Small snare drums

[Toolate]

Does anyone make a 6"or 8" snare drum?

Diameter not depth. Been thinking of a tiny portable setup that might be ok if played amongst a couple acoustic guitar players and an un mice singer. not too loud and really small.

[Lunar Satellite Brian]

I have a 10" can't imagine anything smaller than that. Loudness is still an issue, in fact it's probably louder than my old 14". If loudness is your concern it's more about the kind of heads you use and your playing style than the drum size.

[bobdadruma]

For low volume just use a 5x14 inch snare with brushes.
Small snares are focused and powerful. That is why they are used as accent snares.

[Bo Eder]

For low volume just use a 5x14 inch snare with brushes.
Small snares are focused and powerful. That is why they are used as accent snares.

I've done this too, with both brushes and Remo Blasticks (the plastic ones, not the wood Hot Rods). On my brushes I have bent the metal retractable handle at certain points to hold the bristles out at a certain length too, so you can have several different 'spreads'. Small snares, as evident on cocktail drumsets, are quite loud and poppy. It's sounds like what you need is something tuned low and more 'into the mix', like Don Henley with the Eagles ;)

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

Can't recall seeing anything smaller than a 10".

You may have some luck with a snare from a cocktail kit. Or the other option would be to make one out of an old tom. Though it will entail having snare beds cut and then finding snare wires short enough and a bottom hoop with a snare gate cut into it may also proove challenging.

[bobdadruma]

I've done this too, with both brushes and Remo Blasticks (the plastic ones, not the wood Hot Rods). On my brushes I have bent the metal retractable handle at certain points to hold the bristles out at a certain length too, so you can have several different 'spreads'. Small snares, as evident on cocktail drumsets, are quite loud and poppy. It's sounds like what you need is something tuned low and more 'into the mix', like Don Henley with the Eagles ;)That's it Bo, Just do like the old jazzers always did. Tune a little dirty and the volume will drop. The plastic Blasticks with the wood handles are great. I use them a lot.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

6 or 8 diameter is very small. I have an 8 inch tom and can't imagine making a snare that small.

[Bo Eder]

That's it Bo, Just do like the old jazzers always did. Tune a little dirty and the volume will drop. The plastic Blasticks with the wood handles are great. I use them a lot.

Yeah, funny story: a friend showed me his blasticks about 20 years ago and I remember back then thinking, "what would I need those for?"- and here I am 20 years later still using them. I guess I did grow up, eh?

[Toolate]

So much interest!

I was more asking for the size of the overall container I am dreaming of fitting this tiny kit into. I understand that one can play quietly on a larger drum ( though I have much work to do in this area) but it seems like 10 is the smallest made? I thought I heard mention of an 8" from gretsch but can't find any on their site.

Seems to me that one could play an 8 or even 6 snare if it were in a controlled manor ( and not just plain miss the drum in a fill etc) and a small drum would be easier to tote around. At some point I will make one if someone doesn't come up with a small diameter option.

Was thinking a 6" x 3" piccolo would make a cool sound..... What size would you go if you could?

[wonder1]

Hi,Toolate!
I'm always use 8" snare, 10" kick for my gigs!!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/laubrothers/320902_10150347655597365_654482364_8033855_5125084 50_n-1.jpg

[Dutch]

Can you post a soundfile of that kit? I'm really curious...

Dutch

[keep it simple]

Hi,Toolate!
I'm always use 8" snare, 10" kick for my gigs!!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/laubrothers/320902_10150347655597365_654482364_8033855_5125084 50_n-1.jpgWhat a fantastic picture! Any chance of a video clip featuring your band in action?

[Pollyanna]

Another request for a sound file of the Robert Wang Trio :)

I only have anecdotal evidence - my vintage 14 x 5 Drouyn snare and 14" Rogers Dynasonic snare (sadly sold) are better-sounding than the Rhythm Traveler 10" snare. That little drum sounds surprisingly good for what it is, but I prefer the sound of the regular size drums.

[Toolate]

I would like to hear them too!

Seems that small drum could not have snare wires w/o a reso though.

And I hear what you are saying Polly- I would prefer not to lose sound quality totally at the expense of portability but I would prefer, if possible, to be able to play this small kit with sticks of some sort instead of brushes just for the feel/funk possibilities that sticks add to a small kit. I am thinking only snare and bass but maybe one Tom that could end up as some kind of roto Tom or 8" variation but either way the goal is that it could be played with acoustic guitars so quiet is the name of the game. I would be willing to put adhesive foam on the entire bottom of the snare batter head or maybe play with a very thin layer of something on top to cut the sound and still have the playability and fun that sticks provide (I fell like brushes change your style and somewhat reduce/limit hat and snare accents and fills).

