I want to add an accent on the snare drum cross-stick
Hinrich Nagel
Hi Derek, Once again I need help: I‘m not able to set an accent on count #2 and #4 in the measure attached, because there is no accent-attribute for the kick and I can only select the cross-stick-attribute OR the accent-attribute for the snare. Any idea?
Addendum: The new Discover-tab is great, many helpful posts there!
Best regards
Hinrich
Derek Lee
Hi Hinrich Nagel and thanks for this question!
Regarding setting an accent in this situation, in order to answer your question, I need to know what note you want to add the accent to. Is it the bass drum note? Or the cross stick note?
In Beat Note, the challenge is not simply adding the accent. As you know, an accent can already be added to the snare. The solution here is either adding an accent to the bass drum, or adding support for multiple articulations on the snare drum:
Accents for kick: https://roadmap.beat-note.app/feature-requests/p/accents-for-kick
Multiple articulations for a single note: https://roadmap.beat-note.app/feature-requests/p/assign-multiple-articulations-to-a-single-note-eg-flam-diddles-flam-diddle
I also realized as a result of thinking through this solution that the current snare drum articulations are actually a mix of note heads (different sounds) and ornaments (articulations for that sound).
For example..
- A snare note (black note head) and cross-stick ("X" note head) are actually entirely different sounds, and each one could be accented or unaccented.
- An accent, ghost note, grace note (for a flam), and diddle are technically ornaments on the note head that adjust the sound. However, some apply to some note heads while others do not: you could ghost or accent a snare drum note, and you could accent a cross-stick note, but I've never seen or heard of a ghosted or diddled cross-stick note.
With the release of the "Discover" tab, I hope it's starting to become more clear how Beat Note is intended to be an educational tool, not simply a tool for composition. It's not a matter of just adding the accent - I also need to adjust the sound of the playback (louder or softer, or in the case of snare drum accents, using completely different samples for each sound). The exported PDF is one representation of the music, but the primary use (in my mind) is the audio playback combined with the visual representation. This is why I need to know which note you want accented because it's not just adding the accent to the visual representation, but also adjusting the audio representation.
I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the Discover tab! 🎉
Hinrich Nagel
Derek LeeMany thanks for your response and explanations. I ever wonder about the ambiguity each time I read a sheet of notes where several notes (=different drum-Instruments) appear at the same count# and only an accent is notated at the the top of line. What is the meaning of this? Should all notes accented or only a special one and which one?
My personal solution was: I accented the note(s) while playing which give the best sounds in MY ears for that specific rhythm.
The same is in the sample I attached to my post. I got it from the web and it should represent a special reggae-rythm and only an accent is notated at the the top of the line for count #2 and #4. So, in conclusion I like to accented the cross-stick note in that example; maybe your option is different🙂↕️.
Derek Lee
Hinrich Nagel Thanks for the detailed reply!
In this case, I don't much have an opinion to be honest - because this is about what you want to do and how you want to write out your beat. 👍🏻
Re: "Should all notes accented or only a special one and which one?" According to the books I've referenced, for example "Standardized Drum Notation" (attached), indicates that "Drumset music employing "stems up" notation often contains two or more notes on a single stem. Whenever two or more instruments share a stem, articulations can be placed at the positions that offer the most clarity and readability." Additionally, it also states that "Generally speaking, only the musical articulations of staccato (a dot) and tenuto (a dash) are placed inside the staff in single-voice music. All other articulations should be placed outside of the staff."
I would place the accent above the note if you wanted the cross-stick to be accented and the accent below if you wanted the bass drum to be accented.
The realization I had from this discussion is that I think the Snare Drum and the Cross-Stick are actually (drum roll...) two different instruments.
Therefore, I'm thinking that I should add a _new_ instrument for the Snare Cross-Stick and give that its own articulations.
What do you think? 🤔
Hinrich Nagel
Derek LeeThat are VERY good backgrounds information, thanks a lot therefore. Now it is clear, that the author of the beat I provided had not expressed oneself very accurately.
Your proposal sounds very good: cross stick as a separate instrument and the accent above (snare) or below (bass) the staff is perfect for me.
(I’m a great friend of standards and I like to read more about drum-notation, do you have an idea where I can got the book you referenced; at Amazon I got no hits for such a book)
Derek Lee
Hinrich Nagel My pleasure! I'm glad this proposal sounds good to you. 👍🏻
While I have a considerable amount of experience reading drum notation, there doesn't seem to be a good consensus on what "standard" drum notation is, so I tend to pull from a variety of resources (as well as asking others such as Zak Bond who also has a ton of books he can reference). It's my goal to have Beat Note grow to the point to where it can help shape and facilitate a conversation about what "standardized drum notation" might look like.
The book the screenshots are from is here on the US Amazon site. I'm unsure if they carry it outside of the US, but it's worth checking: https://www.amazon.com/Standardized-Drumset-Notation-Norman-Weinberg/dp/0966492811 It is, however, 20+ years old at this point, and not entirely comprehensive, but since there are very few other resources and it was written in conjunction with the Percussive Art Society, I think it is an accurate reference. It was a recommendation from the talented Austin Burcham: https://www.youtube.com/abbdrums
Another book I've been referencing is "Behind Bars" by Elaine Gould. This one is a much more comprehensive book on all aspects of classic music notation, and while it covers percussion to some extent, it is not intended specifically for drum set and percussion. It's probably more than you need (and it's quite pricy). I hope this is helpful!
Hinrich Nagel
Derek LeeMany, many thanks for your detailed answer; unfortunately Amazon-US don‘t send any Books to Europe. So I have to check if there are other sources. First of all I will have a look to some Videos of Austin Burcham.
Once again: Many thanks!
Derek Lee
Hinrich Nagel My pleasure! Thanks again for your kind and insightful feedback! 🙇🏻♂️
FYI I updated the title of this enhancement to reflect the discussion we had. 👍🏻
Hinrich Nagel
Derek LeeI got one!
Derek Lee
Hinrich Nagel Yeah!! 🎉🎉