SNARE DRUM METHOD Wye Firth Book 1 Elementary pee e iN rg. ‘ea FIRTH Written by Vic Firth, Solo Timpanist and Head of the Percussion Section of The Boston Symphony Orchestra CARL FISCHER»vic FIRTH SNARE DRUM METHOD BOOK |-Elementary by VIC FIRTH Solo Timpanist ‘and Head of the Percussion Section The Boston Symphony Orchestra CARL FISCHER»: 185 Bloockar Street, New York, NY 10012 Copy © 1967 by Cat che 04653 IgaNo-0259.09908REWORD This book has been conceived and written with the following goal in mind: t9 develop a “musical” snare drummer in the classical and traditional sense of the word. My yeurs of performing and teaching have repeatedly made clear the problems and solutions of the snare drummer as a) percussion artist. As well as control and fast articulate hands, the snare Uhuminer must develop a sense of thythmie phrasing, interptctation: and concept of sound. He must understand tone pro- “ction anal sound projection as reluted to sticking and teehiical execution. He must riot treat the instrument as a noisy wtiim maker. but s i musical instrument capable of countless musical subtleties. 1 present this, book as the first step toward the development of this calibre of player: Include in the book is un explanition of the basi stoke and playing positon. Examples of simple reading begin in 4/4 time and progress through 2/4, 6/8, and 3/4, Also discussed are flams, syncopation, the 3, 9, 13, and 17 stroke rolls well as the long roll ‘One comment to the student: regardless of the teacher's bility und the quality of the instruction book used, the key to suceess lies with the student add his desire to work hard and diligently. The finest teacher and the most comprehensive ook ure only two-thirds of the basic necessities, The most important third is the student who must patiently practice many Jim hours. Then. and only then. will the combination produce musical results that are of the highest musical standards. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF MUSIC Musie is the art and science of combining sounds or tones in varying melody. fhtrneny. rhythm, and timbre. To indicite the piteh and duration oF these tones. symbols called Notes are used, These motes are all related tor each other as indicated by their names, (whole, hall, quarter. ete.) Below is a chart of note lues in Binary time. (Units of to) A WHOLE NOTE TS EQUAL TO HALE NOTES ort QUARTER NOTES or @ ENGI NOTES. or 16 SINTHENT NOTES # or 32 Below is w chart of note valley in Ternary tine, (Units of three) A DOFTED WHOLE NOTE 1S EQUAL TO. °o OTTED MLE NOTES fe : vt DOTTED QUARTER NOTES: f . r or 12 ow} . i j EXGHTTH NOTES f (Ly cer ty swwanwons EEEEES EEL Eer Cees ee aan sno Sel soms SS ee SSE Sash cere tear ey coe ae etTo indicate silence in music, symbols called RESTS are used. These too are related to cach other as are note values. Below is a chart of rests with their related note values BINARY WHOLE HALF QUARTER EIGHTH SIXTEENTH —THIRTY-SECOND sore - Jd | d A i REST - - é % 3 7 TERNARY DOTTED WHOLE DOTTED HALF DOTTED QUARTER EIGHTH SIXTEENTH THIRTY-SECOND NOTE gw. d 4 > s 4 REST = ~ be ’ 3 g ADOT afer a note'or rest (d+ $+) makes the fotéoF res half as long. again 48 the ofiginal value. For example 4 = so ‘beats dh wm tite: teins ¢ = two cighth rests d+ — three eighth rests NOTES and RESTS are written on a STAFF, The staff is made up of five lines and four spaces. ee We concer ourselves with only two CLEFS. The TREBLE clef = as in the diagram above, and the BASS clef = as i the diagram below = === = AAs you will observe, the lines and spaces have diferent names according to the clef empioyed. Degrees of loudness and softness are determined by symbols known as DYNAMHCS, Bolow isa table of DYNAMICS ppp Pianissisimo fs sot as possible sf oF Slorzando or ee wn Ss af ot Slorzndo oF | is wade force or emphasis Pp Piano soft rf or 1 is 2 ee cag 1° sntorando | - 10 Tinfoce wih added sess mf Mezeo forte moderately loud ip Forte piuno loud then suddenly soft {Rane Jou Crescendo (Crese.) or — increasing in loudness Wh Fortissimo very loud Diminuendo (Dim.) oF {if Fortissisimo as loud as possible Decrescendo (Decresc.) == decreasing in loudness, ‘Other important terms are Avcelerando (Ace,) faster and faster Molto nue oF very Adagio slow Poco a poco litle by fie Molto adagio very slow Presto quick Allegro quick Prestissimo. very quick Da Capo (D.C) back to the beginning Staccaro short or detached Fine the end Tacer silt Lepaxo smooth and connected in style Tenuto (Ten) hold TIME oc METER is the grouping of the various rhythmic progressions into MEASURES. The measure is @ subdivision of A piece of music. = DOUBLE BAR BAR Line —>| _REPEAT SIGN YeASURE, ‘TIME is indicated by figures at the beginning of a piece. The upper figure denotes the number of beats in a measure, The lower figure denotes the note value that gets one beat, For example: 3. — 3 beats in a measure OW = an eighth note gets one beat 2.= 2 beats to a measure “F = a quarter note gets one beatTHE PARTS AND CARE OF THE SNARE DRUM Batter Wead— counter Woap— Flesh Hoop — snare Throw Off Abr vent stetl snare Wea — Snares’ iKegp the tuning fous and! strainer parts well tubricated. counter-foops should be eleaned-oceasionally with a good SJ hell drums. can be cleaned and polished with ride of metal polish, To clean a peat! surface, simply Pqan or furnitute polish, Metal shells. logs, and Swipe with a damp cloth, CARE OF THE HEADS Calf skinheads are sory: susceptible to atmospheric tightening) a drum, Be sure that the same tension is ap- conditions sind require much care, When “tuning” for plied to cach tod, ‘Tune in clockwise system or opposite System, < Clockwise dppostte Once new bails hay set and sound crisp and hors thy should teguit iteration except for sn Changes in ulmespheric (humidity) conditions. If the THE STICK seithce fwecomes extremely dnp. ie may be necessary to Below is a picture ofa drum stick with its descriptive ht the heads slightly. However. shen finished play swrmts fg, wr the rads back the same number of turns that Sas required te get the drum in. playing condition, te extreme uy weather the heads may: bec the tensiod will have to be loosetted Gm in good! play tion. Wh linder dee conditions. re-tighien the heud slightly: othe Nise, all the skick oF eollar in the head will be absorbed hy the dry weather Plostic hous. ones Set, are completely unaffected by chimatic. changes. This is. particularly, sdvantageous on Unims used outdiars. Puce fetopine Areafshostder STICK POSITION OF LEFT AND RIGHT HAND SNARES The smates on. the drum skionkd be adjusted so as te produce brilliant, efisp. staccato sound. If the snares Traditional Grip. Cofrect stick’ and hand position is peNfoo tight the drwn| Will sound choked. 1 the snares absolutely essential to the art of fine playing. Observe the ate ton ladne. they will vibrate too freely and the erisp ates and pictures carefully as. good habits formed in the of development are the key to fine musical Stat that is most desirable ssl be lost ly sta The three types OL suites ure “Fames” a wie smures. playing und wine-Wuvut silk smatres, The Wire: snares st aed tn concent amily, while the gut may. be sed ie ‘most popularayp the stich ay you would ye on at Labie. (igure 1) 1s loosely sound the stich as in figure 2, Pigure 2. When the hand is tuted over. the stich should appear ay in figure 3. i ee Figure 3. The Left Hand Posit a Figure 4 in. Grasp the stick as shown: ih Curl the first ait second fingers over the stick as in igure 5. Now se ean observe the playing position of both hands fom st hun is igure 6, ize 6. Remember, both: ne ust renin relawe and flex ible at all tines. HF the fingers become rigid. oF the hands or wrists stifon. then the niaseles will tense and tighten sand ae resi will be improper sind uneven execution, Matched Grip. The “Matched Grip stick nd hand position is exactly what the term implies, Both the left fund right hands bold the stick the sume as the right hand Position of the “Traditional Grip”, (sve figure 7) The Uruar is Hot tilted but is placed parallel (0 the floor. The matched stip iy particularly advantageous when per- forming Chunber Music or in Percussion Ensembles where the player has 1 wuult-drum sot-up. The fueility and ease ‘oF miosing from one drum te another becomes very similar to the techniques employed im timpani_ playing. Aside frown this particular medium. 