I play the drums. When you know a song well, you literally don't have to count anything. Sure when you're first learning a song counting bars can sometimes be h

I play the drums. When you know a song well, you literally don't have to count anything. Sure when you're first learning a song counting bars can sometimes be helpful, but you can also listen to other cues to know when a change is coming. Like the music itself (verse, chorus, etc), or the lyrics. Either way, after playing a song enough times you'll have it memorized. For a drummer, knowing how to read music is not at all a requirement for pop/rock/jazz. OTOH it would be important for a percussionist playing orchestral music, or for marching band/drum corps stuff.