Snare Drum Guide: 7 Types of Snare Drums

A snare drum is a percussion instrument distinguished by its bright, snappy, treble-forward sonic character and the metal snare wires pulled tight beneath its lower membrane. Also known as field drums or side drums, snare drums belong to the family of membranophones, which are instruments that produce sound when a player strikes a membrane (called a drum head) pulled tight over a metal or wood drum shell. A drummer strikes the upper membrane of a snare drum with beaters, which include drumsticks, rods, brushes, and even mallets.

The history of the snare drum begins with the tabor, a medieval percussion instrument used throughout Europe from which modern snares evolved. Most snare drums on the market today are kit snare drums, designed to be part of a trap kit or drum set. But some iterations of the snare drum are still played as a lone percussion instrument: The tarol snare drum, piccolo snare drum, Highland snare drum, and marching snare drum all fit into this category. Snare drums also enjoy a long history in various military corps. Military drum cadets frequently accompany marching squadrons, both on a base and in public demonstrations.

Snare drums consist of three main components: the drum shell, the drum heads, and supplemental hardware.

1. 1. Drum shell: A drum shell provides the structure of the snare drum. Some shells are made of wood (poplar and maple snare drums are both fairly common) and others are made of metal. Among metal snares, steel snare drums are the most common, but some players prefer brass snare drums with brass shells. You can also find limited edition black-nickel-over-brass shells on the high-end drum market. Some players favor acrylic snare drums, often for their translucent colors.
2. 2. Drum heads: Snare drums have two drum heads. One is stretched over the top; this is the membrane the drummer strikes with beaters such as drumsticks. As such, it is technically known as the drum's batter head. The other drum head stretches across the bottom of the drum, where it rests against metal snare wires that help give the drum its signature sound. Snare heads were once made of calfskin, but today's models tend to be made of plastic. You can tune snare drums to a particular pitch using a device called a drum key.
3. 3. Supplemental hardware: In addition to the drum heads and shell, a snare drum features chrome hardware to keep it structurally intact. This includes tension rods and lugs (either tube lugs or imperial lugs) you can use to tighten and tune a drum head in a process known as tensioning. Most snare drums contain 10 lugs. Snare drums also feature a bearing edge—commonly called a rim—connecting the drum's head to its frame. Finally, a snare strainer connects the metal snare wires to the drum itself. You can move these wires away from the snare's lower snare drum head via a throw-off switch.

A drummer plays the snare drum by striking its top membrane (called a drum head) with a beater like a drumstick or wire brush. This causes the drum's top and bottom membranes to vibrate. The bottom membrane, in turn, vibrates metal wires strung across the bottom of the instrument. Metal snare wires give snare drums their distinctive sound, but they can be disengaged at any time by a throw off switch, making the drum sound closer to a tom-tom. Drummers may also strike the snare's bearing edge to create rim clicks. Some drummers even strike the drum shell itself, although the sound of a struck drum shell does not project very far.

There are seven principle types of snare drums.

1. 1. Drum set snare: This type of snare drum is featured in ensembles playing rock, pop, jazz, bebop, hip hop, R&B, and country music. The snare sound is idiomatic to nearly all forms of popular music, providing beats two and four in a standard backbeat.
2. 2. Orchestral snare: Used by classical music concert bands, an orchestral snare is nearly identical to a drum kit snare but typically with a calfskin head as opposed to a plastic one.
3. 3. Tarol: A tarol is similar to a drum kit snare and an orchestral snare, but it has snare wires on the top head of the instrument rather than the bottom head.
4. 4. Marching snare: A larger, deeper snare than a drum kit snare with a more resonant head sound produced by a nylon or gut drum head. Sometimes broadly labeled a "marching drum," this type of snare takes its name from the marching bands and drumlines in which it routinely features. Military band percussionists tend to favor the marching snare.
5. 5. Piccolo snare: A piccolo snare is a smaller snare drum that produces a higher pitch and a sharp staccato sound. Today's piccolo snares are almost always built with a steel shell.
6. 6. Caixa malacacheta: This snare drum’s name means "box" in Brazilian Portuguese. Caixa malacacheta snares are often slung over the drummer’s shoulder and feature snare wires on the top of the instrument, rather than the bottom.
7. 7. Tabor: The tabor is a musical instrument that predates all modern snare drums. Some tabors have two drum heads, while some lack bottom heads. Rarely found in contemporary instrumentation, tabors may appear in ancient music ensembles celebrating the traditions of medieval Europe.

Become a better musician with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by musical masters, including Itzhak Perlman, Herbie Hancock, Tom Morello, and more.