The W3DTS
World Wide Web Drum Tablature Standard. Copyright © 1997. All rights
reserved.
1. Introduction:
Each and every drummer has their own unique and personal style and technique of playing,
from how they lay out their kit to their handling of the drum sticks. W3TDS tries to avoid
those variables by presenting the drum tablature in its simplest form, without imposing
any unneeded or uncomfortable technique for the drummer. The W3TDS system can be read,
write and accepted by a wide range of drummers.
The W3DTS drum tablature system was created based on the guitar/bass tablature system and
will be easy to understand if you understand the principle of how guitar/bass tablature
works.
Basically you have a set of lines all preceeded by a symbol code (See 2. What The
Symbols Mean) for example:
BA:--1---:
SN:---1--: x2
There is a number on each line, in sophisticated (i.e. proper) drum tablature there
will always be more than one number. Let's analyse what the above example means:
BA = Symbolic mnemonic for a bass drum
SN = Symbolic mnemonic for a snare drum
This tells us that the bass drum and the snare drum are used in this drum tablature.
But what does the number signify?
1 = Soft strike
This tells us that we must strike softly (2 = Moderate strike and 3 = Hard strike)
The '-' between the numbers simply indicate the amount of time in 0.5 second intervals the
time between each strike. There is a two second gap at the start and end of each tablature
line to make reading more easier.
Now let's put this example to practice:
In literary terms the above example shows that a bass drum and a snare drum are being used
for this tab. The first strike is a soft strike on the bass drum, immediately after that
we have another soft strike on the bass drum. The 'x' number after the tablature
simply states how many times to repeat the pattern (if neccessary). In this case
the number is 2 so we repeat the pattern twice. It's as simple as that.
There are occasions when you have to strike drum items similtaneously, for example:
BA:--1--:
SN:--1--:
This simply means strike the bass drum and snare drum similtaneously with soft strikes.
Now let's analyse timing, with the following example:
BA:--1-1---:
SN:---1-1--: x2 v. fast
This simply means play the pattern twice very fast.
By now you should be able to read and write drum tablature, there is only one optional
item you need to know; annotations, for example:
(BEAT 1 - VERSE 1)
BA:--1-1---:
SN:---1-1--: x2 ["You let me desecrate you..."] - Electronic drum pads preffered
The above example has three different types of annotations, firstly in the circle brackets
we have a reference to that drum tab incase we need to reference it again instead of
writing it again. The annotation enclosed in quotation marks inside the square is a lyric
line which acts as an aid to the drummer on what lyrical line specifies with the tab. Any
annotations preceeded with a '-' are comments or suggestions by the tab author for that
tab.
Drum tab name references are user definable, yet popular names such as VERSE #x,
PRE-CHORUS #x, CHORUS #x, ROLL #x (where 'x' is a number) etc. should be used to identify
consistency between drum tabs.
The following section explains the various nmemonics and terminology used in the W3DTS
system.
2. What The Symbols Mean:
Cymbals: (Vary according to different drum layouts)
RC = Ride Cymbal
CC = Crash Cymbal
SC = Splash Cymbal
(If you do not have a certain cymbal, substitute it for a compatible sounding one.)
Tom Toms: (Vary according to different drum layouts)
T1 = Tom Tom #1
T2 = Tom Tom #2
FT = Floor Tom
(If you have less or more tom toms you will have to manually figure out how to apply
this to a specific drum tablature.)
Bass Drum(s): (Vary according to different drum layouts)
BA = Bass Drum
or if Double-Bass
B1 = Bass Drum #1
B2 = Bass Drum #2
(Obviously, drum tablatures based on double-bass will you to have a double-bass kit,
whereas single bass drum tablature can be applied to both single bass and double-bass
kits.)
Hi-Hat:
OH = Open Hi-Hat State
SH = Slightly Open Hi-Hat State
CH = Closed Hi-Hat State
Snare:
SN = Snare Drum
(Unless specified as a comment in the tablature, the default setting for the snare is
the 'loose' skin state, the other state can be 'tight' or 'rimshot' these can be
interchanged any time throughout a tab.)
Miscellaneous Items:
(Some drum tablature cater for miscellaneous percussion items which are mentioned
here.)
CB = Cow Bell
SH = Shaker(s)
TA = Tambourine
WB = Wood Block
BE = Bell
Strike volume numbers:
(These are the numbers that appear within the tab.)
1 = Soft strike
2 = Normal strike
3 = Hard strike
Tempo: (i.e. speed.)
v.slow = Very slow
slow = Slow
moderate = Moderate
fast = Fast
v.fast = Very fast
Standard suggested order of drum tablature lines:
(Please follow this structure to make drum tablatures consistent.)
MI:----: (Miscellaneous items in order of importance.)
RC:----:
CC:----:
SC:----:
FT:----:
T2:----:
T1:----:
BA:----:
(If double-bass then:)
B2:----:
B1:----:
HH:----: (An opened or closed state must be specified though, of course.)
SN:----:
N.B: Duplicate items can be added, but bare in mind that the majority of drummers
do not own a double-bass, a variety of cymbals or an array of tom toms since 'standard'
drum kits comprise minimal items such as a single bass, two cymbals, and three toms
(including the floor tom).
3. Epilogue:
Copyright notices:
It is always good practice to write your name and/or contact details on any tablature you
create as well as the all important title of the piece. Copyright signatures and
trademarks must also be outlined to prevent infringement of your work, this also prevents
you from infringing the law when tabbing other peoples work.
Author's note:
I hope that this document proved useful to understanding the W3DTS drum tablature system
and will persuade you to endorse this system to make it a recognised web drum tab
standard.
Thanks,
Yours Sincerely,