Magnetic head, magnetic tape, magnetic tape cartridge, magnetic tape drive, and magnetic tape reading method

A magnetic tape reading method comprising:

• in a magnetic head including a first servo reading element pair that reads a pair of servo bands adjacent to each other via a data band having a plurality of tracks from a magnetic tape in which the data band and the pair of servo bands are formed, a second servo reading element pair that reads the pair of servo bands at a timing different from a timing of the first servo reading element pair, and a plurality of magnetic elements that are disposed in a straight line and perform magnetic processing on a track in accordance with a reading result of the first servo reading element pair or the second servo reading element pair among the plurality of tracks, in which the first servo reading element pair consists of a first servo reading element and a second servo reading element, and the second servo reading element pair consists of a third servo reading element and a fourth servo reading element,
• reading one servo band of the pair of servo bands by the first servo reading element and the third servo reading element which are disposed on one end side of the plurality of magnetic elements;
• reading the other servo band of the pair of servo bands by the second servo reading element and the fourth servo reading element which are disposed on the other end side of the plurality of magnetic elements;
• reading the pair of servo bands by the first servo reading element pair out of the first servo reading element pair and the second servo reading element pair in a case in which the number of the plurality of magnetic elements corresponds to a first number of channels;
• and
• reading the pair of servo bands at different timings by the first servo reading element pair and the second servo reading element pair in a case in which the number of the plurality of magnetic elements corresponds to a second number of channels, which is half of the first number of channels.