The Hoops: Snare Drum Series
- Dexter Verrill
- Mar 10, 2016
- 5 min read
You probably know by now that there are different kinds of counterhoops for your drums.
You most likely also know how good they really look on your drums.
But my question is, do you know of all the options and how each one will effect the sound of your snare drum?
You may agree with the statement "The snare drum is the most important piece of your entire kit". In my personal opinion, I believe this statement is true. Although your kit may have a very unique sound as a whole, when your kit is broken down piece by piece, you will most likely find that the snare drum will have the most voice (the piece that defines you the most as a drummer). Having a walnut snare tuned low with wooden hoops sounds much different than a titanium snare tuned at a higher tension with triple flanged hoops.
With this series about snare drums, my goal is to expose the options that are available to you with the hope to help you find your unique voice.
Today's topic will focus on the hoops of a snare drum. This information can apply to all drums just as the information given in the previous post, The Shell, can apply to all drums.
First off, there are different types of hoop materials. There is wood and there is metal.
Maple wood is obviously used for wooden hoops and is the most popular--and after reserching for this blog post, it seems to be the only type of wood used. It is possible, however, that other types of wood are used--if so, post a comment and a link to go with this blog. The more info we have, the better chances we have of finding our sound.
There are two basic types of wooden hoops (and the different drum manufacturers make their own versions). There are wooden couterhoops, which are thick rings with multiple plys, and then there are wooden straight hoops, which are almost always found on your bass drum (of course for your snare, the size would be much smaller). Drum companies make their own kinds of wooden hoops, but they are basically the wooden counterhoops with carved out sections for tension rods or snare wires, or they may have a semi-circle top rather than a rectangular top. Wooden hoops can be either stained or painted for a custom appearence, but many perfer the natural grain of the wood.
Concerning metal hoops, there are die-cast and straight hoops as well as single, double (less common) and triple flanged hoops. Die-cast hoops are made from zinc which is acually a softer metal--softer than steel but not as soft as brass. Straight hoops as well as single, double and triple, flanged hoops can be made of brass or steel. Of course any of these hoops can be plated with another type of metal, including chrome (steel), brass or black/brushed nickle. And, of course, they can also be painted.
How does each hoop effect the sound of ther snare drum?
In general, the counterhoop (the hoop) effects the overtones of the drum. It will determine whether they are enhanced or muted, crisp or warm. The hoops works together with the drum head to give a certain feel and sound. The type of head you use as well as the hoop you use will determine the sound of the overtones.
Wooden Hoops
As with most wooden products for drums, wooden hoops produce warmer overtones. However, the overtones will have less sustain--dampened if you will. In other words, the tone will be focused without all the other tones floating around.
Counterhoops: the overtones will be warm with a much shorter sustain and more focus.
Straight: the overtones are also warm, however, the sustain will be longer since the hoop is thinner (the thinner the hoop, the more sustain is produced).
Metal Hoops
Metal products tend to be louder and crisper and have enhanced overtones, maybe even multiple overtones. Since some metals are softer than others, brass being the softest, take into consideration the style of music you play when selecting a hoop. If you're a metal kind of guy, you probably don't want to use brass hoops. You just might bend or dent them (which can throw off your tuning and overall sound of your snare).
Die-cast: these hoops are made of zinc (softer than steel but not that soft). The overtones are enhanced because it is metal, however whe compared to the other metal hoops, the overtones are not as enhanced and are actually more focused. Similarly with the sustain, die-cast hoops have a decent sustain, but in comparison to the other metal hoops, the sustain is shorter. Overall, die-cast hoops are dead (by comparison to the other metal hoops) and aggresive.
Straight: overtones are more focused but the sustain is long. It being metal and thin is the perfect combination for a long sustain. Chrome (steel) will give more enhanced overtones while brass will be a littler warmer.
Single flanged: very open sounding (lots of overtones), and has a very long sustain. Chrome will give the most overtone and brass will give warmer overtones. They also kill your sticks (just saying).
Double flanged: has similar features to the single flanged, however it sound less open and has less sustain but more, of both, than the triple flanged. This one kills your sticks too (just so you know).
Triple flanged: open sounding (less than double, much less than single) and has long sustain (again, less than double, much less than single).
When selecting your counterhoops, take into consideration that style of music that you play, but don't compromise your unique voice. Determine what kind of sound you want, and how you can fit that into your style of music. Then determine the shell of your snare (if you want the download on different shell types and how they effect your snare drum, click here), your drum heads, and your hoops. All pieces will work together to create a specific tone, a specific sound, your sound.
Something to consider: Snare drums can have five to ten tension rods per hoop. The more spots you have to tune your drum with, the more stable it will be. In other words, it will be easier to tune your drum to a specific tone with ten tension points instead of five. Make sure that what tension rods you do have are stright with the lugs. Having them pushed away from the drum as well as pulled in towards the drum will throw off the ease of tuning.
I hope that this exposure will be yet another step toward finding your unique sound. After all, what are we as drummers if not ourselves?
If you have any questions please feel free to send me an email with dexter.verrill@gmail.com or by using the contact form of the website, STIX Drumming Instructing.
If you find something more on this topic or something different than what I have mentioned here, please, leave a comment so we can all see it. Like I said before, more info equals a better chance at finding our voice through our instrument.
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