Please review the following information that outlines all key area’s for Grade 3 to know and common topics that are questioned to help with musical understanding.

Symbols

These symbols represent the different hi-hat commands that you’ll see. Please review the following explanations:

  1. + on the hi-hat means the hi-hat to keep closed
  2. O on the hi-hat means to play the hi-hat with the foot peddle open
  3. Diagonal line through the 0 means when a hi-hat is played half open. Therefore, slightly open your foot peddle half way and play it
  4. X on the bottom of the stave means to simply press down on the hi-hat peddle itself (don’t hit the hi-hat with your stick)

The images to your right represent a crash continued before the drum fill. This means that the student needs to let the crash continue to ring after it’s hit and then create their own drum fill to the piece of music.

This particular drum fill has a count of 2 counts (2 crotchets).

The image to your left shows a request for the musician to create their own ‘develop’ section. This is when the drummer would create their own drum parts to the song.

Key piece of knowledge for develops: This doesn’t mean, hit whatever you like. But instead, it means that they’re expected to create a drum rythmn that flows with the style of music played and is an improvement on the previous drum beat. I.e., slightly harder than the beat shown in the previous bar of music.

This image to your right shows 2 functions.

  1. A triplet drum fill
  2. A crescendo over the whole bar of music. This means that the bar is to start quiet and then continue in volume of which they end playing the part very loud at the very end

This image represents a ‘choke’. This is when the drummer is asked to hit a crash and then catch it immediately afterwards to stop the ring. Desired action is:

  1. Hit the crash and keep their stick in their hand
  2. With that same hand go to hold the crash (don’t put the sticks in the other hand)
  3. The hand to catch the crash (thumb on top. fingers underneath with the stick to the side of the symbol in hand)

Navigation Markings

This marking is found from Grade 3 upwards and is used to inform the user of repeating specific sections of a song without the writer having to write more pieces of music.

Steps to follow a song when this is found:

  1. Play through the song until you see D.S. al Coda
  2. Then return back to where you see the ‘S’ symbol
  3. Continue playing until you see a gun shot symbol ‘0’ which has a crosshair making in the middle of it
  4. Then jump ahead to said Coda (gun shot symbol) of which the song will then finish

This marking is found from Grade 3 upwards and is exactly the same as the symbols of D.S. al Coda as shown above, except 1 variation. Please read below:

  1. Play through the song until you see D.C. al Fine
  2. Then instead of returning back to a ‘S’ symbol. You just go back to the start of the song. Then follow points 3 & 4 as shown in the previous nations marking guide.

Rests

As shown above, these symbols represent the various rest periods that you can find in the exam books. A rest period is simply a note that tells the reader to stop playing. Key facts:

  • Rest periods for example 1 beat means you stop for 1 count.
  • ‘What do you do if a rest period appears on a snare line, but there’s other sheet music present?’ This simply means to not play a snare, continue with other notes requested.

If you feel confident in the information shown above, please click the button ‘mark as complete’ and move onto the next topic.