottom of the staff to the top — a useful mnemonic, not a universal law; publishers vary, so check the chart's own legend first.
In context
The key
- 1x on the top line / above the staff — hi-hat (closed) or ride cymbal
- x with a circle around it (notehead) — commonly the bell of the ride or an accented cymbal — publisher conventions vary; distinct from the small 'o' placed ABOVE an x, which marks an open hi-hat
- 2round notehead, third space — snare drum
- 3round notehead, first space — bass (kick) drum
- 4x below the staff, stems down — hi-hat played with the foot
- round noteheads on remaining spaces/lines — toms, high to low down the staff
See also
x-notehead · ghost-note-drums · hi-hat-symbols · drum-roll
For specialists
SMuFL: noteheadXBlack
Record status: draft — verification pending (bookshelf locators + chord-symbol authority; OQ-1 blocks the slice gate)