Charts - Interpretation
When reading a big band drum set part, much of what is expected to play is not included in the sheet music. It is up to the drummer to interpret the chart in a way that uses fills to set up the band for important figures or supports the band in more isolated rhythms without any fills or set up. Basically explained, the drummer can use fills to set up the band by playing something stylistically appropriate that ends on the beat just before the band is to come in. Although the options are endless, a common fill idea is to play eighth notes in the preceding two beats before a band figure. By becoming familiar with the big band style, the drummer can make sense of what a part should sound like based on the rough diagram that the sheet music represents.
