MIDI Drum Mappings
These tables show the MIDI note numbers that correspond to each drum sound. When using the piano roll in GarageBand or another DAW, you can use these mappings to program different drum sounds.
Most Commonly Used Sounds
Use this table for basic drum programming. These are the sounds you’ll use most often when building a beat. Click the play buttons to hear acoustic and electric versions of each drum sound.
| MIDI Note | Note Name | Drum Sound | Acoustic Sample | Electric Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | C1 | Bass Drum (Kick) | ||
| 38 | D1 | Snare Drum | ||
| 42 | F#1 | Closed Hi-Hat | ||
| 46 | Bb1 | Open Hi-Hat | ||
| 47 | B1 | Low-Mid Tom | ||
| 48 | C2 | Hi Mid Tom | ||
| 41 | F1 | Low Floor Tom | ||
| 49 | C#2 | Crash Cymbal 1 | ||
| 51 | Eb2 | Ride Cymbal 1 |
Complete General MIDI Drum Mappings
This is the full General MIDI drum map. Not all drum patches have all sounds, and not all mappings will match this table exactly. Audio samples are included where available.
| Key# | Note | Drum Sound | Acoustic | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | B0 | Acoustic Bass Drum | — | |
| 36 | C1 | Bass Drum 1 | ||
| 37 | C#1 | Side Stick | — | |
| 38 | D1 | Acoustic Snare | ||
| 39 | Eb1 | Hand Clap | — | |
| 40 | E1 | Electric Snare | — | |
| 41 | F1 | Low Floor Tom | ||
| 42 | F#1 | Closed Hi Hat | ||
| 43 | G1 | High Floor Tom | — | |
| 44 | Ab1 | Pedal Hi-Hat | — | |
| 45 | A1 | Low Tom | — | |
| 46 | Bb1 | Open Hi-Hat | ||
| 47 | B1 | Low-Mid Tom | ||
| 48 | C2 | Hi Mid Tom | ||
| 49 | C#2 | Crash Cymbal 1 | ||
| 50 | D2 | High Tom | — | |
| 51 | Eb2 | Ride Cymbal 1 | ||
| 52 | E2 | Chinese Cymbal | — | |
| 53 | F2 | Ride Bell | — | |
| 54 | F#2 | Tambourine | — | |
| 55 | G2 | Splash Cymbal | — | |
| 56 | Ab2 | Cowbell | — | |
| 57 | A2 | Crash Cymbal 2 | — | |
| 58 | Bb2 | Vibraslap | — | |
| 59 | B2 | Ride Cymbal 2 | — | |
| And continuing through key 81 (A4, Open Triangle) | ||||
Note: Not all drum patches have all sounds. Not all mappings will match this table. When using different drum sounds in GarageBand, you may need to experiment to find which MIDI notes trigger the sounds you want.