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Tuning Snares
For most drummers, their snare drum is their signature instrument. Each
drummer has his or her own idea of what their snare should sound like.
Once they find this voice, they rarely deviate from it. There are few rock
drummers who couldn't pick Alex Van Halen's unique snare out of a lineup.
By itself, it's a pretty ugly sound: toonk
. But mixed in with the rest of his set and with the band, it's perfect.
No other drummer uses that sound (at least no other drummer that hasn't
copied his sound). It's unique. It's his sound.
When a new drummer starts out, he/she probably doesn't have a
very good idea of what their snare should sound like because they haven't
had a lot of experience playing different snare drums or tunings. Only
time and experience will lead them to their personal sound. In the mean
time, there are a lot of variables to be learned about tuning snare drums.
Batter head loose, batter
head tight, snare head loose, snare
head tight, snare tension loose, snare
tension tight, coated batter head,
smooth batter head, wire
snares, gut snares, cable
snares, snare bed, no
snare bed, internal mufflers, external
mufflers, maple, birch,
steel, brass,
AAAUUGGHHHH! Can't
somebody please stop the throbbing in my head?!?
Sorry. I'm better now. Hopefully, the following sections will
help clear up some of this voodoo for beginners.
Batter head
There are two things that contribute the most to a snare drum's sound;
the batter head and the tension of the snares. Everything else has a more
subdued role. The batter head not only dictates the sound, but also the
way the drum feels when played. For instance, a loosely-tuned, heavily-muffled,
thick head might give you the big, fat '70s retro sound you might want,
but it's far from ideal for playing rolls and ruffs and other strokes that
require good rebound.
Each drummer needs to figure out if they're more concerned about
the overall sound or the way the head plays and feels, and then find a
happy medium somewhere between the two.
The type of head you like plays big part. This is covered at more
depth in Head selection, but there are
a few details unique to snare drums. If you want to play with brushes,
then you need a head that has a rough surface, such as a coated head or
a simulated "cow hide" head like a Remo FiberSkyn®. A smooth head won't
work here because the wires will just glide over the head instead of catching
on the roughness. But if brushes aren't of concern, then sound, feel, and
durability is your only concern.
One good thing to remember about the pitch of a head is that high
frequencies carry better than low frequencies. I don't know how many "local"
drummers I've heard that have their snare's batter head tuned barely more
than finger tight and heavily muffled. It might sound good to them from
where they're sitting, but out in the audience, it sounds exactly like
they're whacking on a big cardboard box. On the other hand, snares with
tightly-tuned batter heads have no problem cutting through the rest of
the sound, even when un-miked. Also keep in mind that the tighter the head,
the longer it will last. [When I was just starting out, I used a medium-loose
batter head. They would quickly become dished in the center and worthless.
They would also break somewhat often. Now that I've come to appreciate
a plywood-tight batter head, they last for years. I also haven't broken
a batter head on my snare in years. What's more, I used Remo CS Black Dots,
Ludwig Silver Dots, and other very heavy heads when I was young. Now all
I use are Remo coated Ambassadors or Evans Genera Dry, both of which are
medium heads.]
Snare head
Snare-side heads are very thin so they have maximum response and don't
choke the snares. Tension dictates snare response and also affects the
overall pitch of the drum to some extent. For snare-side heads, all I can
say is: Experiment.
Snares
Tension
As you might guess, loose snares will produce more rattle or buzz. Tight
snares produce a quick, crisp, dry snap. But don't go overboard on tension.
Once the snares get to their peak tension, any more tension will cause
them to lose response and choke. A good rule of thumb: If you lightly tap
the batter head and the snares don't respond or they just go tnng,
they're too tight.
Type
Early snares were made of gut. They produce a very controlled, full sound,
but the weather plays hell with them. Today, the most common type of snare
is a thin coiled or spiral-wound wire. It is very strong wire so it doesn't
stretch. It produces a very crisp snap because of the multiple points of
contact. A less popular type is a cable snare. Their sound is more dry,
less crisp, but very focused because they have a single contact point.
Another difference in types of snares - but more a function of
strainers - is how the snares are held against the head. The common, least
expensive type has a static butt end bracket and a strainer on the other
side. The strainer pulls the snares tight so they press against the head.
The other type consists of a strainer on one side that is connected by
a rod to a similar strainer on the opposite side of the shell. Tension
is always applied to the snares. The throw-off only lowers the snares away
from the head when released. The main difference sound-wise between these
two types is that the first one has a metal or plastic butt on each end
that holds the wires. These butts actually touch the head, which can slightly
mute the head, or cause rattles and buzzes in poorly made or damaged snares.
Adjusting snares
Personally, I haven't had a lot of experience adjusting the second type
of snare. I have an older Premier Marching Scot snare, but have never messed
around with it too much. If someone out there would like to describe how
to attach and tune this type, I'd like to include it here.
The other type is easy.
Muffling
The only thing I'll cover here that isn't covered in the Muffling
section is this: If your snare has an internal muffler, remove it. They
often consist of parts that will rattle. Also, they impede the natural
movement of the head. One more thing; if they fall apart during a gig,
you're left with a bunch of pieces bouncing around inside your snare every
time you hit it.
Shell
Well, if you already have a snare drum, you can't do much about the shell
other than buying another drum or shell. Wood shells are the most popular
snare shell. They produce everything from a warm, round sound to a loud,
dry crack. Steel shells are also very popular and usually come with entry
level sets (and others too). They produce a bright, metallic, ringing sound,
slightly louder than the same size wood shell. Brass shells have a slightly
warmer sound than steel.
There are other types too: Aluminum (Ludwig Acrolite student model
snare), copper, cast iron, solid wood (as opposed to plies), Kevlar (bulletproof
vest stuff), bell brass, Plexiglas (also called acrylic, used in Ludwig
Vistalites and others). There were even snares made by Noble & Cooley
from the same Zildjian alloy used to make cymbals.
Snare bed
The snare bed is the name given to the two dips or notches in the snare-side
bearing edge of most snare drums. This helps the snares lie flat and snug
against the head. Some snare drums don't have these, but they still sound
great. Some snare drums have a slight curve to the bottom bearing edge,
like a barely noticeable hill if you drove across the head from one snare
gate to the other (in a tiny little car:). If your drum
has one, filling it in would be a terrible idea. If it doesn't, cutting
them might make a difference, but don't bother if the drum already sounds
good.
Reducing sympathetic buzz
When a drum or a certain note from other instruments causes the snares
to buzz, this is called sympathetic vibration. This happens because the
vibrations traveling through the air cause anything they come in contact
with to vibrate at the same rate (pitch). If the resonant frequency (the
pitch at which it resonates the most freely) of an object happens to be
the same as or close to that pitch, it will easily vibrate at that pitch.
This is why only certain toms or certain notes from the bass guitar cause
the snare drum to buzz loudly. There are a few cures.
Back to the main Drum Tuning page
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