Marching Snare Drum

This section provides a detailed description of the traditional grip, the set-up position and the various playing areas and techniques on the snare drum. The last section discusses instrument care.

Traditional Grip

In order to practice the traditional grip properly, it is important to remain as naturally relaxed as possible. The closer one moves in line with the body's natural tendencies, the more secure and consistent the grip will be. A lot of people pick this grip for several reasons. Some feel they should keep the traditional aspects of drumming alive and this grip was the first any marching drummer used (due to the way the drum was on a sling over their shoulders, they had to compensate for the tilt in the drum by changing the left-handed grip). Another reason is simply that is the more pleasing of the two grips (as opposed to matched grip) to watch.

It is important to remember that this grip is asymmetric by nature. From the upper arm to the tips of the fingers, the right hand and left hand are completely different from each other.

Right Hand

The right hand should grip the stick firmly at the fulcrum (the point where the thumb and forefinger meet the stick) while keeping the back fingers loosely on the stick at all times. Position the stick resting on the crease of the 1st joint of the digits and all five fingers gripping around the stick. There should be NO GAPS between the forefinger and the thumb, but there should also be NO TENSION. Simply keep the thumb in contact with the first finger. The top of your hand should not be flat, nor should your thumb be facing straight upward. The proper hand angle should be slightly less than 45 degrees. The stick should be in contact with the fingers and the palm of the hand as much as possible without "choking off" the natural motion of the stick. There is a slight upward bend to the wrist so that the stick does not approach the drum "flat"

When striking the drum, utilize a bend at the wrist. Do not drop your fingers to gain height. Do not confuse keeping your fingers on the stick and the stick in the palm of your hand with over powering the stroke and playing with a "choked off" sound. Your hand should feel relaxed at all times while utilizing the natural rebound from the head.

The shoulder and upper body should be completely relaxed. The upper arm should protrude from the body at about a 45º angle keeping the elbow out and away from the body.


Left Hand

For the left hand, place the stick between the thumb and forefinger. With the stick slightly to the side. Let the stick come to rest on the ring finger between the 1st knuckle and the cuticle of your nail.

Tuck or curl the pinky-finger under the ring finger. Place your thumb on your index finger and place the middle finger loosely on the stick. You want all of the fingers to kind of "flow" down the stick.

When striking the drum, utilize a wrist turn similar to operating a door knob. Use the first segment of your forefinger, supported by the thumb to help push the stick down making sure that you utilize the natural rebound from the head as much as possible. Do not lift your middle finger from the stick, nor open up your ring or pinky fingers.

The shoulder and upper body should be completely relaxed. The left upper arm should hang straight down the line of the body, with the elbow close to your side. Your upper and lower arm should remain relaxed at all times.

Set Position

The set position is one of the most important yet underrated parts of playing in an competitive marching drumline. It is the first position the audience will see you in. For snare drummers, set position is right stick in front of left, using the knuckles of your left pinky finger as a guide. The sticks should be in perfect alignment with each other, centered to your body and the snare drum and level to the ground.

Playing the Snare Drum

Most parts should be played in the exact center of the drum. Sticks should be at a 90º angle to each other with the beads of the sticks meeting approximately within a 2" circle. Stick motion should always be straight up and down for both right and left hands. The "sticks out" position is when the sticks are ready to play but are not actually playing. The sticks should hover with the beads about 1 inch above the head. When a single hand is playing, the free hand should rest in the sticks out position in a controlled manner. Don't allow the free hand to "wander".

For softer passages or other dynamic effects, it is common to play closer to the edge of the drum, about 2" from the far rim. Playing in this area will be determined by the musical passage played or the effect desired.

Taps - Taps are defined as almost every ordinary note played. Depending on the musical passage being played, taps should be played at a height of about 3". After a single tap, the stick should return to the sticks out position, with the bead hovering 1" over the head.

Accents - Accents are generally played at about 9". More physical energy is required to play in time while increasing the distance of the stick motion. This increase in energy produces the increased volume of the stroke, thereby producing an accent. After a single accent, the stick should return to the sticks out position, with the bead hovering 1" over the head.

Rim Shots - Rim shots are special effect sounds produced by simultaneously striking the head and rim at the same time. The most common method is to strike the rim with the stick at the lower shoulder area, which is the portion of the stick about where the taper begins or ends. This is usually about the top 1/3 of the stick. A "Ping" shot is a rim shot that produces a higher pitch shot. To create this effect, strike the rim at about 1/6 of the distance from the tip, or half way between the tip and the usual area of the stick where you would create a common rim shot.

Diddles - A diddle is a controlled, double bounce produced with a single stroke. For the right hand, make the primary stroke with your wrist, and the secondary "bounce" with your fingers, pulling your fingers close to the palm of your hand. For the left hand, begin with the normal wrist twist movement of the primary stroke and the secondary "bounce" with your first finger, stopping the motion with the ring finger.

