Piccolo Snare Drums

More and more popular in the drumming community today, are becoming so-called piccolo snare drums. Piccolo snare drums are called this because they are generally a smaller size than standard – usually less than 13 inches in diameter and/or 5 inches in depth- and they therefore have a much higher pitch than standard snare drums. Piccolo snare drums can also be referred to as popcorn snare drums, or effects snare drums, and come in a variety of sizes and wood types. Many of these are just as high quality as your standard snare drums, and can be used with great effect when used appropriately.

Pearl S1330B, 13×3-inch Steel Piccolo Snare Drum, Black Lacquer Shell

This is an all around quality piccolo snare drum. Nicely crafted and manufactured and great snare all around! If you prefer the ‘tight’ piccolo sound over the deep overtones of your traditional snare, make no mistake, this is one of the best (not to mention reasonably priced)!

Perhaps the most common use of piccolo snare drums is in basic drum fills such as in a reggae style where you would switch over to a piccolo snare just for a second to get a little bit more effect out of that fill. This usage of them can be great, and can really help your drum fills to stand out more, because getting that higher pitch in to your fill will sometimes attract more attention from the audience. However, you really shouldn’t overdo it with piccolo snare drums when it comes to fills, because if you use them to often for drum fills they can lose their novelty, and therefore their effectiveness.

Ludwig Maple Piccolo Snare Drum

Griffin Piccolo Snare Drum 13″ x 3.5″ Maple Wood Shell Pearl White

Such great versatility is added with this pearl white wood piccolo snare drum as you decide whether you want a new primary snare drum or a secondary snare drum with an amazingly bright tone and brilliant attack. Piccolo snares feature a thinner body depth than regular snare drums to provide a most unique, bright attack, high pitched yet sensitive sound. Use this pearl white 13″ piccolo snare drum as your primary snare drum to add a crisp, distinctive voice and full-bodied sound to your drum kit. Use this pearl white maple wood piccolo snare drum as a secondary snare to wake up your crowd by cutting through the mix with a new brilliant attack, tight sound and exceptional projection.

Sound Percussion Piccolo Snare Drum

However, these days piccolo snare drums have also become quite popular to use as a primary snare drum in certain situations. Sometimes you just want a slightly higher pitched tone from your snare drum, and this can be quite easily achieved with a smaller-sized, piccolo snare. The classic example of using a piccolo snare drum for a primary snare drum is when you want the “hand-clapping” effect. Using a higher-pitched snare can engage the audience more in some situations, and get them to clap along with the music. As well, metal drummers often like to use piccolo snares, because they can more easily cut above all of the distortion from the rest of the instruments than a normal sized snare drum can.

Groove Percussion 3.5″ x 13″ Piccolo Snare Drum

One of the best and most respected piccolo snare drums on the market right now is the Pearl Firecracker snare drum. The pearl firecracker snare drum comes in both wood and steel models, and in one of two sizes, so you can choose if you want just a slightly higher pitch with the twelve inch model, or a super high-pitched “crack” with the tiny ten inch model. Either way, this drum still packs quite a bit of power for its size, because the shell is slightly thicker than a standard snare, which gives the firecracker snare more projection and tone. This is certainly one of the best piccolo snare drums on the market right now, and is probably a good place to start if you are looking for a solid all-purpose piccolo snare drum.

Piccolo snare drums in general can be great for many uses, including drum fills, effects, or even as your main snare drum at times. Just make sure not to overdo it, because one of the best things about them is their novelty effect, and you will lose this if you use your piccolo snare too often. However, I’ll leave it to you to determine what the appropriate uses of your piccolo snare drum are, but I have found that they can be effective in a variety of situations, so make sure to experiment with them until you find the sound you are looking for.

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