One Piece at a Time Part 2; Snare Drum

In my continuing series where I look at each piece of the modern drum set individually, I will now focus on the snare drum.
The snare is the instrument that ia probably most associated with the drum set's military origins. As with the bass drum drum, it can be tuned to many different pitches with the added factor of how tight or loose the snares are. Whether the drum is metal, wood, or even fibreglass is also a factor

There's the delightful "splat" that players like the great Stan Lynch get.....



To the beautiful "crack" Roy Haynes achieves...




Of, course, if you turn the snares off, you have another tom, which Al Foster demonstrates so well in this frankly MAGICAL drum solo....


In conclusion, as it is often the highest pitched, but also arguably the brightest drum in the drum set, the snare drum creates many moods.It  goes from New Orleans swampy marches, to thuddy backbeats or Jazz comping, sometimes in the context of one tune! It is an important part of our instrument, as well as our heritage.

See you soon......