With marching-band season kicking into full gear and the school year right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to brush up on your concert-percussion knowledge with our comprehensive buying guide! From snare drums to timpani, mallet instruments, educational kits, and more, follow our guide for all the info needed to outfit you and your ensemble with incredible instruments for exceptional performances.
- Snare Drum
- Timpani
- Marimba
- Vibraphone
- Xylophone
- Educational Kits
- Tambourine
- Concert Percussion Rental: Why and How to Rent a Concert Percussion
Snare Drum
Shell Material
When it comes to the sonic qualities of a concert snare drum, the first thing to consider is shell material. Generally, there are two broad classifications of shell material: wood and metal. Wood shells come from several species that offer unique tonal benefits while influencing response, depth, and projection. Maple delivers an incredibly balanced and responsive sound, making it an excellent material when you need a solid go-to snare fit for any performance hall or piece that comes your way. Birch is another fantastic option for an all-around snare, being brighter than maple with enhanced focus and a crisp sound. For articulate passages and any occasion that calls for a big, booming snare sound, turn to walnut for all your needs, as it’s denser than other shell woods and slightly darker in tone. African mahogany operates in much the same way with each stroke coming through clear and full even in the loudest of passages.
Thanks to their incredible cut, metal snare shells are often seen in orchestral performances and other large ensemble settings. As for the sound? With several different materials to choose from, metal snares offer diverse sonic options and a variety that rivals wood snares. Brass delivers a warm low end with sprightly highs, while copper possesses a throatier sound with dark overtones. For bold and brash snare parts, the biting, aggressive sound of a steel snare is a no-brainer, while aluminum offers great sensitivity and fullness in the low end.
Diameter, Depth, and Thickness
Once you decide on shell material, the next considerations are diameter, depth, and thickness.
- Diameter directly influences drum pitch; smaller diameters produce higher notes, and larger diameters, lower notes. Pieces in your repertoire may call for a higher or lower pitch range, pointing you in a specific direction for diameter.
- Speed and responsiveness are greatly influenced by shell depth; deeper shells are tailor-made for loud, full-sounding passages, whereas a shallower drum responds beautifully to soft, articulate playing.
- Diameter and depth often help determine the thickness of the shell, as larger drums genuinely have thicker shells and vice versa. Resonance, response, and even pitch is affected by shell thickness. Thicker shells deliver bigger, deeper tones, and thinner shells produce a brighter, softer sound.
Hoop
An oft-overlooked aspect of snare-drum construction is the hoop, which can change the fundamental sound of your shell, depending on material and style. The most common hoop style found adorning concert snares is the triple-flanged hoop. Triple-flanged hoops are inexpensive and possess consistent characteristics for wide compatibility with snares and tom drums. Higher-priced drums sometimes feature die-cast hoops, which are sturdier than the triple-flanged alternative with a focused, clear sound. Professional performers will sometimes turn to wood or single-flanged hoops for their distinctly warm sound and long-lasting resonance, respectively, while also giving the drum a vintage, one-of-a-kind look.
Snare Wires
Performance venue, dynamics, volume, player proficiency — all these and more come into consideration when choosing the perfect snare wires for your drum. Curly wires are the most common option for snares, ideal for general use due to their abundance and affordability. That said, curly wires generally lack clarity in very loud and very soft passages, making them less effective in certain pieces. Cables offer a wider variety of sounds and frequency ranges with many different sizes and coatings available to find the perfect fit for your needs. Professional players often turn to cables for their enhanced sensitivity and clarity, the perfect pairing for a proficient drummer who needs each note to come through articulately and with absolute clarity. Group cables together in a multi-strainer system, and that’s when the real magic happens.
Snare-drum strainers come in single, triple, quadruple, and quintuple options with each system offering different levels of response and customization options. Though the simplest and most straightforward to operate, a single strainer offers the least variety as far as adjustments are concerned. Upgrade to a triple, quadruple, or quintuple strainer system, and you can mix and match cable materials to taste when dialing in the exact sound and response you seek.
