Snare Drum Angle: Am I Hindering Myself?

organworthyplayer337

organworthyplayer337

Active Member
**This is a thread purely for conversation. I am in no way trying to insinuate that having your snare angled has a negative implication on skill level. I’m just going off what I’ve noticed**

I am a fairly new drummer. I have only been playing for about a year and a half.

I’ve tried leveling out my snare, but always end up tilting it towards me.

I’ve watched great drummers start out with their snare drum tilted towards them, but then later move on to having it fairly flat as they advance in their playing/career.

From what I’ve seen, it seems that the more advanced the player, the more likely they are to have their snare set flat. Unless, they are known jazz/traditional grip players. In that case the snare is all over the place haha

but for the most part, the snare is flat.

I am beginning to wonder if I am hindering myself and my stroke by getting too used to having the snare tilted towards me?

I am getting worried that I am going to permanently mess up my left hand technique.

interested in hearing from others. Thanks
 
Tilt the snare drum, and all other drums, in a manner that feels natural when you play material you enjoy. As your speed and rudiments improve move things as needed. Always in flux!
 
Lol I started out flat, then got all tilted, and now I'm flat again.

As long as you are comfortable and not hindering yourself in some way I dont think it really matters.

EDIT: I want to add that with my snare flat I feel like my posture is better, it makes me sit up straight and more over it than when tilted.
 
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I might recommend having a teacher put you through some serious hand training, learn them rudiments with someone watching your hands. If you're playing them right, who cares if the drum is upside down? That said, most will probably tell you level it out, or a tilt for traditional grip.
 
I play my snare mostly flat, with only a slight (3-4°) tilt toward me. Not only does this feel the most comfortable for me, but I also play a lot of rim shots and this makes it easier to hit that rim/head sweet spot.

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of beginner drummers—especially those without formal training—tend to hold the sticks with their hands way too low, necessitating large snare/tom angles to avoid hitting the rims. To put this in perspective, when using German grip, the backs of your hands should roughly be pointing up toward the ceiling, not back towards you. If your grip and your posture are correct, then having flatter drums will feel more natural.
 
Might it have something to do with the direction a stick rebounds and how much of that rebound a player makes use of?

If I try playing against a wall, where the rebound is actually directed towards me as opposed to a flat surface where it's almost fully vertical, I find the former a lot harder to control the sticks.

Could it possibly be a basic physics/gravity vs rebound thing that makes players flatten their playing surfaces as their playing technique over the years becomes more relaxed/refined?
 
My snare is titled with the right side maybe a 1/2 inch lower than the left. It used to be more, but has flattened a little.
 
Mine is actually tilted slightly away from me. 🤷‍♂️
 
I use to play traditional and my snare titled away from me (like Buddy Rich), then I changed to matched and it was flat cause really my snare was too low. I really liked it low and was use to it, but most drummers seem to have their snare higher (waist or navel high)-now I've raised my snare and I have to tilt it towards me. Mainly to prevent accidental rim hits. I use to sit high on my throne (well I guess sometimes I still do ROFL) but now I've lowered it so I'm not almost standing. I've changed up my drum set up hundreds of times experimenting over the decades. You can bet I'll probably change it up again-mainly cause I get too comfortable on my kit that I can play it blindfolded-so I'm like programmed to my kit. But that is just awful when you play another kit and then go into autopilot to hit your crash-which isn't in same position as your set up. So when I'm comfortable I'm focusing purely on music -cause my body knows my kit-but on a new kit I'm watching the kit and listening-and I really suck at multi-tasking so I really try to get better at it. I don't think my problem is focus in general-in fact I think I hyper-focus to the exclusion of other things so I need to be more open focused.
 
For me, it depends who I'm playing with and the style of music. It changes over the years. But having the snare drum flat seems to be what's most versatile.
someguy01 said:
Mine is actually tilted slightly away from me. 🤷‍♂️
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I tilted mine away from me when I was playing in loud bands. I found it easier to get solid rimshots that way.
 
Matched grip here. Mostly flat . Maybe a slight tilt toward and to the right to the point it’s really not noticeable. I play a fair amount of rim shots . Flat to get that fat rim shot sound for me .
 
It depends on the height. Higher = more tilted towards you, lower = more tilted away. You want to strike the drum with the stick at a flat angle, with your wrist in a neutral position. You don't want your wrist bent down or back when the stick is at the point of contact. At the height most people position their snare drum (assuming matched grip), it should be basically flat, or tilted slightly one way or the other.
 
It would only be a hinderance if the angle was extreme. Otherwise, a small angle, if it improves comfort, is a plus.

I play with the snare fairly flat, with just a Tiny angle towards me. Very subjective thing, and again, not potentially a hinderance until angle gets significant.
 
someguy01 said:
Yeah, nothing like that. His setup perplexes me. I get it works for Daru, but I always wonder how long before he causes himself an injury playing with that setup.
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He doesn’t play fast or whip around that kit. He plays the drunk beat and is a first call drummer for it. Based out of Nashville, no less.
 
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