1 feel that the agcomplished player should be proficivat with both the “Traditional” and “Matched” grip ad should practice necordingl. Figure 7.THE PLAYING POSITION [ recommend a standing concert position for all of the Below are three extmples of playing position. Figure 1 ; r f iets te proper marching positon Figure 2 states percussion, players Siting hampers the phssicalfeedor ‘ ce food peression playing rpaedess of Which the proper concert poston. Figure 3 illustrates. the Recessary for good persussion playing, TeBaedess of Matched Grip concer! position petcusion instrament being played e a Figure 2. Figure SINGLE STROKE ‘The single strake is the basic stroke for all snare drum the tip of the stick should travel in a semi-circular are ay technique. As a drum is comprised of two vibrating heads bolos, Both the tight ane! the let stich travel the same are. the drum must be struck in such a way as to allow maxi ‘The stroke is a combined arm and wrist motion. ‘mum vibration from both heads. When striking the drum,LESSON 1 ‘The first lesson is in 4/4 time. This means that there are four beats in a measure, and that a quarter note (d) gets one beat. The lesson utilizes the quarter rest ( ?) which also has the value of one beat. Count out loud and tap your foot on each beat, Be sure to keep a steady tempo. Check for proper stick position as well as rm and wrist action. R =a right hand stroke and L =a left hand stroke. Observe the repeat signs (Ih :if) ‘where indicated. 04653 4924LESSON 2 In Lesson 2 half notes and half rests, as well as whole notes and whole rests are combined with the quarter notes and quarter rests already studied in Lesson 1. Observe the following: 4 and? = 1 beat, 4 and a= 2 beats, jo and~=4 beats. The time signature is 4/4. Continue to count aloud, being careful not to rush the longer note values and rests. 4. 5. ag2dLESSON 3 ° Here are two pieces covering the material studied thus far. You will observe that they are written in common time (@). This means exactly the same as 4/4 time. A general rule for sticking in binary time ts that all stick patterns are taken {rom the smallest denomination of four notes, be they quarters, eighths, or sixteenths: ¢¢¢¢, ¢ > 4744+ The one exception to this fs the "even groupings” which is rest, note, rest, note |? d#d|+4ry4\r4\|, Herethe sticking reverses itsell. More will be said about his in lesson 14, 4LESSON + In this lesson we begin the study of eighth notes ( ‘There are two eighth notes to each quarter note, making op sigs paba tian ap famtag ».guaries note (J2\= 4), When a single eighth note is written, it appears like this #'. When successive eighth notes are written, they are tied together and appear like this Whether written singly or ina group, an eighth note has one flag. In counting successive eighth notes, count 1+2+3+4y. Maintain a steady tempo and re-check playing position, 12 3 4 14d goed + 1 RLRL RLRLRERL RLRL R RLRLR RRLRLR RRLRLR RRLR L+2+3 4 Le Pens 4 RLRLR L RLRLR L RLERLR L RLRLR Nag24n LESSON 5 Here are two pieces utilizing all the material thus far. The counting is now left to the student. Dynamics (f- p etc.) are introduced in this lesson so be sure to observe them. In the second part of this lesson, accents (>) are used. This means give a little extra stress or “accent” on notes so marked (#)). Accents are relative to the dynamic marking. An accent written in a "forte" passage will obviously be louder than an ‘accent in a “piano” section, A. Fur RLR L RL LR R RLR PRLR RLR R R RLR SRLR RL P SR LR RL RL PR L RLR_ erese. Sf 3 Bee By jae 5 =| RLR RRL RL RL LR w/R LOR RL R 492412 LESSON 6 We now begin the study of the eighth rest(%), It has the same time value as the eighth note. ‘Two eighth rests (1 7) equal one quarter rest ( t), and two eighth notes (#9 ) equal a quarter note (4 ). The time signature is common time (@ ). Count 123 4 and where there are eighth notes or eighth rests count 1+2+3+4+. Le 2s 3a 4+ Lets ange Ls 2+ 3444 Le? + 3nge 4. 