Timpani
Bowl Material
Much like a concert snare drum, the tonal quality and character of a timpano is mostly defined by its “shell” or, in this case, bowl. Copper bowls are the most common and revered material with smooth and hand-hammered options that offer full-bodied sonic warmth and excellent response. That said, the weight of copper timpani makes them a nightmare to travel with. Gigging musicians and students who travel with their gear often choose fiberglass bowls for their timpani, improving portability and ease of use with only a slight decrease in resonance and overtones. Aluminum bowls offer the best of both worlds, being lighter than copper yet warmer and slightly more responsive than fiberglass.
Collars
Timpani collars are available in three different sizes — short, regular, and extended — each altering the drum’s clarity, durability, and resonance. Regular collars commonly adorn the timpani in schools and band rooms, thanks to their excellent durability, tonal clarity, and consistency in sizing. Though not as durable, extended collars place less stress on the head for a more resonant, open sound, making them an excellent choice for professionals and discerning students. Short collars are the least common among today’s timpani, being generally reserved for antique drums and lacking in the response and resonance of regular and extended collars.
Pedals
If you’re just starting out on your timpani-playing endeavors, then, odds are, a balanced-action pedal is ideal for your needs. Due to their ease of use and even feel, balanced-action pedals are found in school timpani sets and are a great match for casual or novice players. Ready to step up to the big leagues? Professional timpanists utilize clutch pedals for their incredible accuracy and pitch-locking function with fine-tuner handles to tweak pitch to perfection.
Pitch Range
The chart below, taken from the Percussive Arts Society website, illustrates the pitch range of timpani according to differently sized drums. Timpani are often sold in sets of two, four, and five, and, when choosing your timpani set, it’s critical to ensure all necessary pitches can be achieved.
Marimba
Before diving into the specifics of construction, the first thing to consider when purchasing a marimba is the size. Common ranges for marimbas are 4.3 octaves, 4.5 octaves, and 5 octaves with 4-, 4.6-, and 5.5-octave marimbas also available, depending on manufacturer. Modern marimba music is mostly written for a 5-octave marimba, while the majority of beginner/intermediate music resides in the 4.3 to 4.6 octave range. Beyond note range, size can play a large factor in which marimba you choose. Generally, the larger the octave range, the larger the marimba, and areas where the instrument will be played and stored may not allow a larger model to be used.
Material
The sound of a marimba is largely dictated by the material of its bars, as different woods and synthetic materials possess unique tonal qualities and characteristics. Due to its luscious warmth, note clarity, and even response, rosewood is a highly sought-after wood for marimba bars. Padauk offers a similar sound with less warmth and resonance, and it’s great for student keyboards and anyone looking for a budget-friendly substitute for rosewood. Marimbas used in educational and marching settings commonly employ synthetic bars, delivering sonic brightness and resonance with enhanced durability. While rosewood and padauk deliver pro-quality results, these bars are more susceptible to weather and humidity changes and may not be fit for all performance settings.
Bar Sizing
Save for a few distinct models, the most common bar sizing in today’s marimbas is graduated sizing. In graduated sizing, the bars’ width increases as the pitch lowers, so larger bars resonate more than smaller ones. Non-graduated bars are identical in width across the entire keyboard. These are common in student instruments, thanks to their smaller size, yet are much less resonant than graduated bars.
Resonators
Not only do resonators amplify a marimba for all to hear, but their size and shape can completely alter the instrument’s sound as they amplify the bar material. Straight resonators are most common with angled, curved, and tunable options available for many 5-octave professional keyboards. Some manufacturers even offer resonators with color variations to fit whatever aesthetic you’re going for.
Frames
Frames come in many shapes and sizes with most catered to different contexts and manners of performance. Studio frames are lightweight, portable, and simple to set up, making them ideal for practice keyboards and at-home use. Concert frames offer similar performance with additional visual elegance to make them appropriate for the concert hall. For the marimbist on the go, collapsible frames are the tool of choice; these frames are easily packable and minimize setup and takedown times. If sturdiness is what you’re after, then field frames offer a high level of durability and extended versatility in the form of accessory-mounting capabilities, making them a perfect fit for front-ensemble work in marching settings.
