DRUMS
THESE THREE SNARE DRUMS | Carl Albrecht
I know that drummers love to collect snare drums . It ’ s like every musician with any instrument . We ’ ve got to have the latest “ cool ” tool for inspiration . Or maybe an old vintage instrument that will harken back to some classic sound we ’ re looking for .
I still search for unique snare drum sounds that I would like to have in my collection . But even with so many drum designs available I can still use three standard snare drums that can pretty much do everything .
My first choice is one that I set up for every session or live event as the “ go to drum .” In fact if I ’ m only able to take one snare on a gig this is it . A Yamaha standard brass 14 ” X 7 ” snare drum with steel flanged hoops and standard snare wires . All the drum companies make this type of “ fat ” snare . Even many of the signature snares are close to this design . Like the Ludwig “ Black Beauty ,” the Steve Ferrone signature snare by Pearl , or the Paul Leim Yamaha snare . ( Snare 1 )
SNARE 1
You can tune this drum down really low and get that “ tubby ” / “ GOOSH ” sound you hear so often on recordings . The fundamental pitch you would hear with the snares off would be a low E or lower D . Tuning it to a standard medium range gives you a great cracking attack , but still lots of fatness – the note would be F or G . Then you can really crank it up to an A or higher and this drum will really pop … and not choke like some drums do when you tune really tight . This , for me , is the most versatile drum to have .
The number two drum for me is a Yamaha 13 ” X 4 ” brass piccolo snare . Most often I will set up this drum to the left of my hi-hat as an option for tight back beats in certain sections of a song or I ’ ll even turn the snares off and use it as a high tenor drum or timbale sound . This drum can sound nice tuned down to a medium tension , but normally I really crank it up . With the snares
SNARE 2
off you can hear a high C or B . Although it won ’ t sound as fat as the big snare , when tuned down to very low pitches it can feel pretty thick or warm sounding . ( Snare 2 )
There have been many situations where these two drums were the only ones I used . A standard big snare and a brass piccolo snare can cover a huge range of musical situations . Much of the tonal changes and nuances of the