• Snare drums generate different sounds depending on their construction materials.little yellow drum image by Melking from Fotolia.com
  
  Snare drums are an essential part of percussion. They're used in every genre of music from orchestral and rock to rhythm and blues/soul, jazz, country and electronica. They provide backbeats, shading, color and tone and are just one part of a drum set or percussion set up, but a very important one. They are made in various sizes, weights and shell materials. Snare drums can be very inexpensive on the used market, or extremely expensive if bought directly from a manufacturer.
  
  

Drum Shell Materials

• You'll need a specific type of wood or metal for your snare drum shell, depending on the type of music you're creating. The types of wood range from African Mahogany, Birch and Maple, while metal can be aluminum, copper, steel and brass. For jazz and funk, a wooden snare drum shell can produce a warmer sound; for rock and metal, a metal snare drum shell will give them a high-pitched attack that will cut through loud guitars or vocals. You'll also need rims for your snare drum shell: this is the piece that goes on top of the snare shell and is attached via lug nuts.
  
  

Drum Heads

• Drum heads are the next material needed to make a snare drum. They are carried at virtually any music store, and the type you buy depends on the type of music you are playing and some personal preference. Remo, Aquarian and Evans all make drum heads ranging from moderately priced jack-of-all-trades and beginner types, to specific artist-endorsed/music-specific heads. Listen to different drum heads in a music store before making any online purchases of a drum head.
  
  

Snares/Snare Mechanism

• You'll also need snares, which go across the bottom, and the snare mechanism (also known as a throw-off), which is used for tightening and turning the snares on and off. "The hardware on a snare drum consists of the throw-off, butt plate, lugs, tension rods and hoops," reports percussionist and author Neil W. Grover. "The most important of these components is the throw-off. It should be sturdy, quiet and have a fine-tuning knob adjustment to change the tension of the snares."