Vibraphone
Much like the marimba, the size of a vibraphone is of paramount importance when you need to play certain pieces. Most vibraphone music is written for 3-octave models, yet advanced pieces sometimes require a 3.5- or 4-octave vibraphone. The octave range directly correlates to overall instrument size; 4-octave models require a significantly larger space for performance and storage.
Bar Color
Vibraphones often come with gold or silver bars. Brands like Musser switch it up with black bars, and other manufacturers like Malletech and Majestic offer custom color options. This is primarily a cosmetic decision and has very little influence on the instrument’s sound or performance, though some players cite gold bars as offering a slight difference in tonal warmth.
Graduated vs. Non-graduated Bars
Considering that graduated bars are an industry standard, most vibraphones come with this sizing. Non-graduated bars often exist for smaller, low-cost instruments. Studio, concert, collapsible, and field frames are also available for vibraphones, allowing you to find the setup that meets all your needs.
Resonators
While similar in appearance, the resonators of a vibraphone are unique compared to other instruments. Vibraphones commonly used in jazz, combo, and some chamber settings feature a motor attached to baffles within the resonators. When engaged, the baffles spin at varying speeds to create a vibrato effect. Vibraphones used in marching settings often forgo this feature, instead focusing on streamlined performance.
Xylophone
Rounding out our keyboards is the xylophone, commonly found in 4.3-, 4.6-, and 5.0-octave options and available with as small a range as 2.5 octaves. As with the marimba, the bars of a xylophone define its overall sound. Rosewood produces the clearest and fullest sound possible; padauk delivers organic warmth; and synthetic options provide a low-cost alternative that doesn’t shift or change with the weather. Student models often employ synthetic bars, which stand up to use both indoors and out on the field.
Bars often come in non-graduated sizing for enhanced articulation and a more focused sound with shorter, straight resonators to amplify your playing and with the same variety of frame styles found for marimbas and vibraphones.
Educational Kits
Burgeoning concert percussionists in need of a good place to start can look toward Sweetwater’s educational kit offerings for all their needs. These kits often include a mallet instrument, a snare drum or drum pad, a music stand, sticks, mallets, and a carrying case for safe and easy storage. Though bell kits, snare kits, and combo kits exist, many school music programs make the choice easy by indicating a specific kit to purchase. Intermediate players have an awesome option in xylophone kits, being larger than the standard bell kit with enhanced functionality and a better overall sound. Bell-kit bars are non-graduated and utilize a steel alloy to deliver a very bright and articulate sound, and padauk bars in the xylophones deliver a warmer tone with less resonance.
Depending on the educational kit, hardware can come in different variations. Single combo stands are designed to hold either a bell kit or a drum pad, and some kits include separate stands for each to easily jump between the two instruments. More than likely, whatever hardware is included with your kit will be collapsible, making it easy to store in the included carrying or rolling case.
Tambourine
Considering the incredible diversity in size, style, and materials used in production, professional percussionists will often stock their accessory box with several tambourines to meet any composition’s needs. Each tambourine comes with its own sound and texture, which is influenced by the size of the tambourine itself. The two most common sizes are 10 inches and 12 inches. The smaller version delivers a brighter sound with a shorter, drier sustain, and the larger offers a fuller, lower-pitched sound. Double-row 10-inch tambourines are most common, delivering that classic chime and balance between the jingles and drumhead resonance.
Head Material
The head material of a tambourine acts in much the same way as any drumhead with calf being the most sought-after material and synthetic alternatives delivering similar performance at lower prices. Calf heads bring out the warmest sound but are incredibly susceptible to temperature and climate changes with pulls and tears possible when improperly stored or transported. Synthetic heads withstand the elements much better than calf at the cost of a slight decrease in warmth and depth.
