Closing the Hi-Hat – placing "closed" articulation on a rest impossible
Hi folks.
In transcribing for drums, I've been running into a problem with notating the closing of a Hi-Hat.
Drum notation isn't properly standardised, unfortunately. For example, there are two major ways to indicate the opening and closing of a Hi-Hat:
1, An "ouvert"/"open" articulation above the Hi-Hat notehead indicates the Hi-Hat is open. If necessary, a "close" articulation explicitly indicates it is closed.
2. An "X circle" notehead indicates the Hi-Hat is open. If necessary, a "pedal Hi-Hat" note explicitly indicates it is closed.
- works fine as can be seen in the screenshot. 1. does not work when the open Hi-Hat is followed by rest because apparently, the "close" articulation cannot be placed above a rest.
Am I missing something?
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| ClosingTheHiHat-CircleX.png | 10.35 KB |
| ClosingTheHiHat-Ouvert.png | 9.62 KB |
Comments
Partially because an articulation is a method of playing a note. So it makes sense that you can't place them on a rest.
It's not clear to me just what you are trying to notate.
In reply to Partially because an… by bobjp
Right. But drummers on this forum have been told to use the open and close articulations for this purpose.
I want to indicate that Hi-Hat is closed on 4+ instead of staying open.
In reply to Right. But drummers on this… by RobFog
Edit: i reckon in this case the right to do is to use the "pedal Hi-Hat" note.
In reply to Edit: i reckon in this case… by RobFog
Well, I'm no fan of the drum palette. If you mean to notate that the hi-hat needs to be closed on 4+ without making a sound, I'm not sure there is a way to do that. AFAIK, +,o,x, and pedal hi-hat are all meant to denote sound.
If beat one of the next measure is a closed hi-hat sound, I would think that would indicate to the drummer that they need to close the hi-hat.
In reply to Well, I'm no fan of the drum… by bobjp
Right! Thanks.
I've been arranging for years. And I've seen many ways of writing drum parts. I remember writing many scores this way.
Computer software unfortunately didn't support this writing style.
Below is an example that starts open on the same note and closes instantly. And that notation style was understood by many drummers at the time.
first line: old style
second line: new style. top-voice: Hands; bottom-voice: Pedals
(hi-hat pedals timings is written approximately for ease of reading.)
In reply to I've been arranging for… by Ziya Mete Demircan
I hope the OP doesn't mind my comments.
I play drums, but in a situation where I don't have to read drum music. So what I have to say might not count. I understand the concept behind "new style." However, if I ever had to read something like this mess, I would have to go through with a pencil and at the very least mark where the beats were.
In reply to I hope the OP doesn't mind… by bobjp
I think this is an example where notating all instruments and limbs as one voice is easier to read.
This is how I'd write it. I find flattened beams helpful.
![OneVoice.png]()