Snappy snare drum head1/6/2024 ![]() There seems to have been no ‘standard’ design of snare drum, with examples variously made of steel, brass and various types of wood, in diameters from 10” to around 16” and depths of 3” up to 9” or more. Looking at photos from the period and the product catalogues of manufacturers such as Ludwig, Besson or Gretsch, we can see that drummers at the birth of the Jazz Age had a wealth of options available to them when choosing their principal instrument. Today sees the first of two articles examining the evolution of the snare drum – always the drum kit player’s principal instrument – during the 1920s, and hearing and seeing a period example.ĭuring the early years of the last century, the snare drum was still in the process of evolving from the deep, wooden, rope-tensioned military drums of the 19 th century into the shallow, bolt-tuned, usually metal object we know today. I resolve therefore to work a bit harder at writing about the nuts and bolts of the Drums of the Twenties, so that we can better understand those who played them. Also, I’ve recently been reminded that whilst the subject of antique percussion might seem a dry topic, it’s actually vitally important because it informs the way our Heroes sounded the way they did. Having said all that, I know many people who are interested in old instruments, and I’ll acknowledge that so far I’ve perhaps been focusing too much on the Heroes and Library sections to the detriment of this portion of the site. All the drums in my (very small) collection get used, regularly. ![]() Furthermore, my lack of interest in discussing old drums ad nauseam is more than matched by a lack of the finances necessary to amass a collection worth boasting about! After starting out playing this style a decade ago, and having sourced just about enough period gear to replicate the most common sounds and styles of the principal 1920s drummers, I’ve been getting on with playing rather than buying more and more just for the sake of it. Speaking honestly, I don’t really have that much interest in discussing the minutiae of instrument design (no disrespect intended to those who do), and I’d much rather spend my time researching and writing about the music itself and telling the stories of the characters who created it. When I was first planning ‘Drums In The Twenties’, one concern was that I didn’t want it to become solely an outlet for thinly-disguised bragging about vintage drum gear – something by which the internet is already well served. Louisiana Five leader Anton Lada‘s 1919 setup, complete with Snapper snare drumīefore I start today’s article, an admission.
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