6 LR LR P+ 2+ 344s 1424 54a ndg241B LESSON 7 ‘This lesson continues with the study of eighth notes and eighth rests. i a Ro L LRL 3. RLRL ROL 14243 4¢ 4. LRLR OL L 1+ 243444 5. RL L LRL Te2e3eae 6 or 8. 1 2+3444 9. RRL RL R L+243 44 RL LR RL Nag24_ “4 LESSON 8 Here are two pieces employingall the previous material, The counting and sticking have purposely been omit You should now be familiar with the correct sticking for the various rhythmic patterns, The new mater! is the one and two bar repeat sign. This symbol 7 means to repeat the preceding measure. This sy | % [means to repeat the preceding two measures, Be sure to observe all the dynamics. agagLESSON 9 4 Lesson 9 is a short piece for percussion ensemble. Snare drum I should play with snares on, while snare drum Ul plays with snares off. Bass drum and cymbals each require one player. For class work, the snare drummers may be evenly divided between the two drum parts (I and Il). However still use only one player for bass drum and one player for cymbals. cym. B.D! Siist bimel p_2nd time cresc. ——= Na9246 . LESSON 10 ‘This lesson introduces 2/4 time. his means that there are two beats in a measure and a quarter note gets ‘one beat. There are justhalf as many beats in 2/4 time as there are in 4/4 time, Of course all note and rest values remain the same. Nag2dLESSON 11 ‘This lesson continues with the study of 2/4 meter. We now introduce repeat signs with first and second endings. This means that the first time the passage is played, play the first ending. When playing it the second time through, omit the first ending and go directly to the second ending. The tie (_—) is when two notes (other than a roll and lis tied note £2) are connected with a curved ling (4_+). The value of the tied note is simply added to the value of the first note. Here is a simple march in 2/4. Observe all repeats and dynamic markings. L Nagag uwi LESSON 12 We now begin the study of 6/8 time. This is known as ternary time, as opposed to the binary meters previously studied. There are six beats ina measure, and an eighth note gets one beat. However a march in 6/8 time! only has twobeats inameasure. This may be accounted for in the following manner: There is a natural accent onthe first and fourth eighth notes of each bar (*), thus breaking down the six beats to two strong beats. St the lesson counting six beats to each measure, but only tap the foot twice to each bar - on the first and 4 eighth notes. eta mim frre SSS SS Ee ~ Ss er rh. 1 Sa ee — 123456 1123456 5 123456 1234569 LESSON 13 This study is a march in 6/8 time. Observe the different dynamics on the repeats, and be sure to take the correct endings. A P Ist time R RLRL oR mf 2nd time Ist end. 2nd end. NagagLESSON 14 ‘This lesson introduces sixteenth notes. They are notated with two flags (e.g-4 9 ) which means that they are iwiee as fast as eighth notes. In time value, two sixteenth notes equal one eighth (49 = o) and four sixtecnth notes equal one quarter (¢¢de = 4). In binary time (2/4, 3/4, 4/4) there are four sixteenth notes to each beat and they are counted as follow: Taiazara ‘The basic patterns for sticking can now be discussed more extensively. As a good string section uses identical bowing, then a good percussion section must use identical sticking. I am absolutely against "free" or "hand to hand" sticking. ‘This type of sticking does not produce uniformity of sound or consistency of attack. For example all five, nine, and thirteen-stroke rolls should be attacked and terminated with the right hand, This does no imply that rolls beginning and ending with the left hand shouldn't be perfected as wellas right hand rolls. It simpl means that the final production of snare-drum sound must be consistent within itself. Regardless of how well matched the hands are, if the same rhythmic figure is played with various stickings it will sound different each time. Below are some basic patterns with