Devoted Drummer

Which sticking marks belong on the chart?

A sticking note earns its place when it helps you play a particular passage.

Keep an R or L reminder if it helps you begin a tricky passage or return to the groove. A player learning a fill may need that information. Once the movement is comfortable, try removing repeated hand labels and see whether the chart is easier to follow.

Leave the section order, repeats, entrances, and stops clearly visible. Play with a recording using the edited chart. If you lose the form, improve the section marks; if a particular fill breaks down, restore the useful sticking reminder there.

Use the hand assignments that work with your setup. If the first note of a fill is easy to forget, mark that hand at the start of the passage and test it in the song. Remove the reminder once you can play the transition reliably, and keep any other marks you still need.

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