The snare drum is arguably the most important part of the drumset. If you do not have a snare drum, you do not have 2 and 4, you do not have any backbeat or any rhythm for that matter. A typical snare drum is a large, but shallow drum, and has usually steel wires on the bottom head, that resonate when the drummer strikes the top head. Steel wires are the most common, but they can also be brass, aluminum, or nylon. Another factor in snare wires is that they do not all have the same amount of wires in them. Usually a 20 strand is normal, but you can have more or less. Also, the type of coils can be different too. A spiral coil is normal but there is double coils and different size coils that you can have. My last post said that a standard drum kit has a 14 inch snare, but I usually play a 13 inch. Many professional drummers have two snare drums set up at the same time while they are at a gig. This alternate or auxiliary snare drum is not the same as the primary obviously. It is usually not the same size either. When I set up my aux snare it is on the opposite side of the hi-hat to my left. I play a 13×6.5 inch primary snare, Pearl Joey Jordison signature, and a 10×4 inch aux snare, Pearl M-80. I also tune both of the snares differently because of the size of each of them and the sound that I want to get out of them. The signature is a piccolo but it is deep enough to get a dark warm tone out. I really like both of them in every setting I play in and the M-80 is my go to for reggae.
A blog about Drums 