506 – [Daniel Glass Show]: How to Read Charts

In this podcast, Daniel discusses why charts are an important tool in making a musician’s life easier and more successful, and how they can do the same for you, even if you don’t read music.

What’s covered in this session:

• Some common fears and objections that drummer have when it comes to learning to read music and implement charts.
• Four key benefits from working with charts:
  • They provide a VISUAL way of understanding music.
  • They eliminate the need to memorize music, which can be time consuming and unreliable.
  • They can help to clarify our understanding of rhythm in general, by forcing us to precisely articulate our musical ideas.
  • They can make us much more employable, by allowing us to play gigs with minimal or no rehearsal.
• How the ability to read and utilize charts has helped Daniel develop a strong career as a professional, travel the world and work with all kinds of incredible artists.
• Four common types of charts you are likely to encounter in your work as a musician:
  • Sheet music
  • Lead sheet
  • Formal drum chart
  • Homemade chart (aka “cheat sheet”)
• An analysis of several charts, including a lead sheet for “Straight, No Chaser.” Chart elements discussed include:
  • Form
  • Chord Progression
  • Melodic contour and runs
  • Rhythmic Melodies
• Cheat sheets:
  • How they can be tailored to any drummer’s individual needs.
  • Why you don’t need to be able to read music to create them.
  • How they’ve been effectively used by all types of professional drummer, including Daniel, Peter Erskine and Josh Freese.

Resources/Links/People Mentioned:

• A great article entitled, A Quick Guide To Using And Writing Drum Charts.
• A sample of piano sheet music.
• Example of a block chart for drummers.
• The lead sheet for “Straight, No Chaser,” which Daniel analyzes in the podcast.
• Sample of a homemade “cheat sheet.”