Stick Heights and Posture

Stick Heights - in order to produce a "clean" ensemble sound, all drummers have to be playing at the same heights. A height is usually referred to as the height your stick over the head in taps as well as accents. Play taps at around 3" and accents around 9". Check your stick heights visually, seeing the bead of the stick at the top of the "blur" as you play.

Make sure that right hand stick height and left hand stick height is the same. Differing stick heights effect both volumn and speed of the note and are the primary cause of uneven sounds.

Posture - Have your back straight, your chin up, and your snare parallel to the ground unless a visual calls for your snare to drop below or rise above level. Try playing your parts in front of large mirror to check your posture. Your upper body, neck and shoulders should remain completely relaxed no matter how demanding the playing may be. It is easy to become tense as the playing gets harder or faster, but this tension will only slow you down. Keep the motion of playing in the wrists and fingers.

Common Mistakes

Grip Flaws

• The most common is the absence of all five fingers on the stick at all times, usually dropping the ring finger and pinky from the stick by either dropping them down or sticking them out, especially when playing diddles. You need to develop finger control to get the auxiliary fingers (ring, pinky) to help with diddles.
• Another common problem for both right and left hands is that the index finger looses contact with the thumb. To correct this try putting something (like a penny) between the thumb and index finger and hold it there the whole time you are playing. Remember, there should be NO TENSION here, simply keep the two fingers in contact with each other.
• Tension - Keep the motion of the sticks in the wrists and fingers and out of the arms and upper body. With practice, you must learn to control the playing through finger dexterity, not through tension. Tension will hinder your playing more than help it.

Stroke Flaws

• The main problem of this genre is that drummers hit the drum at angles other than perpendicular to the head. This is also called "chopping wood." To correct this make sure your palms are facing the ground (or that your left hand is sideways in traditional grip) which more or less forces you to play the correct stick angles.
• Another flaw a drummer can have is inconsistent rim shots. Most rim shots should be concentrated at the middle or just above middle of the stick. Drawing a small line and trying to hit this line is a good way to develop this as second nature.
• The last stroke flaw is where people playing traditional grip strike the drum by moving their left-hand up and down by bending at the elbow. Think of the wrist movement as a clockwise motion of the wrist, not an up and down motion.

General flaws

• Pulsing on rolls. A pulse is when the roll brings out certain hands commonly pulsing the eighth note, or right hand. Try to strive for evenness in the rolls.
• Another flaw is separation in diddles. A lot of drummers make diddles sound like buzz rolls. To correct this just develop a slow open stroke roll and incorporate the double-stroke into your diddle.
• Tension - Keep your upper body, neck, face, upper and lower arms relaxed at all times. Tension is caused usually while trying to play through difficult passages will only hinder your playing, having the opposite effect that you desire.

Instrument care

Resting Instrument

Although marching snare drums are fitted with feet on the bottom rim, this is not a practical alternative for resting the drum outside where high grass, sticks or rocks could puncture the thin bottom snare head. Ideally, snare drums should stay attached to the marching carrier, and the carrier should sit on the ground, supporting the drum, thereby keeping all of the heads and mechanical parts out of the dirt and off of the ground.

Drum Heads

The batter heads (top) of marching snares are made of a combination of plastics and highly durable kevlar. These heads are very strong, but are still susceptible to breaking and distress. Care should be taken to protect the heads from cuts and scratches, Heads must also be cleaned regularly to remove scuff marks and stick marks.

The snare head (bottom) is made of thin plastic and is very susceptible to breaking, almost always through puncture. Care should be taken when placing the drum down. (see above).

Mechanical parts

Lugs: Lugs maintain the tension on the drum heads. Bottom lugs have a tendency to become loosened and are equipped with a safety washer to keep them from falling off the drum. When the lugs become loose however, the tuning of the head is affected. Lugs must be inspected to assure that proper tension is maintained.

Snare Strainers: Snare strainers are complicated mechanisms that allow for the snares to be engaged or disengaged from the drum. There are different knobs and screws which must all be properly adjusted to ensure proper tuning of the drum.

Marching snare strands are individually tunable. These can occasionally break or become loose. Inspect the snare regularly to ensure that equal tension is applied to all strands of the snare.

Lubrication and dirt: All mechanisms must be properly lubricated to function properly. Lubrication is best applied by simple oil.

Dirt can easily get into mechanical parts, especially bottom head lugs. Dirt is abrasive and can cause parts to wear out quickly. All dirt or sand must be cleaned off of every part of the drum.

Cleaning the instrument

Before each performance, each drum should be thoroughly cleaned to remove fingerprints from all metal parts. Also, blow out any dust or tape fragments that may accumulate between the rim and the edge of the drum head.