Snare Drum

As Printed on a Score

Labels the snare drum line (Snare Drum; Side Drum in British scores; S.D. or Sn. Dr. later), written on a single line or a space of a percussion staff. Three tremolo strokes mean a roll; snares off changes the sound until snares on restores it.

Abbreviations: Sn. Dr., S.D.

Also spelled: Side Drum

How Composers Use It

Crisp and articulate: rolls sustain, flams and drags sharpen a rhythm, and a rimshot gives a gunshot accent. Ravel’s Boléro keeps its rhythm on the snare drum from the first bar to the last, a lesson in both its carrying power and its relentlessness. Mark brushes or other beaters when you want something other than sticks, and write dynamics with care — it carries over almost anything.

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