sticking: no matter how many times the figure is repeated, th same sticking is used each time. STP] [JJ Jia fli yf +.A TA etait ate Rel git tat "at wt "te Allthe patterns are based on the first group of four sixteenth notes. (The one exception to this ruleis the "ever grouping” discussed in Lesson 3.) This sticking will apply 99%of the time. The remaining 1¢will be problems created by complex rhythmic figures or extremely fast or slow tempos. It will then be up to the player to find a sticking best suited for smooth execution. Lita +ta2 RLRLR R R R 1 2tasta is R RLRL R R Ws R RLR R RLR 1 2ta+ 4. R RLR R RLR 5. 6 RL R RL R Ltw+ta2 4t2 Lta+ 2 1 RLRLR RL RLR L Nag2d2 LESSON 15 This lesson combines sixteenth notes andeighth notes as well as sixteenth rests. Sixteenth rests have the same time value as a sixteenth note. They have two flags and appear as follows: 7. Two sixteenth rests equal one eighth rest (7 ¥ = 7 ). Four sixteenth rests equal a quarter rest (J 792 = ?). Ti+ 2tasta R L RLRL R L RLRL lta¢ta2 + 2. RLRLR L RLRLR L 1oet2 + 3. R RLR L R RLR L 1+ 2tat 4 R L RLR R L RLR Ttayta2 + 2 LRLR L LRLR OL Ltaeta2 + 8 8. 1+ 2ta+ta 10. R L RLR R ob RLR 4924LESSON 16 ‘This lesson is composed of two studies in 2/4 time. Observe the sticking, tap your foot on one and two, an keep a steady tempo. 1 24 Ltare 2+ 14 24 1 +2 NagedLESSON 17 2 This lesson introduces the flam. The term flam deseribes the combination of a grace note and a main note. ‘The mainnote canbe of any duration. e.g. te) # J , but the grace note precedes the main note by a mere fraction of a second. There are right hand (LR) and left hand (*L) flams. Inexecuting the right flam, the main note (R-H.) will start toward the drum before the grace note (L.H.) because of the greater distance to When playinga right hand flam, raise the right hand high but do travel. Nevertheless the grace note ¥ not allow the left hand (or grace " (L.H,) will strike the drum slightly note) to be more than two inches before the main note (R.H.) and will above the drum, be slightly softer than the main note. ‘The reverse applies tothe left hand fam. Practice the study very slowly at first. Observe that the grace note stroke is never allowed to rise more than two inches above the drum. Watch your own hand and arm position, and then make the necessary adjustments: to execute good flams. Right Hand Flam 1 ae VROLR UR OLR GR LR OLR ER oGR GR UR CR OLR OLR OLR Left Hand Flam 2. s fi Leb eh Lo Mh Lh Oh ab OL eb ek ML Ab aL Alternate Flams 3, BES ‘RowL WR 7L oR SL OR LOR ®L UR WLR &L IR Flam Tap in 2/4 4 = 5. 6. CR RL tR FL Flam Tap in 6/8 ” 8. IROL REL OR OL Nag24LESSON 18 ‘This lesson deals with flams and rhythmic patterns. 1. LR ®LUR*L tR LiR 2, z és os LR UR LER CR L tR PL eR eh 3 LR RLR OL LR aL. RL wR 4, IRLR tRL LR RL 5. LR URL tR RLR L iR LR LR &L tR 6. LR PL tR RL R*LtR RL RLRIRLR LR &L iR 1 8, 9, LR PL UR LR 10. LRLRLR L Na92435 LESSON 19 This lesson introduces 3/4 time and the dotted note. In 3/4 time there are three beats in a measure and a quarter note gets one beat. Adot added toa note (4-) inereases the value of the note by one half of its original time value J = 49, J. - JT). Be aware of the different ways of notating the same rhythm. For example in previous lessons this notation was used J 3-J-@ . Now with the use of the dot, the same rhythm is written this way J+@ . Listed below are a few other duplications. 1 §T1,-F 2 FA.TA 3 FFF. FTG a 7 Ay a RLR LRL R LR L RL RU RLR L RLRLURRL R oo LLR LR R LRL 5. 