Snare Drum Info

On the right is the 7x14 Slingerland Krupa Model

Radio King Snare Drum in White Marine Pearl finish.

Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973)

 was a famous and influential American jazz and

big band drummer, known for his highly energetic

and flamboyant style.

The Gene Krupa model "Radio King" snare drum,

manufactured by the Slingerland Drum Company,

was their top-line professional model snare. It began production in the 1940s and was available for several decades in a multitude of sizes and designs, always capitalizing on the popular name of Gene Krupa. The early design of the drum featured a solid maple shell with reinforcement rings, full flanged die-formed metal hoops, the Radio King snare strainer with a 20-strand set of snares, an internal tone control, and self-aligning rods and lugs.

On the right is a snare drum dating

from, around 1780.

Originally, snare drums were military

instruments originating from Europe in the

15th and 16th centuries. They were

commonly called a tabor and were used with

the fife in the Swiss military. Today, the

snare drum can be found in nearly every form

of western music. Snare drums are used by

fife and drum corps, marching bands and drum

and bugle corps to provide a steady source

of rhythm. The sound of a marching snare is

a classic military sound.

The snare drum was incorporated into

classical music to provide color, or timbre,

for march-like segments of music. It is used

in popular music styles like rock and roll and

jazz to provide an accented backbeat. In jazz

styles, the snare drum is often used for

 "comping", or accompanying, supporting, and

interacting with another musician's part.

The snare drum (specifically, a caixa) is the driving

force in samba music: ghost notes are played continuously with accented strokes outlining the rhythm. The snare is also used extensively in extreme metal, to provide a "blast beat": a rapid alternation of snare and bass drum beats.

    This drum was carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863