The Introduction of Snare Drum
The snare drum that is also called side drum is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It is a military and orchestral hand percussion instrument that is part of the marching bands, concert bands, rock bands, drumlines, parades, and also modern music. It has several wires, gut, nylon, or wire-covered silk strings stretched across the lower. It has two drum heads which are made of animal hides or plastic. The modern snare drum has a cylindrical shell of plywood, wood or metal with 14–16 inches (35–40 cm) in diameter and 5–12 inches (13–30 cm) high. You need a drumstick or mallet to play the snare drum and when struck with a drumstick, the side (snare) drum produces a sharp staccato sound. Field or guard’s pattern drums is the deeper models of the snare drum that are used in many military bands.
Snares were initially known in ancient Egypt and occur on many modern Middle Eastern tambourines. They appeared on the upper head or sometimes both heads of the tabor drum in medieval Europe. Large versions of the tabor developed into the side drum when two sticks were adopted and the snares were transferred to the lower head. It was hanged at the player’s left side by a belt or a shoulder strap and was paired with the fife in Swiss infantry regiments from the 14th century onward, and afterward spreading throughout Europe. The military role of the lansquenet’s drum is to keep the marching pace and beat signals to action, so it was crucial. The snare drum has eight to eighteen snares that extended across the snare head.
The snares produce terse sounds and the name of the drum was preferred from its sound. The stick that used determine the sound of the snare drum. For instance, the drummer uses different sticks for playing jazz and for military music. When played, the snare drum is usually placed on an adjustable stand to allow the player to adjust the height and the angle of the drum. Back then, the forms of the side drum were equal to or slightly greater in height than in diameter. As time passed, they utilized thicker membranes and sticks than modern instruments. After it utilized, the drum produces a heavier and less brilliant sound. In the 19th century, the drum changed most drastically that it is becoming shallow, and often gaining a brass shell and rod or screw tensioning. A typical drumstick for playing the snare drum is thin and pointed to the tip. To get a course sound, the drummer uses hard-felt mallets and for a darker sound, they use marimba beaters.
There are different types of snare drums and each of the snare drums is unique. For example, the Tarol is smaller than the drum set snare, while the marching drum produces a deep tone and the Caixa Malacacheta is a Brazilian deep snare. For over two centuries, snare drum has been a member of the orchestra and it originally comes from the Tabor which is a small old drum that is played together with a pipe. Swiss mercenary troops used the Tabor and the fife during wars around the 15 and 16 century and Swiss wrote the first rudiment in 1610. In the 17th century, hand drum evolved yet again screws were used to keep the snares together which stopped the snares from rattling. Marion C. Evans redesigned the snare drum in 1956 and used a plastic drum head rather than the traditional calfskin. The tension of the snares could be controlled by a screw or lever since the early 17th century but only in the 20th century, a mechanism developed for special effects.
Into the 19th century, the military playing of the snare drum was learned by rote and oral tradition. In Basel, Switzerland, certain drummers preserve a mainly difficult traditional playing technique. Some music types like jazz and modern compositions may need special effects such as nonstandard sticks, wire brushes, releasing the snares, using fingers, or striking the rim. Hand drums are called by different names: The English and the Scottish call it “the side drum,” but the Italians call it “Tamburo piccolo” or little drum. Back then, the snare drum is not only used in marching parades but nowadays it is also used for different genres of music like jazz, pop, and even the modern orchestral music.