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Snare drum

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	Snare drum
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	Topics Snare drum Topic Home The snare drum or side drum is a drumDrum Overview A drum is a musical instrument in the percussion family, technically classified as a membranophone.... with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gutCatgut Catgut is the name applied to cord of great toughness and tenacity prepared from the intestines of sheep/goat, or occasional... cords stretched across the bottom drumhead. Pipe and taborPipe and Tabor Overview Pipe and Tabor was a popular medieval combination of a small pipe or flageolet, and a small drum.... and some militaryMilitary A military or military force has seen many different incarnations throughout time.... snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom (internal) side of the top (batter) head to make a 'tighter' sound. The snare drum is considered one of the most important (if not the most important) drums of the drum kitDrum kit A drum kit is mostly a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments arranged for convenient play... . Operation The drum can be sounded by hitting it with a drumstick or any other form of beater, including brushes and rutes, which produce a softer-sounding vibration from the wires. When using a stick, the drummer may strike either the head of the drum, the rim, or the shell. When the top head is struck the snares vibrate against the bottom head producing a cracking sound. The snares can often be thrown off with a lever on the strainer so that the drum only produces a tom-tom sound. Rim shots are a technique associated with snare drums in which the head and rim are struck simultaneously with one stick (or in concert playing, a stick placed on the head and rim struck by the opposite stick), and rudiments are sets of basic patterns often played on a snare drum. Types Snare drums may be made from various wood, metal, or acrylicAcrylic glass Polymethyl methacrylate or poly is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate.... materials. A typical diameter for snare drums is 14 inches. Marching snare drums are deeper in size than snare drums normally used for orchestral or drum kit purposes, often measuring in at a foot long. Orchestral and drum set snare drum shells are about 6 inches deep. Piccolo snare drums are even more shallow at about 3 inches deep. Soprano, popcorn, and firecracker snare drums have diameters as small as 8 inches and are often used for higher-pitched special effects. Wood Shell Construction Most snare drums are constructed in plies that are heat and compression molded into a cylinder. Steam-bent shells consist of one ply of wood that is gradually rounded into a cylinder and glued at one seam. Reinforcement hoops are generally needed on the inside surface of the drum to keep it perfectly round. Segment shells are made of multiple stacks of segmented wood rings. The segments are glued together and rounded out by a lathe. Similarly, stave shells are constructed of vertically glued pieces of wood into a cylinder (much like a barrel) that is also rounded out by a lathe. Solid shells are constructed of one solid piece of hollowed wood. See also Snare drum hardwareDrum hardware Drum hardware refers to equipment and parts, often metal, used to build or play a drum or drum kit.... External links - Description of types of marching snare drum heads. Sources for the prescribed music for the Royal Schools of Music practical exams Photos, information, critical commentary and analysis of field drums, focusing on drums of the American Civil War