Songs played without snare engaged?

[stevo]

Can anyone list any tunes that have been played/recorded without the snare engaged? Just something I was thinking about, and couldn't think of any, or didn't realize it when I heard it.

[moe.ron]

i know danny carey plays a lot of tool songs without his snares on. can't think of them off the top of my head.

[O Baterista]

Danny Carey was the first one to come to mind. I think Pushit is a good example but I also think that he turns the snares on and off a lot in the middle of his playing.

[maddrummr]

At first I thought bonham played the beginning of "Ramble On" with his snares of, but I later learned he used a plastic garbage can lid.

[Class A Drummer]

Late in the Evening. I love playing that song, its so fun and has such a bouncyness to it.

[bermuda]

Off the top of my head, it seems like "Love Is The Drug" (Roxy Music) is thrown-off snare.

[gusty]

wipeout i think? or was the rythem played on the toms, i dont know but thats how the school band (primary) played it (or how i played it in the primary school band).

[LiveGoat]

"Windowpane" by the Smashing Pumpkins. Lots of beautiful, delicate ghoststroke stuff going on. It's on the "Gish" album.

---LG

[KCMcC]

I'd venture that the calypso part (that is pre-drum solo, and the last chorus - or last 2 choruses?) and the solo on St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins are played snares off (Max Roach on drums - one of, if not the all time great example of a drum solo that keeps the structure/melody of the song going).

It sure sounds like a 4 piece with the snares off on the snare. I'd guess you could find out easy enough - probably a widely documented fact since it's a pretty famous recording.

Another famous jazz track is the live "Poinciana" from the Ahmad Jamal trio (Vernel Fournier on drums)

[stevo]

Is there a general rule regarding why we play songs with the snare engaged, or not engaged? Would this be a personal choice? Do any of you deliberately change a song by playing snare disengaged?

[KCMcC]

The most obvious (and probably the most common, though I certainly wouldn't be able to verify it) reason is to get a latinish "timbale" sort of effect

with the wider diameter, shallower depth and generally higher tuning of a snare drum, it gives a different sound than a tom usually would, much more like a timbale.

[bodinski]

Mind's Eye by Wolfmother has no snares during the intro. Makes for a nice mellow start, then the snares come on & the song gets heavier. I didn't care much for this band when I first heard them, but they've really grown on me. The drum parts are fairly simple but are quite fun to play.

[Afrolicious]

Mind's Eye by Wolfmother has no snares during the intro. Makes for a nice mellow start, then the snares come on & the song gets heavier. I didn't care much for this band when I first heard them, but they've really grown on me. The drum parts are fairly simple but are quite fun to play.
I totally second that.

[Disco Stu]

"Windowpane" by the Smashing Pumpkins. Lots of beautiful, delicate ghoststroke stuff going on. It's on the "Gish" album.

---LG
Hmmm...are you thinking of "Suffer"?

[kung_f00]

Lars played without the snares on for the entirety of the St. Anger album.

[tomtom]

"Somewhere down the crazy river" by Robbie Robertson, Manu Katché on drums.

[cducar]

The beginning of Travis's drumming in "No it Isn't" on the +44 album

[GRUNTERSDAD]

The Wipeout parts were played on toms until the melody and then the backbeat was played on a snare

[franklinj]

Im not sure, but I think Aenema by Tool is played w/o the snares.

[Paradigm_Cal]

I know Danny Carrey has been brought up already, but I have to say... That 5/8 / 7/8 beat at the start of Schism is priceless. My personal favorite snares off scenerio.

[Johnny from the block]

Is there a general rule regarding why we play songs with the snare engaged, or not engaged? Would this be a personal choice?

It's purely personal choice, and I think most drummers do it to try some else for a change

The most obvious (and probably the most common, though I certainly wouldn't be able to verify it) reason is to get a latinish "timbale" sort of effect

with the wider diameter, shallower depth and generally higher tuning of a snare drum, it gives a different sound than a tom usually would, much more like a timbale.

That's correct too, my teacher has his (regular 14x5.5 snare) tuned very high and dampened, and it's sounds fairly close to a piccolo-sort of snare.

Mind's Eye by Wolfmother has no snares during the intro. Makes for a nice mellow start, then the snares come on & the song gets heavier. I didn't care much for this band when I first heard them, but they've really grown on me. The drum parts are fairly simple but are quite fun to play.

Are you kidding! I was sold for the first note I ever heard of them. Wolfmother rocks!

Lars played without the snares on for the entirety of the St. Anger album.

I thought off that immediatly too. Check http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyM3_u8SDNQ

[fusssion]

Another famous jazz track is the live "Poinciana" from the Ahmad Jamal trio (Vernel Fournier on drums)


An UNBELIEVABLE version of that tune is on The Jeff Hamilton Trio "The Best Things Happen...." from 2004 ...they do Poinciana on that, and it's amazing!! No snare!

[KCMcC]

Cool, I'll have to check it out.

Also I'm pretty sure that Art Taylor's "Cookoo and Fungi" uses the same snares-off sound. It's a Jazz Calypso in the vein of "St. Thomas", but more uptempo, and featuring "Patato" Valdez on congas in addition to Art Taylor's terrific playing on drumset (and 2/5 of the legendary Miles Davis quintet from the 50s).

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:xauvadzkt8w5


In the end, trying to list all the songs that use an "un-snared" snare-drum is probably like trying to list all the songs that use double bass, or splash cymbals. You'd be at it for years. The ones mentioned so far give a pretty good cross section of musical styles. Probably oughta list one with the Rock&Roll/R&B/New Orleans Mambo though.

[schist]

Tool - "Reflection".

[Mr. Pasquini]

Lars played without the snares on for the entirety of the St. Anger album.

Are you surprised? They generally don't include snares on metal trash cans...

[Muckster]

Neil peart plays a second snare with the snares off on "New World Man."

[fusssion]

Neil peart plays a second snare with the snares off on "New World Man."


Nope, that's a timbale (tama wooden timbales from the 80's)

[d.c.drummer]

I know ive heard some Bob Marley stuff snares off but i cant point you to it right now and an older song...



EDIT: I GOT IT.... "I FEEL FINE" THE BEATLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cjl71178]

The only one I can think of right now is "Astral Traveler" by Yes off their 'Time & A Word' album with Bill Bruford...up until the keyboard solo.

Wait, one more...if you carefully listen to second verse of "The Temples of Syrinx" off Rush's 'All The World's A Stage' album, Neil Peart's snares are off, but that's because they break!

wow...500th post...

[drumminjohn]

John Bonham plays parts of Moby Dick without the snares on.. I think he does it in the studio version... He usually does it when he's playing with his hands