7 ways to be musical on snare drum

the snare drum seems like it could be the most boring instrument on earth. regardless, you still have to sound as musical as any violinist or oboist or trumpeter.
in today's video, i'm showing you 7 ways you can express phrasing and musicality on the snare drum.
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ABOUT ME
i'm a percussionist in the metropolitan opera orchestra in new york city, and i create videos and blogs to help you stop sucking at drums and master your craft. there's so much more at www.robknopper.com
0:00 musicality on snare drum?!
1:38 the two sides of phrasing
3:10 1. dynamics
4:32 2. beating spot
5:32 3. stroke velocity
6:57 4. rhythmic placement/time manipulation
8:55 5. buzz density
9:46 6. roll stroke speed
10:28 7. grace note spacing

[@SemperVinco]

There's a bunch of variables (albeit much less widely applicable of course) when using more extended techniques like e.g. rim shots and clicks. For example when using brushes you can vary speed, pressure, surface area, direction and even angle (hitting a brush sideways lengthens the attack of the note).

[@davidpickar7614]

Yay! This is what I wish every freshmen could have viewed before the start of studying Snare Drum techniques and etudes. This makes way more sense than most of my early collegiate lessons. Bravo!

[@LBD-2021]

I just played a snare drum solo at solo and ensemble night!🥁🥁

[@martinbright5077]

Sometimes using different stickings will lead to different/new phrasings. It doesn't always pay off musically to use the most comfortable sticking in a certain passage.

[@robknopperstudio]

i love it - yes!!

[@txsphere]

How does Rob only have 15k subscribers? I am a wind player and learn so much just about learning music.

[@robknopperstudio]

warms my heart, thank you 🙏

[@tommcmichael8679]

At the risk of possibly repearing; there are rim and stick techniques and using different sticks/mallets. As long as they do not take away from the music.

[@Timninety9]

Really excellent video, Rob! You’re already giving me ideas for musicality on other non-pitched instruments as well: bass drum, triangle, cymbals, tambourine, etc.

[@eduardocenteno2411]

Excelentes videos Rob. Son muy buenos 👌

[@davidstecher7885]

happy there’s a new video

[@turtleevan1718]

Rob I've watched every single one of your videos atleast 3 times over. You gave me the resources to make symphonic band all district as a sophomore and hopefully all state. You're an amazing teacher and I hope to get the chance to learn with you in person one day. Thank you 🙏

[@robknopperstudio]

that is incredibly kind of you to say, and i am rooting for you evan! good luck going forward.

[@TheStudioDrummer]

Love this video. 100% applies to my drum set playing.👊🏽 I have found myself instinctively pushing into and holding the stick on the head on backbeats for certain sounds/snares. Depending on the pressure and placement, you can shorten the sustain but also achieve a different harmonic ring. Start by trying it with a rimshot.- (this is an advanced technique that I DONT teach my beginning students!)🙂

[@robknopperstudio]

awesome!!

[@danielb3669]

I graduated with my grad degree in piano education 7 years ago. Two years ago I started taking percussion lessons because I had been teaching beginning band and didn’t want to cheat my students out of an education. Your videos have been so helpful as I learn percussion!

[@robknopperstudio]

thank you, glad to have you here! if there are other topics i can be helpful with, let me know.

[@danielb3669]

@@robknopperstudio thanks! One of the things I’m not quite familiar with is graded snare repertoire. I would love to see maybe an example of repertoire you would use to take a student up through their education.

[@robknopperstudio]

​@@danielb3669 do you mean like a curriculum of what snare drum repertoire a student might use throughout their entire education? or are you asking if i’d have my own list, similar to the tmea prescribed music list?

[@danielb3669]

@@robknopperstudio I’m more interested if there’s anything you do that is unique to your teaching. :)

[@jaedxn04]

How to be musical on snare drum: -Rudiments -Accents

[@mariogustavo6346]

Hi Rob,always excellent videos!,i have a question about tune a pearl free floating 14 x 5" Maple snare drum whith diplomat heads on top and side and Grover sx silver bronze snare wires cables,can ir works nearly a concert snare drum?,thanks

[@robknopperstudio]

i’m really not sure as i’ve never set up a frankenstein drum before, but i think it has worked for some people. that combination of gear sounds interesting but i prefer the pearl philharmonics

[@diegorubio6145]

Hi Rob, amazing video. Just a question, which drumheads do you use in your snare philharmonic brass? thank you

[@robknopperstudio]

i have a remo m5 on top and a hazy diplomat on the bottom!

[@brichpmr]

Rob, that concert snare is beautifully tuned to speak at all volume levels....bravo!

[@robknopperstudio]

why thank you!

[@NoAh-in_best]

I have a drum set snare drum I wish I had a concert snare drum what do I do😉

[@robknopperstudio]

hmm... get one?

[@theolysyk8494]

Question; what's diff between time manipulation and rubato? Or is it the same.

[@robknopperstudio]

it’s basically the same. i like to use the term "time manipulation" because rubato implies that the composer is giving you direction to be free. time manipulation is making specific decisions to adjust the time, even in places where rubato is not written. but they are certainly related

[@Zelgeon]

I believe time manipulation is about micro level adjustments of the placement of a single note or group of notes that enhance the feel of the rhythm or groove making it sound more musical, like swing for example, while playing rubato is more about macro level adjustments, it's about making the tempo very flexible to make the music sound more expressive and free, unrestrained to a set constant pulse but keeping the micro rhythms precise and straight, if that makes sense

[@bonkersmcgee4356]

yeah but can you grid flamdrags. . .

[@robknopperstudio]

i can flam griddrags but i can't do what you said

[@ethereal_samurai4297]

As a marching band percussionist this just makes me mad 😂

[@robknopperstudio]

i’m sorry musicality makes you mad, matching band percussionist 😘

[@ethereal_samurai4297]

@@robknopperstudio it doesn’t. I don’t play concert snare or drumset, so obviously I have no right to say this is a bad video; in fact it looks great, and I think there are many useful things in it. With that said, I just feel annoyed that it doesn’t cover marching snare, which sounds and plays different, and why would it cover marching snare? I can’t say its a bad video based off of that, but I do feel that things like drum fills in field shows and licks sound really nice. Musicality is the most important part of drumming to me, so I definitely value this video. I am in no way trying to hate on it, I just felt a little annoyed. Good video and sorry if I offended you.

[@robknopperstudio]

@@ethereal_samurai4297 haha no problem at all and i understand. i have no background in marching so i wouldn’t be able to teach that, but i’m sure it’s a deep and interesting area to explore.

[@spencerharris7671]

If you want musicality on (marching) snare drum, DCI/WGI drumlines are where to look.