Snare drum

The snare drum or side drum is a drum with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the bottom head. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom (internal) side of the top (batter) head.

Operation

The drum can be sounded by hitting it with a drumstick or any other form of beater, including brushes and rutes, which produce a softer-sounding vibration from the wires. When using a stick, the drummer may strike either the head of the drum, the rim, or the shell. When the top head is struck the snares vibrate against the bottom head producing a cracking sound. The snares can often be thrown off with a lever on the strainer so that the drum only produces a tom-tom sound.Rimshots are a technique associated with snare drums, and rudiments are sets of basic patterns often played on a snare drum.

History

Originally, snare drums were military instruments originating from Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. They were commonly called a tabor and were used with the fife in the Swiss military. Today, the snare drum can be found in nearly every form of western music. Snare drums are used by fife and drum corps, marching bands and drum and bugle corps to provide a steady source of rhythm. The sound of a marching snare is a classic military sound. The snare drum was incorporated into European classical music to provide color, or timbre, for march-like segments of music.

Around 1914 Robert Danly fashioned the throw off snare strainer for the Ludwig drum company, which disengaged snares allowing a snare drum to be played like a tom-tom when desired.

Snare drums are now used in popular music styles like rock and roll and jazz to accompany, support, and interact with other musicians. The snare drum (caixa) is the driving force in samba music where ghost notes are played continuously with accented strokes outlining the rhythm. The snare is also used extensively in Reggaeton, and in extreme metal to provide a blast beat.

Types

Snare drums may be made from various wood, metal, or acrylic materials. A typical diameter for snare drums is 14 inches. Marching snare drums are deeper in size than snare drums normally used for orchestral or drum kit purposes, often measuring in at a foot long. Orchestral and drum set snare drum shells are about 6 inches deep. Piccolo snare drums are even more shallow at about 3 inches deep. Soprano, popcorn, and firecracker snare drums have diameters as small as 8 inches and are often used for higher-pitched special effects.