Snare drums are arguably the part of the kit that keeps some up all night trying to reach the perfect sound. In this article we highlight some musical ways to add interest to a snare, no EQ or compressor required.
Tip Your Hat
Some people spend a lot of time trying to get the sound of the hi-hat out of the snare channel. In other words; “hi-hat, stay in your lane!” However, at times what a snare needs is a hi-hat to add interest. In many cases open hi-hats get our vote, they have a longer decay and more shimmer than the basic click of a tight closed h-hat.
A great example can be heard on the track Up The Junction by the band Squeeze. You can hear how it elevates the snare to a much more complex and robust component in the overall mix.
When you need some shimmer on a snare then try giving it more, not less hi-hat.
Also check out Play The Game by Queen. Another track where the hat is dropping on the snare. It may be musical or just a case of a loud hi-hat in the mix. Whatever the reason it does add a great second texture to the snare beats.
Let’s Have A Clap!
An easy win when wanting to augment a snare is to add a clap on either all or some of the snare hits.
Conversely the clap had almost the opposite effect than the open hi-hat we first mentioned. The clap is immediate, short and sweet. A big favourite in disco, pop and R&B, the clap is a great addition to any track.
Check out songs like Eight Days a Week by The Beatles, released in 1964, used both as an augmentation to the snare and also on it’s own in the chorus.
Another great example is Only The Good Die Young by Billy Joel, adding an extra sense of space to an otherwise dry snare.
Moving to disco then look no futher than Everybody Dance by Chic. The use of the clap on the snare during certain elements of the song is further improved by adding a long reverb time to the claps. This gives a ton of space around the beat element of the snare. It’s also interesting that the claps and open hat also seem to add a sucking effect to the snare beats, this is partly due to the timing differences between the two elements.
Fast forward to the 2000s and you get tracks like Shackles (Praise You) by Mary Mary showing how a clap and snare can add interest to an urban R&B track. It’s a straight 2 and 4.
Smack Don’t Shake That Tambourine
Tambourines offer numberous ways to add interest to a track. They are often used to elevate the pace of an arrangement as augmentation to a hi-hat, however they are great to add interest to a snare.
A good example of this in action in the song With Or Without You by U2. The snare starts dry but around 1:10 the tambourine is added. Futher into the song (around 3:20) the tambourine takes the more conventional role of elevating the pace. It does show how useful it can be within a song.
To hear a tambouring adding some real energy to a snare then look no futher than the classic Daydream Believer by The Monkees. Interestingly, it doesn’t appear in every mix of the track available. Compare the Apple Music version with the YouTube version below and hear the difference it makes. While mentioning the Monkees, also check out Last Train To Clarksville for some nice tambourine augmenting snare as it applies accents to the beat being played, without it the snare would almost non-existent.
Another nice example of the tambourine adding interest to the snare is the song Daytripper by the Beatles. You can hear the instruments panned in different places, this was perhaps as much a technical as a musical decision, however it came to be, it sounds great. The tambourine takes different rhythms during the song but the life it adds to the snare is arguably its greatest contribution.
A great use of tambourine on a snare is heard at the start of the track Big Time by Peter Gabriel. It’s adds real energy to a very tight snare sound. Interestingly it doesn’t remain for the entire song but comes and goes during the arrangement. It also sounds like the tambourine has a gated reverb on it, highly likely for the period!
What About You?
It’s easy to reach for a plugin to bring a snare up in a mix, but as these examples show, sometimes the answer lies in the instrumentation. A hi-hat can add width, a clap some edge, and a tambourine can add life the top end. This is just the tip of the iceberg, consider using synths behind snares to add tonal elements, or white noise instead of a reverb.
What are you favourite musical ways to add interest to a snare, or let us know of some songs that showcase musical elements added to a snare that bring it a new life!