6. P cvesc.26 LESSON 20 We now begin the study of the roll. The roll is the means of producing @ sustained sound on the snare drum, ‘A great deal of time and effort will be required to develop and perfect a smooth roll. There are two types of rolisdescribed.asthe openand closed roll. ‘The open roll is executed with exactly two strokes from each hand, ‘The closed roll is a multiple-bounce roll with a minimum of three strokes to each hand. To develop the correct speed of the roll, we will commence with a metronomie marking of 4 = 120. Once the player has developed a) smooth roll, he will not change the speed of the roll because of changes in tempo. We will begin work on the closed five ‘stroke roll. Strike the first beat and let the natural rebound or vibration of the head provide the Subsequent beats. Use the same wrist and stick motion as used in basic single strokes. (In an open five stroke roll there are five strokes {rom the initial stroke to the concluding stroke e.g. * 4.) As we are developing it 4 “elosea” or multiple-bounce-five-stroke roll, theoretically the sticking shouldappear as follows: # |, However, in the interest of conserving space, 1 have designated two strokes to each hand for the closed roll. ‘At this tempo # = 120, the eighth note equals a five-stroke roll. All rolis are notated with their proper time value plus three extra flags, e.g. P$ J. Play Section A several times to get the hands coordinated to the sixteenth-note pickup. Then practice Section B, "thinking" the sixteenth-note pickup, but allowing the sticks to bounce freely. " RRLLR ORL RRLLR ORL LREL LOR LRL LR LLRRL LOR LLRRL LOR 3. a R RRLLR RRLL R LRL LR Lo LLRRL LLERR L 4 RLR RLR RRLLR RRLLR R LRL LRE GLRRL LLRRL L 5 RELL LoLR LLRR L 6LESSON 21 This lesson is a continuation of the five-stroke roll. Keep the hands relaxed at all times. Maintain an even balance between the right and left hands. When playing the five-stroke roll the interpretation of accent or stress is very important. The section of the roll that falls ona strong beat gets the stress, In Study 1, the ending falls on a strong beat, consequently the ending of the roll gets the additional stress. In Study 3, the attack falls on a strong beat, consequently the attack of the roll gets the additional stress. This addedstress, either onthe attack or ending, gives unique musical variation to the five-stroke roll, N4924.Pm LESSON 22 Here are two solos utilizing the five stroke roll plus all the other material studied thus far. Also we introduce some additional repeat signs. Dal Segno or D.S. means to return to the sign ( %), play to The Fine and stop, Pause - designated by a —. This sign placed over a note or rest means that it is to be held longer than the designated time value, It is also called a “hold” or "fermata." 20 cresc,. ————————_ f° DS. al Fine P cresc.LESSON 23 ‘This lesson deals with the nine-stroke roll. I have omitted the seven-stroke roll temporarily because I want to deal first with rolls that begin and end with the same hands. Practice this study with the metronome set at 4 = 120, Balance the hands so that they both produce the same number of bounces at the same dynamic level. it = R RLRL R RLRL R RRELRRLL R RRLLRRLL RLRLR RLRLR RRLLRRLLR RRLLRRLLR 3 “ 5. “pps veers | 6 TL ERERL RD RRLERRLL & 1h S 8. RLRLR LE RRLLARLLRL Rw R RRLLARLL R R RRLLRRELR R“ LESSON 24 ‘This study includes both five and nine-stroke rolls. Observe the dynamics and maintain a steady tempo. Sf Ist Time p 2nd Timea1 LESSON 25 We now study the seven-stroke, the thirteen-stroke, and the seventeen-stroke roll. ‘The seven-stroke roll begins with the left hand and ends with the right hand. The other two rolls begin and end with the same hand, Observe the chart comparing the time value and sticking for the various rolls. 4-120 RL R LRL R RLRL R RERLRL R R R Chart 13 WwW a7 RL OR LRL R RLRL R RLRLRL BR RLRLRERL | R 7 Stroke Roll LRLR LLRRLLR. RLRLR RLLRRLLR RLRLRLERRLL R LERRLLR LR OL LLRRLL R 13 Stroke Roll R RLRURL & ORRELRRLLRRLL R RLRLRLR RRLLRRLLRRLL R 17 Stroke Roll RLIRUCROCRL RRLORRULRRLEARLL RB 4924fe oSsoN 2 LESSON 26 This lesson employs all the rolls studied thus far. Strive for an even well-balanced roll. Do not let one hand ‘stick out" above the other. Begin each roll with a firm attack, and end it with a clean single stroke equally as firm as the attack. Add as well the whole note roll |8_|# ? =| which is the equivalent of a 33-stroke roll, We have now gotten to the long roll. There is no limit to the possible length of this roll, Practice it for as long ‘as the hands can maintain a smooth even sound, Practice it "forte" as well as “piano.” 4-126 a ° fe N4924.