Describing a snare drum's particular sound

Jeremy Bender

Platinum Member
I've noticed that cymbals are advertised using a variety of adjectives to explain their properties e.g. "Medium bright, full, rich. Wide range, balanced mix. Even response" or "Dark and Earthy with a woody ping and complex mix"

So how should snare drums be advertised by a manufacturer?
Or...how would you explain (in words) the sound of a snare drum you were proud of?
 
Wow 74 hits and not a single response? It was either too weird of a question or too hard to answer.

Either way, I really can't come up with a lot of words to describe the most important instrument we all play.
 
I mostly use words like "full, tight, snappy, sharp, deep, rich", things that tend to describe the drum lol. (similar words to cymbals i guess...)
 
I have my own lexicon, such as "salty" "puddly" and "poppy". Nobody ever seems to understand what i'm sayin though lol. If i get 4 more together, i can have my own version of the seven dwarfs!
 
The problem with describing snare drums is that a whole lot of the sound is in the tuning.

If Jack Dejohnette and I both play a pingy ride we'll each make it sound a little different but it'll still be a pingy ride. If Jack and I both get a snare drum, put our favourite heads on it, tune it up and play it could be completely different.

Most snares can sound snappy if tuned high, most snares can have that massive 80s reverby snare sound if run through a mixing desk with the right effects on it.

But I agree with Wick: snappy, poppy, loud crack, crisp are all positive descriptions for me.
 
I see the manf. using words to describe the sound. Mapex for example.....

Blade-- " razor sharp tone that carves into any groove"

Brass Cat-- "Slightly softer than a steel snare.......produces an aggressive sound that is smooth"

Velvetone--- "wickedly dark with a high degree of sensitivity
 
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Hi.
This is my new account on this site.
I also love drum set and when I got time then I am doing practice of drum set.
 
A very warm welcome to Drummerworld! Here you will find a very diverse yet helpful and friendly group of people who love to talk about drums, drumming and drummers.

There's a massive amount of information available here. Again, welcome to the best place to hang-out on the web!
 
usually when im describing a snare i used four general words

woody
metallic
poppy
crack

other than that i think i have a terrible ear for the subtleties of different snares.
 
Things I listen for:

1. Resonance vs. dryness.

2. Is the resonance pingy (high-pitched) or warm (med-pitched) or have body (low-pitched)

3. Does it sound "woody"? I think it's a quality where the shell takes away a lot of the head sound. (Some metal snares I've played have this quality, too...)

4. How much crack does it have? And with a rimshot?

5. How sensitive is it? Do I have to loosen the snares in order to get a snare sound at a ppp dynamic? Does it sound choked?

6. How does the rim click sound? Cross stick?

7. Does it pop?

8. Is it crisp?

9. Is it overly wet?

10. Is it tight/punchy?

...etc....etc....etc..... It's not that any of these qualities are better than each other, but I use them to quantify the qualities of a drum so I can categorize it in my head. It also helps me pick out "dud" drums. For example, if I tune a brass snare with newer heads and it sounds choked, there's probably something wrong with the drum. If a rim click isn't happening, I have no use for the drum anyways.
 
Sensitive, Deep, Shallow, Loud, Crisp, Sharp, Full, Choked. open
 
There's been a good list of snare words here.

One that I haven't seen yet is 'honk'. I've heard this on different snares including my Acrolite and Yamaha Paul Leim. I've even heard Alex Van Halen's snare described as having 'honk'

Yet I think most of the words we are using depend on what tuning and heads we use. I like a 'snappy' snare - but only in certain situations like straight ahead jazz. Even twhen I want it to sound snappy but not tight. Go check out some of Bill Stewart's videos on this site to hear a beautiful snappy snare sound coming from either a brass or bronze Ludwig 6.5 x 14 snare. Just a great sound.

However I'm most interested in sounds that lean toward warmth or slightly darker tones.

But dig this: I have a Pork Pie 6 x 13 maple snare that has an Aquarian Modern Vintage head on it. It has a great warm sound when tuned to about medium. If I throw an Ambassador, G1 or Aquarian TC head on it and tune it higher - it gets 'snappy'. So I guess the best description of a snare is one that is extremely versatile, similar to what I've heard about Ludwig Supras and Black Beauties (don't own either yet - but sometime soon. ;) ).This is the feature that will sell most snares when players can actually make it work that way. If you want a high funk sound, get a Supra, put a single ply batter head on it and crank. Want a retro Steve Gadd floppy 'pudding' sounding snare take the same snare, tune it down and throw some tape or Moon Gel on it.

Can be difficult to pin down a drum to a few words if it reacts this way. I feel that sometimes descriptions from manufacturers is driven by demographic marketing as much as construction.

Jim
 
Big ones for me so far are ringy vs dry, loud, bright vs dark and then of course the tuning range. If you read a review of a snare in a magazine or watch a video that a store has made they'll usually describe the tuning range of the snare.

I hear "beefy" a lot but that's usually a description of the construction and hardware more than the sound. Of course that's gonna affect the sound to some degree or another.
 
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