So count these out by playing circular sweeps on your snare with your brush. If you are following the lesson, one arc would represent one circle played on the drum with your brush. Count the time like regular, just watch out for those arcs. Now as for brush notation, you will see a lot of arcs on the page. To learn more about sheet music in general, you may want to read this quick lesson on sheet music.
To read up on basic drum notation click on my article on understanding drum notation. Brushes look different then other drum notation.
Play around with this technique until you get a feel for the brush! Accent your quarter notes by speeding up and/or pressing harder during that count. You will get a swooshing sound that sounds like it has a texture to it. Then, in a circular motion, move your brushes around the snare. Simply press down on the brush so the spokes spread out on the snare drum.
Make sure you have a coated skin on your drum, or the brushes will not work that well. Playing brushes on a snare creates a feeling that you cannot get with any other stick. The main drum you will play brushes on is the snare. Playing your brushes on your toms and snare are a lot different as well. Use the brushes to sweep the cymbal, utilizing every spoke of the brush. Using your ride cymbal and crash cymbals will get you a very nice sound. Open hi hats are a different story however. This is because you can rarely get a decent volume from them. Rarely will you see brushes played on closed hi hats. A lot of cymbal work is done with brushes. This means you need to have a feel for the brush. Drum brushes (also known as brooms) are used for softer playing. Brushes have a totally different job then drumsticks. This is fairly popular with brushes, however matched grip works fine to. A lot of drummers will hold their brushes with one hand using the traditional grip, and the other using matched grip. The weight and balance of brushes is totally different to regular sticks. You will not have to search for an optimum fulcrum point like regular drumsticks because you are not going to find one very easy.
For a complete list of proper stick grips, check out my article on how to hold drumsticks. Basically, the grip you use should be the same as a regular drum stick. There is a couple of ways you can do this. Lets start with the basics, how to hold brushes. So let’s uncover the secrets to brush playing, and hopefully broaden our drumming horizons I have even seen many drummer play solos with brushes! Also, when playing in a small auditorium or church, a lot of drummers will use brushes to bring their volume down. Drum brushes are usually played in ballads, jazz, and other softer songs however they have many uses for them. This lesson will teach you how to hold brushes, how to play with brushes, and how to use brushes with dynamics and control. It is completely different from playing with drum sticks. Drumming with brushes is a totally unique style of drumming.