Do you know how to tune a snare drum? If you're replacing both heads at once, set up the bottom head halfway, then the top. Drum heads need to be replaced, not simply re-tuned, every 3-6 months. Hoops or rims are what you can see around the snare head, and it keeps everything together. Master using Zoom and feel more confident online. Matt Khoury is a seasoned drummer with over 25 years of experience. These two act as the tensioning system of the drum head, and they ensure that less metal touches the shell, which affects the quality of the sound that the snare produces. This, however, is likely not necessary for casual players, or those playing looser music like rock and roll. You want the head to be between G and B-flat. To learn how to tell if your snare drum needs to be tuned, keep reading! This article has been viewed 75,960 times. You should replace the resonant head roughly every other time your replace the top head. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. What are you going to do? They should all be even. If you tune the bottom head higher than the top head, then the snares will become more responsive to the hit on the top head. The best drums have the most tuning lugs. How do I eliminate the snare sound? If you want to enjoy a good drum set, you need to know that tuning... A drum roll is a stream of fast notes. Step 6: Tighten the rods as needed, but you should be able to play the snare as normal with the tuning that you’re used to. ", "Thank you! Resonant heads are thin, and can snap if over-tuned. References Snare drums are the central piece to a drum kit, and it often dictates the rhythm of the song, as well as how the drummer would hit the other parts of the drum kit. Most studio drum kits would have a couple of snare drums that are tuned differently but never out of tune. Step 4: Using a drum key, tighten the tension rods by at least half a turn until it feels just about right. This means the snares are unlocked. To check if this head is out of tune, press your thumbs on the edges of the snare head. Your illustration shows 10 of these, but your discussion states "8". Learn more... No matter how good of a drummer you are, you won't sound like a pro unless you tune your drums. You need to hear the drum cleanly and crisply. tuning lugs. This article was co-authored by Matt Khoury, a trusted member of wikiHow's community. Rims also house the other snare parts that dictate the tone of the whole instrument. The heads of marching snares are commonly made of Kevlar and are designed with temperature and humidity in mind as they are often used in the field. There's really no way to completely eliminate overtone sounds in a snare drum, but you can make them less profound by buying dampening material and applying it to your snare. You want all sides to be pulling on the head equally, otherwise it stretches too far in one direction and becomes uneven. This snare drums is shallower than the other types and are used mostly as a snare variant for drum kits. Don't tune your drum with the wires hooked up, or microphones attached. But what if one of them is out of tune? Need help setting up your double bass pedal? Snare drums can be used in a multitude of ways. % of people told us that this article helped them. Snare drums are an iconic percussion instrument that is central to most songs that include a drum track, regardless of the genre that song belongs to. Find the tone that you like best. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc or its affiliates. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. We have a great... How Do You Read Percussion Music? They play a central part in each of these sets and knowing how to tune a snare drum gives you some street cred especially if you are still new to the group. Step 1: To check if this head is out of tune, press your thumbs on the edges of the snare head. Repeat the process with the rest of the bolts, tightening the bolts in opposite pairs as you go. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 75,960 times. This kind of snare drum is also employed using a good-sized amount of muffling as well as orchestral bands to focus on the bass and the other instrument sections. All told, this is definitely the best discussion of the subject I've found on the net. This is why knowing how to tune a snare is important, especially if you are an up and coming drummer. A snare drum loses its tone when the membranes have become stretched and expands which can result in an uneven sound. Matt Khoury, drummer, tells us: "A snare drum can be tuned to an infinitesimal frequency. Luckily, all you need to tune a drum is a drum key and little bit of free time before you play. It should be … Step 5: Lock the snare wires back into place and test the snare head again. A sound is produced when the membrane of the drum head is struck using a hand, a brush or a stick. I hear the bottom head should be tighter than the top head. Extremely helpful. Last Updated: September 3, 2020 Think of the drum head as a game of tug-of-war. Professional drummers own more than one snare drum, and they often tune each piece different from the next as some songs require a different snare tune. Finally, when you're finished tuning the drum, reclamp the snare switch down. "Lots of good information here. ", http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/drums/14-simple-steps-to-tuning-your-snare-drum-201124, http://pearldrum.com/media/education/basic-snare-drum-tuning.pdf, http://drumsticksensei.com/16/how-to-tune-a-snare-drum-the-right-way/, http://www.drumlessons.com/drum-lessons/general-drum-lessons/how-to-tune-your-snare-drum/, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. I hear the snares when I strike any of my toms. Some recommended products may use affiliate links. Add the dampening of your choice to the snare skin. With this, a tension tester is essential for good results, and speeds up the process greatly. Tightening the rod will make it sound higher pitched. The surface of the snare drum which drummers hit is called the head, and its opposite side is called the snare-side head. The most popular mounting option is the traditional three-legged stand while a few sport options for attaching a sling and carrying the sling like the little drummer boy of yore. Then, use a drum key to tighten the top-most and bottom-most bolts 1/2 a turn. If you hit the top of the drum, you'd hear a deeper sound without the ringing, snare-like sound. Is this true? Coated-batter heads are often used as materials for modern snare drums. This article has been viewed 75,960 times. Since a snare drum has two sides to it, it is also logical that it comes with two different set of instructions for tuning the top and the bottom heads of a snare drum. Shells give snare drums its round appearance, and they generally have an impact on the sound that the snare produces. Step 3: Tighten each tension rod until you can’t turn them by hand anymore. The material used for the shell plays into the sound quality as well. The sound then changes when you change the amount of force you applied using the drumsticks. Your email address will not be published. In music theory, a snare drum is an instrument that can produce a sharp staccato sound when its head is hit with a drumstick. In this case, 97% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Kudos! Then fine tune the bottom, then fine tune the top. This act pushes down the head which causes it to vibrate and spreads the transferred energy until it is fully dissipated through sound waves. It's an awesome and understandable, "I used this article to form the basis for a how-to video for a school project. It should be soft but not too soft; you can compare it to the softness of medium rare steak or the fleshy part of your palm. To learn how to tell if your snare drum needs to be tuned, keep reading! You’re in luck! Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. This snare drum often has a high-tension and produces a deeper sound than normal snare drums. They are, of course, an auto-include for rock and roll drum kits as well as marching bands and orchestras. There should not be any wrinkles across the bottom head when you are done. Your email address will not be published. Remember, you need some give. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. The snare wires react to this force by altering the sound depending on the strength of the force and the amount of tension that the snare wires are in.