Drum Construction

Interested in learning more about drum construction?

Continue reading to learn about the historic English and French names of the parts of a rope-tension snare drum. Also learn about the materials they were historically made of.

The Body of the Drum

The main body of the snare drum is the Shell. American Regulations called for Ash, while Howe suggested Rock Maple as an alternative. French treatises state that the shell was made from Oak (Chêne).

Counter Hoops are the top and bottom hoops (or “rims”) that press down on the flesh hoops to make the heads taunt. The counter hoop may be one of the defining features of the invention of the snare / side drum.

In the image above of George Morland’s “Trepanning a Recruit” (c. 1790), you can see the Counter Hoops are painted red on the top and bottom of the drum. Red Counter Hoops were typical of English and American military drums.

On the inside of the drum shell, you’ll see a hoop on the top and bottom glued on flush with the top and bottom of the shell. These Stay Hoops help maintain the shape and stability of the drum.

A Vent Hole is drilled in the center of the drum to allow for the air inside to equalize.

The Snares

The Snares are what produce the distinctive sound of a snare drum. When one strikes the batter head, the air change vibrates the bottom (or snare) head, which in turn vibrates the snares.

Snare were made from pig intestine. According to Trichet, the snares’ diameter should be larger than the largest chord of the viol, which would be 2.16mm, roughly a 13 gauge.

Early French sources state that there are 2 snares, or 1 long snare strung back and forth. Notice the detail of the snares in “Un tambour et une épée” by Jeaurat de Bertry Nicolas Henry (1757).

British sources note “three pieces of thick catgut” (Rees, 1819), or 6 snares – 3 long snares strung back and forth. It’s unclear if this British source indicates a movement towards more snares, or an older distinction between French and English style.

The snares attach to the drum via the Snare Strainer and Snare Anchor.

The Snare Strainer is some kind of J-hook or other device that allows the player to adjust the tension of the snares against the snare head. This effectively “tunes” the snares.

Opposite the Snare Strainer is the Snare Anchor. The snares pass from the strainer to the anchor, and then back to the strainer.

The Snare Gate allows the snares to pass from the snare strainer on the outside of the shell, through the counter hoop, and along the snare head. On English and American drums, the Snare Gate is a square cut. In French drums, the Snare Gate is a D-shaped hole cut into the counter hoop.

To allow the snares to rest fully against the head, there is a slight indentation on both sides of the drum called the Snare Bed. These are indentations on both sides on the drum shell.

The Ropes and Ears

As the name implies, a continuous rope holds together and tensions a Rope Tension Snare Drums. The Rope or Cord would have been a natural material, most often hemp.

Do you have resources or information about historically correct rope for drums? If so, please contact me or comment below.

The rope gets threaded from the top counter hoop to the bottom, like stringing a shoelace, as you can see in this close up above of “The Dublin Volunteers on College Green, 4th November 1779”. A Pigtail Knot finishes the rope, using the tension created by twisting the rope in on itself to remove slack from the rope.

Any excess rope is often braided to become a decorative strap to carry the drum. This is known as the Drag Rope.

In order to tension the drum for use, the drum must be ‘braced’. Leather tabs or calfskin ties bind the rope together. In “Trepanning a Recruit” and “The Dublin Volunteers on College Green, 4th November 1779”, the British drums have buff leather tabs with a slightly rounded cut – this is fairly typical of British Braces.

In the image below, “A Quarrel”, you can see braces made of buff ties or perhaps calfskin scraps. It’s difficult to see the braces in “Un tambour et une épée” but they appear to be the same or similar. This style may have been common French or European braces.

Do you have any images or evidence for French-style braces or ears prior to 1800? If so, please contact me or comment below.

When pulled down, these Ears or Braces create tension on the ropes, which pull the counter hoops inwards, which places tension on the heads.

The Drumheads

In the image above, “A Quarrel” by Mathieu le Nain (c.1640), we see a great view of a calfskin drumhead being used as a card table.

Drumheads were original some form of animal hide, typically Calf, Goat, or Sheepskin. Learn more about animal hide drum heads.

To make a drumhead, the animal hide (often referred to as parchment) was soaked, in order to make it pliable.

Then, the wet animal hide is wrapped around a Flesh Hoop. The Flesh Hoop is a small hoop, either made from Hickory or Copper (Reese’s encyclopedia).

The calfskin is tucked around the Flesh Hoop and back in on itself. When it dries, it will naturally put tension on itself and thus stay together. This process is often referred to as “tucking” a drum head.

Snare drums have two drumheads. The top is called the Batter Head and usually has a slightly thicker skin to withstand the pounding. The bottom is called the Snare Head, on account of the snares against it, and is usually thinner so that the snares have a better sound.

Learn more about Performing a Double Stroke Roll on Calfskin Heads.

The Parts of a Rope Tension Snare Drum

If you have period resources with names for any of the missing parts, please contact me.

Or, if you have resources with the names in other languages, I’d love to add them.

If you have anything to add about drum construction, please let me know.

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If you’re interested in learning more about Rope Tension Drums and drum construction, read more about animal hide drum heads.

Or, check out information about period Drum Sticks.

If you found this interesting, you might also be interested in checking out:

• “Drum Rudiments & Their History”
• “18th C. British / American Drumming”
• “18th C. French Drumming”