Snare drum

Snare

A drum kit snare drum
Percussion instrument
Other names	Field drum, side drum
Classification	Percussion Drum Unpitched
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	211.212.11 (Individual double-skin cylindrical drums, one skin used for playing)
Developed	13th century
Related instruments
Tabor

The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used in orchestras, concert bands, marching bands, parades, drumlines, drum corps, and more. It is one of the central pieces in a drum set, a collection of percussion instruments designed to be played by a seated drummer and used in many genres of music. Because basic rhythms are very easy to learn to play on a snare drum even for children, the instrument is also suitable for the music education for young children and a rhythm band.

Snare drums are usually played with drum sticks, but other beaters such as the brush or the rute can be used to achieve different tones. The snare drum is a versatile and expressive percussion instrument due to its sensitivity and responsiveness. The sensitivity of the snare drum allows it to respond audibly to the softest strokes, even with a wire brush. It can be used for complex rhythmic patterns and engaging solos at moderate volumes. Its high dynamic range allows the player to produce powerful accents with vigorous strokes and a thundering crack when rimshot strokes are used.

The snare drum originates from the tabor, a drum first used to accompany the flute. The tabor evolved into more modern versions, such as the kit snare (the type usually included in a drum kit), marching snare, tarol snare, and piccolo snare.^[1] Each type is a different size, and there are different playing styles associated with each of them. The snare drum that one might see in a popular music concert is usually used in a backbeat style. In marching bands, it can do the same but is used mostly for a front beat.^{[citation needed]} In comparison with the marching snare, the kit snare is generally smaller in length, while the piccolo is the smallest of the three. The snare drum is easily recognizable by its loud cracking sound when struck firmly with a drumstick or mallet. The depth of the sound varies from one drum to another because of the different techniques and construction qualities of the drum. Some of these qualities are head material and tension, dimensions, and rim and drum shell materials and construction.

The snare drum is constructed of two heads—both usually made of Mylar plastic in modern drums but historically made from calf or goat skin—along with a rattle of wires (metal, plastic, nylon, or gut) called "snares" in close contact with it, usually on the bottom head, which vibrate when the drum is struck. The snares can also be on the top, as in the tarol snare drum, or on both heads as in the case of the Highland snare drum. The top head is typically called the batter head because that is where the drummer strikes it; the bottom head can also be called the snare head (if the snares are located there). The tension of each head is held constant by tension rods or ropes. Tension rod adjustment allows the pitch and tonal character of the drum to be customized by the player. Most snare drums have a lever (the "strainer") to engage or disengage contact between the snares and the head, and which also permits adjustment of the snare tension. When the snares are disengaged, the sound of the drum resembles a tom. The rim is the metal or wooden ring around the batter head that holds the head onto the drum and provides tension to the head; the rim can also be used in some playing techniques, notably the rimshot, in which the head and rim are struck together with a single stick to create a piercingly loud sound.