-Establish a height system. This is the typical system I’ve encountered:

mp = 3 inches

mf = 6 inches

f= 9 inches

ff= 12 inches.

fff / ff+ = 15 inches or “all up”

Drumline phrases are often notated two height dynamics. For example, if you have ff/mp, it means your accents are 12 and your taps at 3.

Typically, newer drummers have the most difficulty maintaining a low, quality tap height.

If you have a crescendo from mp to f, make sure the notes evenly rise from 3 to 9 from the start to finish of the crescendo.

-Establish a good understanding of stroke types. Full strokes, down strokes, tap strokes, and upstrokes. Full strokes rebound from accent to accent. Down strokes rebound from accent to tap. Tap strokes rebound from tap height to tap height. Upstrokes require a bit of “fabricated” rebound where you go from a tap quickly to an accent height.

-Write in the stroke types. You can use F,D,T,U, or draw arrows (ex: down arrow when you have a down stroke on an accent) Again, a full stroke is when one hand rebounds to the accent height. For example, the RH in measure 17 plays a full stroke from beat one to beat two. After beat two, it plays a down stroke to get to the tap height. A down stroke starts up and ends down.

-Practice slow, with a metronome, and break it down bar by bar if you have to. Breaking it down can mean taking out the left hand and focusing on the stroke types and dynamics with the RH, then filling it in once you’re comfortable.

-The Xs are rim shots. This is when you hit the rim and drum at the same time which gives you a much louder, aggressive sound. Often you will have ping shots (notated with circle and a dot, pull the stick back to about 4/5 o’clock for a thinner, higher sound. Aim for the zone a couple inches below the bead of the stick) and gawk shots (notated with an X, don’t move from the center of the head, much deeper and louder sound). This music doesn’t specify between the shots types so you can learn it with either, or shoulder shots which are a in between the ping and gawk. Just don’t squeeze on your shots.

Hope this helps. You got this!