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Though a snare is familiar to every drummer behind the kit, marching snares may be something they’re not as well-versed in, and for good reason: while it’s still a snare, it can look different, feel different, and is used in an entirely different setup.
What You Need to Know About Marching Snares
So what are the big differences between a regular snare and a marching snare?
Mainly, marching snares aren’t played in the traditional band setup. A marching percussion ensemble, known as a drumline or battery, is generally where you’re more likely to find them. Though they have around the same width of a traditional kit snare, marching snare drums are usually tuned for maximum projection, and are deeper in size than traditional snares you’d see in a jazz or rock kit – sometimes even twice as deep.
The simple reason is that the marching snare is usually played outdoors and requires a bigger, fuller, cleaner blast of sound, in order to to spread farther and wider in a setting without sonic boundaries. A projector, or “scoop” – a piece of curved plastic – is occasionally attached to the back of the bottom hoop to help project and direct the sound forward to the audience. There are, however, smaller marching snares that have been created to meet the increasing popularity of modern indoor drumlines nowadays too.
But the most obviously notable difference might be that marching snares are designed to be played while moving. A special harness, occasionally called a carrier or rack, is worn by the drummer, for the purpose of using both hands while in motion. Marching snare drummers need to comfortably be able to keep a meticulous and airtight rhythm, all while following formation and acting as the musical backbone for the rest of their drumline ensemble.
If you’re looking to be the drum in the drumline, specifically the snare, check out these options to get you started.
