As with all of the drums in a drum set, the initial setup of a snare drum can make or break its sound. When putting the snare drum together, keep in mind that a snare drum has two drum heads, the bottom and the batter. The bottom head is typically the piece with the snares attached, and may be tightened on the shell of the drum slightly looser than the batter head, allowing the snare sound to penetrate drum rolls and other rhythms. For both the batter and bottom heads of the snare drum, the tightening process should be even, taking care to work in a rotating pattern, across the surface of the drum. When facing the drum, the top and bottom lugs should each be tightened first before moving on to the next set of opposing hardware. Working in this manner assures a uniform sound across the surface of both drum heads.
For drum set drummers, once the drum heads and snare sound is tight, the drum can be placed on the snare drum stand. For both comfort and harmonics, most drummers tilt the snare slightly, depending on the grip used while playing, with the snare drum placed so that the snares are parallel to the floor. The placement of the drum within the drum set is more of a matter of preference, but it is common for the snare to be at the left side of the drummer, between the bass drum and hi-hat.
Ensuring a good snare sound is vital to the overall quality and tone of the rhythms and songs played. By taking the time and care to properly set up a snare drum, a performance or recording is given its best chance to stun and enchant an audience.
Labels: Snare Drum Video
