DRUMTECH
4 TIPS FOR A BETTER SNARE DRUM SOUND
As drummers, we sometimes get so
caught up in focusing on our playing and
on supporting the rest of the worship
team that we forget how important the
sound of our drums is to the music being
presented. Our guitar-playing friends
have known this for a while: tone is king!
So here are some tips for getting a great
snare drum sound:
EMBRACE YOUR SNARE DRUM’S “VOICE”
There are dozens (if not hundreds) of
different materials being used to build
snare drums; from woods like maple,
birch, mahogany, and poplar, to metals Then, once I tune the drum, I can add muffling people in the room, especially if we’re behind
like aluminum, brass, nickel, copper, and steel if I need to. a drum shield, will hear the snare after it goes
- not to mention combinations of woods or
metals in the same drum!
Every
material
brings
its
own
sonic
through the sound system, which can sound
Remember- we can always add more muffling, drastically different than what we hear directly
but we can only remove so much from a head from the drum.
with built-in muffling!
characteristics. We will always get the best
Many times, a drum will ring more or less in
sound from a snare when we play to its TUNE IT LIKE A SNARE - NOT A TOM the PA than what we can hear directly from
strengths and basic sonic “voice”. Is your This is the most common mistake I see the drum. I like to try and muffle the drum with
snare made of maple? Maybe it naturally has drummers make: tuning a snare drum just like my in-ears in so I can listen to how the snare
a very warm tone and lower natural resonant every other drum on the kit. Remember: snare sounds in the mix. Doing this often shows me
frequency (the frequency that that wood drums, toms, kicks, and other percussive that I’m actually over-muffling the snare!
naturally resonates at). Maybe your drum is elements each have their own role in the drum By muffling “through the mic” I’m also able to
copper and it has some serious attack and a kit. We should tune each type of drum with a notice how subtle changes to the placement of
longer sustain. With these characteristics in unique approach, specific to that drum. the muffling can affect the sound. Sometimes
mind, you can tune your snare to embrace that
sound, rather than fight it.
moving that gel even one half inch to the left or
One of my favorite methods for tuning a snare is
right can make all the difference!
to carefully tune the bottom head nearly “table-
CHOOSE A SNARE HEAD FOR THE RIGHT REASON top” tight (make sure not to overdo it!). Then I
Many drummers choose a snare head with ease tune the top head to achieve the depth/tone
of tuning and built-in muffling as top priorities. that I’m looking for. Tuning the snare this way
It can be easy to forget that the “easier to tune” allows me to use the bottom head to control
and muffled drum heads often sacrifice other snare response only- and I can quickly tune the
sonic characteristics like sensitivity and attack. top head up or down (even during sets of songs
on stage) to achieve the sound I’m looking for.
I like to choose a snare drum head that is one
step thinner or less-muffled than I think I need. MUFFLE FOR THE MIC!
If I think I’m going to like the sound of a 2-ply When adding muffling to a snare, we most
batter head, I’ll buy a 1-ply head. By doing this, often take our in-ear monitors out and listen to
I’m able to achieve some additional attack and the sound of the drum directly from the drum
tone that I may not get with the 2-ply head. itself. But we have to remember that most
May Jun 2017
WorshipMusician.com
DANIEL HADAWAY
Professional drummer best
known for his work with
worship group All Sons &
Daughters. Daniel provides
resources for drummers,
including a daily podcast
DanielHadaway.com.
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