Buying a New Concert Snare Drum

Congratulations! You have decided you want to learn how to play percussion and you are ready to make an investment in learning a musical instrument. Regardless of whether you want to play in a concert band, marching band, or play drum set, everyone pretty much starts with a beginning snare kit. Before we get started, I want you to know that in the world of percussion there are lots of great choices and, also some bad choices when it comes to choosing an instrument. Make sure that whatever you do, do not make an instrument purchase of any kind at a retailer that does not specialize in musical instruments. This means no Walmart, Office Depot, IKEA, or any place similar. I will be giving you my recommendations based on my preferences as a professional but know that your comfort with an instrument and your price range is important too.

Beginner

When I was 11 years old, I got a snare kit through my school’s band program. As a matter of fact, I still have it. It means that much to me. A snare drum kit should come with the following: a fully functioning snare drum, a snare drum stand (that is tall enough in order to play the snare while standing), usually a drum pad of some sort (for quite practicing), a pair of drum sticks, a drum key, and a drum case to carry everything. Now, a lot of educational kits come with an option to also purchase a glockenspiel (bells) with a stand and mallets. The glockenspiels are available in order to learn how play pitched percussion while you also learn how to play snare drum.

I recommend for the beginning snare drummer the Pearl SK910 Educational Snare Kit. It comes with everything you need and usually costs around $180.00 if purchased through a major percussion distributor like Steve Weiss Music, Lone Star Percussion, or Percussion Source.

BE AWARE. If you also want a glockenspiel in your education kit not only will the price go up and there will be more things in your percussion case to carry, but your snare drum will be different.

The Pearl SK910 Educational Snare Kit comes with a 14” x 5.5” Steel Shell Snare Drum. The Pearl PL910 Percussion Learning Center comes with a 13” x. 5.5” Wood Snare Drum instead and costs $330.00 because of the added glockenspiel.

Intermediate

Let’s say after a few years of taking lessons and playing in an ensemble you have really improved, you enjoy playing percussion, and you’re ready to invest in a more serious snare drum. As you improve and get older, you’ll notice that the snare drum variety also increases. How do you choose? What should you choose? In order to not get too technical, we’ll say that the main differences in snare drums at this point are sizes and what the shell is made of.

The shell, or the main body of the snare drum, is made of wood (typically maple or birch) or metal (typically steel, aluminum, or brass). Metal snare drums tend to resonate longer and have a slightly bright sound than a wood snare drum. At this point it may be smart to get a versatile snare drum; a drum that could sound good on a drum set as well as a large ensemble.

I recommend for an intermediate snare drummer the Pearl Sensitone Premium Maple Snare Drum. While the main intension of this snare drum is to be a played on a drum set, it has a sensitive dynamic range and good articulation for playing concert style snare drum repertoire. The Pearl Sensitone Premium Maple Snare Drum comes in two sizes: the fairly standard

14” x 5” and a deeper 14” x 6.5”.

The Pearl Sensitone Premium Maple Snare Drum 14” x 5” usually costs around $320.00 and is the drum I would recommend over the 14” x 6.5”.

PSA: If $320.00 is too steep of a price I have a suggestion. The previous Sensitone line by Pearl was a very decent line of drums. I personal use a 14” x 5” Pearl Sensitone Composite Alloy Snare Drum for teaching and it works very well. You can often find one of these drums used for $100.00 - $200.00.

Advanced - Professional

Now, let’s talk about purchasing a snare drum if you are looking for an instrument for college and eventually a professional career. This drum will be used for auditioning for a college program, All-State, Solo and Ensemble, various professional auditions, and performances. The construction and sound of the drums in this category is what set them apart from the previous snare drums we discussed. I’ve noticed that sometimes the biggest detail that make the most difference at this level is not always the shell. It seems like it should because it is the biggest and most obvious part of the drum. I feel that biggest details have to do with the snares and the counterhoops (rims).

The first set of snare drums I am going to recommend is the Pearl Concert Series snare drums. These drums come with Superhoop II counterhoops which is triple flanged which helps with the overall tuning and sound of your drum. Many Pearl snare drums come with these counterhoops, including the maple sensitone drum I mentioned in the intermediate section. The detail that separates these drums from the previous ones is the snare system. The Concert Series snare drums come with two sets of snares: coated snare cable for loud dynamics and stainless-steel snare cable for medium and soft dynamics. These multi-snare systems are common in concert style snare drums in order to accentuate articulations and dynamics as clearly as possible.

The Pearl Concert Series snare drums come in two sizes, 14” x 6.5” and 14” x 5.5”, and with either a maple or beaded steel shell. Depending on mainly the size of the drum, the price for one of these drums is between $380.00 - $400.00.

The second set of snare drum I am going to recommend is the highly popular Pearl Philharmonic Snare Drum series. These are highly celebrated snare drums and are arguably the best concert snare drums in the world.  The philharmonic series snare drums are for very serious percussionists. They come in many sizes and many different shell materials. Instead of listing all the variations in the series, I will tell you the best features that come with a philharmonic snare drum. Most of the regular-sized Pearl Philharmonic snare drums come with mastercast diecast counterhoops and a triple snare system with silent strainer system. The mastercast diecast counterhoops are an improvement on the superhoop II counterhoops for accurate tuning at higher tensions. The most famous feature of the philharmonic snare drums is the Triad Silent Snare System. Triad Silent Snare System is so named for obvious reasons. Each drum comes with three sets of snares, coated cable, stainless cable, and snappy wire, which can be individually adjusted easily. The lever to activate the snares into the on position is also carefully engineered so that there are no distracting extraneous sounds if the snare must be turned on during a performance. The snare system also comes with a fine-tuning knob for overall adjustments on the butt plate of the drum. The counterhoops and snare system plus extremely well made shells are the pinnacle reasons why the Pearl Philharmonic series are the best concert drums on the market.

Since the Philharmonic series have lots of different shell and size options, it’s hard to give a reasonable price or price range. So, I will recommend a drum that I think is a very versatile choice. The recommend the Pearl Philharmonic 6 ply maple snare drum in either the 14” x 5” or 14” x 6.5” sizes. The price for one of these drums is between $580.00 and $600.00.

I hope this blog post has been helpful and informative. If I can help you in any way select a snare drum or if I can answer any questions you have, please don’t hesitate to email me at Fraley.percussion@gmail.com.