Jingles
The jingles themselves are also something to consider when purchasing your tambourine. Concert tambourines commonly feature either a double row or a single row of jingles with your choice of beryllium copper, phosphor bronze, German silver, or chromium jingles to match the sound you seek. Beryllium copper and phosphor bronze jingles offer the lowest pitch while maximizing sustain. German silver is a great option when you need a bright, leaping sound, and chromium offers a similar brightness with a much drier sustain.
Shell Material
Last, the shell material of a tambourine can greatly affect its overall sound, much like any drum. Solid ash is the most common shell material due to its full sound and response; cherry offers a lighter, less dense option. Maple ply is the most cost-effective shell material, supplying a drier sound with excellent response.
Concert Percussion Rental: Why and How to Rent a Concert Percussion
If you’re considering playing concert percussion such as snare, xylophone, or bells, you have two main choices: renting or buying. If you or your child have put in a significant amount of effort to master the instrument, purchasing one would be a wise decision. Having your own percussion instrument can be very rewarding.
On the other hand, if you or your child are still undecided about playing concert percussion and haven’t fully committed yet, renting may be a better option. Renting allows you to try out concert percussion without a significant financial commitment. The Sweetwater Instrument Rental program makes it easy and hassle-free to rent a concert percussion. Read on for more information!
Why Rent Concert Percussion from Sweetwater?
You can be confident that when you rent a concert percussion instrument from Sweetwater, you’ll get the best instrument possible. Our collaboration with music educators throughout the country ensures that we provide the exact instruments they need in their classrooms. All the concert percussion instruments we offer have been recommended by these educators and come from top-notch brands like Yamaha, Pearl, Musser, Mapex, Majestic, and others.
In addition, Sweetwater’s 40-point Inspection process for instruments ensures that the instrument you receive will be ready to play right away. Your student will get a high-quality instrument that promotes learning, produces excellent sound, and lasts for many years. The best part is that there are no hidden fees, and all of your rental payments go towards owning the instrument. Once you finish your payments, the instrument is yours to keep.
How to Rent a Concert Percussion from Sweetwater
Renting a concert percussion isntrument for a low monthly fee from Sweetwater is a breeze. To get started, simply head over to the Sweetwater Instrument Rental page and click the “Rent Now” button. From there, fill out the form by selecting your state, school district, and your child’s school. You can then choose a concert percussion instrument from a list pre-approved by your child’s music teacher.
After submitting the form, your instrument will be delivered to your doorstep within a few days. This straightforward and hassle-free process can be easily managed from the comfort of your own home, eliminating the need to wait in line or visit another store.
Concert Percussion Rental Repairs
If you’re worried about your rented concert percussion instrument getting damaged and needing repairs, Sweetwater has a solution. Our Instrument Protection Plan offers a quick and convenient way to swap out your instrument whenever needed, all for a small monthly fee.
Should any issues arise, simply notify us and we’ll dispatch a replacement instrument on the same day. To return the damaged instrument, we provide a complimentary shipping label for your convenience. Once the replacement arrives, you can resume your rental period without any interruption. This fast and straightforward process eliminates the need for extended downtime, giving you or your student more time to play and practice!
Concert Percussion Rental Returns & Exchanges
If your child loses interest in playing concert percussion, don’t worry. With Sweetwater’s rental program, you’re not tied to any long-term commitments. You can return the instrument to us at any time, no questions asked, and your monthly payments will stop.
On the other hand, if your student is excelling with their snare drum, xylophone, or bells and wants to upgrade, it’s a breeze! All of your rental payments can be applied towards another instrument at Sweetwater, allowing for an easy swap to a more advanced model. The equity stays with you, not the instrument!
Even if your student wants to try a different instrument, such as a clarinet or cello, it’s just as simple. Sweetwater can help you exchange your current rental for a completely different instrument while retaining the equity you’ve built up!
Time to Embark on Your Percussion Adventures!
Knowing where to begin your journey is half the battle. With this guide in hand, you may have all the information you need to purchase that next snare drum, timpani kit, or mallet instrument with confidence. If you still have questions (understandably), then be sure to give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700 — they’re ready and waiting to make all your percussion dreams a reality!