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Snare Drum Facts

Snare Drum Facts
The snare drum is an instrument in the percussion family that is considered a main part of the drum kit and is found in a variety of bands. The snare drum is usually played with a drum stick, and can be found in concert bands, marching bands, parades, drumlines, and in rock bands and modern music. The snare drum is also referred to as the side drum and is the smallest cylinder drum. The snare drum is derived from the tabor which is a drum that was originally used for accompanying a flute. The snare drum has two heads, and most often they are made of plastic but some are made of calf skin. The drummer hits the snare drum head with a drum stick or beater that can vary from brushes to the drummer's hands.
Interesting Snare Drum Facts:
The snare drum can be made of metal, acrylic, composite, fiberglass, or wood.
The snare drum consists of the shell, snare release lever, tensioning brackets, counter hoop, tensioning screw, and the tensioning mechanism.
The snare drum became a member of the orchestra approximately two centuries ago.
The snare is often referred to as a side drum by the British or those from the Scottish Highlands.
In Italy the snare drum is referred to as a tamburo piccolo, which means 'little drum'.
There are different types of snare drums including the marching snare (produces a deep tone), drum kit snare (smaller in depth than the marching snare), piccolo snare (produces higher pitch), tabor (original snare from the 1300s), tarol (smaller than kit snare), and the Caixa Malacaheta (deep snare from Brazil).
The snare drum produces a definite pitch. Prior to the 1900s a definite pitch was avoided in the snare drum but today it is required in some cases.
Snare drums are placed on stands which enable to drummer to adjust the angle and height at which the drum is played.
Mallets and sticks used for playing the snare drum are thin and tapering, made of wood and sometimes coated in plastic. For military music the sticks are thicker and heavy and for other music such as jazz the sticks are thinner - the type of sound dictates the type of stick to be used.
Other sticks used for the snare drum include wire brushes (often in jazz), small mallets (those used for the timpani), hard felt mallets (produce course sound), and marimba beaters (produce a darker sound upon release).
Inside of the drum there is a between 8 and 18 snares, which are made of plastic, metal, nylon, silk, or other material, stretched across the snare head. The snares are what make the crisp sound of the snare drum possible. This is also the reason it is called the 'snare drum'.
When striking the snare drum the drummer can create noise by hitting the instrument's head, rim, or shell.
When playing the snare drum the stick is sometimes allowed to bounce back and hit the head again - a technique referred to as mammy-daddy beats. This technique is unique to snare drum playing.


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