THE SNARE DRUM:

Snare drums are similar to toms except for one feature; the bottom of the drum has a band of metal chains which touches the bottom membrane (the snare). When the drum is hit, the chains rattle against the surface of the membrane and produce the distinctive sound of a snare drum. When one hits the snare drum, the attack is very loud while there is almost no sustain. The tighter the metal chains, the "tighter" the sound of the snare drum.

The drums are usually arranged in such a way that a drummer can easily reach each of them. The location gives you an idea of how often a certain drum is used; that is, a drum located right in front of the drummer is probably used more often than one that is far away. Below is a picture of my own drum kit.

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CYMBALS

A cymbal (pronounced like the word “symbol”) is any concave brass plate which will usually make a crashing sound when hit with a stick. There are a dizzying number of different cymbals based on size and type. Some types include: crash, splash, hi-hat, ride, gong, trash, swish and china.

Most of them are used for emphasis while the hi hat and ride cymbal are generally used to maintain a constant pulse within the frame of the beat. The cymbal most significant for beatboxers is the hi-hat. It consists of two cymbals touching each other. It's sound then depends on whether the cymbals are touching or not (i.e. open or closed).

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