I guess, as usual, that my o.p. Was not a complete question without the intended use of thhe drum. I like to hit drums maybe a little bit hard but really play and get into it so I will need to quiet my drum instead of my playing if you know what I mean. Hoping to get somewhat close to standard drum sounds in a small package.

[Toolate]

2 more thoughts:

Am I wrong about brushes? I have played with very loose feeling wire brushes and they just felt too jazzy to be funky on the hats or do faster snare rolls.

Looks like Wonder1 has a set of uses hats on his little rig. Hope he comes back w sound file and description of the kit w sizes.

[Pollyanna]

And I hear what you are saying Polly- I would prefer not to lose sound quality totally at the expense of portability but I would prefer, if possible, to be able to play this small kit with sticks of some sort instead of brushes just for the feel/funk possibilities that sticks add to a small kit. I am thinking only snare and bass but maybe one Tom that could end up as some kind of roto Tom or 8" variation but either way the goal is that it could be played with acoustic guitars so quiet is the name of the game. I would be willing to put adhesive foam on the entire bottom of the snare batter head or maybe play with a very thin layer of something on top to cut the sound and still have the playability and fun that sticks provide (I fell like brushes change your style and somewhat reduce/limit hat and snare accents and fills).

There's the tradeoff - sound or convenience. I have an RT because it's convenient ... it's easy to carry, it's light, it's cute, and it's not too loud. But there's no way its best sounds can compare with those of larger small kits like the Catalina or Safari. You find workarounds for the limitations.

I've spent 2 years trying to change from hitting to tapping. I really trained hitting hard into myself. So I understand the wish to keep a slamming style and use mellow gear to allow that all that energy and craziness into more refined musical situations.


2 more thoughts:

Am I wrong about brushes? I have played with very loose feeling wire brushes and they just felt too jazzy to be funky on the hats or do faster snare rolls.

It depends on the song. Sometimes a song really works with slammed brushes. Others are better off with light sticking instead. It depends on your ideas and skillset.

[Toolate]

I have lots of ideas.......not so much skillset.

I am about 2 years behind you in the soft hitting training then it seems. I did find an 8" snare from a couple manufacturers after more searching so they are out there.

[alparrott]

Yamaha used to make an 8x5 cocktail snare for the Club Jordan cocktail set:

http://en.euroguitar.com/view_images_132653

They don't make 'em anymore, your best bet would be Craigslist or eBay.

[wonder1]

Hi,Toolate!
You can go to Youtube and check up the short Video clip.. taken last year Penang Jazz Fest.
just type : The Roger Wang Trio
The other is "The Roger Wang Trio -PromoVideo.
There's a home-made snare wire attached on that 8" mini Snare drum. The Kick drum is just 10".(I'm using Audio Technica drum mic for my drums).The total weight for this mini drum plus hard-case is just 18.4kgs!(Check-in cargo only allow 20kgs).The 8" tom & other crash/ride cymbal are supply from the Jazz Fest!
Thanks!
Peter(wonder1)

[Toolate]

Looks great Alparrot- pink sparkle is my absolute favorite too (36 yr old construction worker male-not so much). That is what I was thinking but it seems like it would/could really be loud if tuned/played the right way.. Perfect size for what I am planning though so thanks.

Great playing and suprisingly good sound from that little kit Peter. Seems like you make it work for your band perfectly. That snare really cuts when you get on it.

[joeysnare]

if i remember pearl made a mike mangini sig snare that was either 8x8 or 10x8 really nice and snappy lil bugger, but they wanted over 600 canadian for it.

[drummerboyfitz]

To answer the original posters question: Here is my Buffalo Kit made from Remo Buffalo drums. The snare is the 8 inch shell you see right by the hi-hat. The shell is 3.5 inches deep. There is no hardware and no resonant head. The sound is really dry. I converted this shell to a snare by cutting a set of 14" snare wires down to about 6 inches and then screwed them into the shell. The snare wires fan out across the inside of the head. It's a full time snare as there is no throw off. The tiny snare sounds like a hip-hop snare, almost like a drum amchine snare sound. It's very cool and very light (maybe a half pound?).

[Sparkboss]

To answer the original posters question: Here is my Buffalo Kit made from Remo Buffalo drums. The snare is the 8 inch shell you see right by the hi-hat. The shell is 3.5 inches deep. There is no hardware and no resonant head. The sound is really dry. I converted this shell to a snare by cutting a set of 14" snare wires down to about 6 inches and then screwed them into the shell. The snare wires fan out across the inside of the head. It's a full time snare as there is no throw off. The tiny snare sounds like a hip-hop snare, almost like a drum amchine snare sound. It's very cool and very light (maybe a half pound?).

How stable is this kit?

Surely it must hold up since you can play it, but it looks fragile!

[johnnylaw]

Yamaha made an oak Musashi 10X5.5 which is pretty small, but a formidable tub. The thing really delivers.