Snare Drum

In this paper, a physics-based model for a snare drum will be discussed, along with its finite difference simulation. The interactions between a mallet and the membrane and between the snares and the membrane will be described as perfectly elastic collisions. A novel numerical scheme for the implementation of collisions will be presented, which allows a complete energy analysis for the whole system. Viscothermal losses will be added to the equation for the 3D wave propagation. Results from simulations and sound examples will be presented.

Collisions play an important role in musical acoustics. Extensive study has already been performed on this subject for a number of systems, with notable examples being the hammer-string collision in the piano, and the mallet- membrane collision relevant in drums.
This paper uses experiments and modelling to investigate collisions in the snare drum. This is an interesting percussion instrument, as two collision mechanisms feature prominently. Initial excitation usually results from collision between a striker, such as a mallet, and the upper (‘batter’) membrane. Ensuing membrane and cavity vibrations then give rise to secondary collisions between the lower membrane and a number of metal wires (‘snares’) that are tensioned across it. These collisions are crucial for the sound qualities of the snare drum, and so a proper understanding of their nature is essential for accurate sound synthesis models.
In this preliminary paper, a simplified experimental setup will be studied, consisting of a drumskin with a single snare stretched across it. The system can be excited either by plucking the string, or by striking the membrane with a mallet. A setup involving a high speed camera and a laser vibrometer will allow the motion of the snare and membrane to be captured.
Experimental results will be used in comparison with a novel numerical model that describes both the mallet-membrane and string-membrane collisions. The interactions are described by a non-linear force expressed in terms of a power law, similar to one used in the past for modelling the hammer-string collision in pianos.

The composition, assembly, execution and listening of a work for snare drum solo, are tasks that are not easy at all; due to the nature of the instrument and its apparent lack of technical, sound and expressive possibilities, composers of the last centuries have created, from the traditional interpretive resources developed through the centuries (as called rudiments), a new language that expands the horizons of normal execution until they become virtually infinite, resulting in a number of new resources that are unconventional forms of execution. The diversity of these resources is very wide and each composer has his particular way of writing, each according to their creativity, composition technique, aesthetic perception, inspiration and capacity for experimentation. Musical limitations that could be labeled the  snare drum at first, fade to study in depth six pieces of great composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, where the huge number of techniques, sound and expressive possibilities of the instrument are exposed.

I c o n g r e s s o b r a s i l e i r o d e p e r c u s s ã o – u n i c a m p 2 0 1 7 QUESTÕES METODOLÓGICAS DO ESTUDO DO SAMBA NA BATERIA: reflexões sobre práticas comuns de ensino e paradigmas reproduzidos pela literatura de bateria e percussão no Brasil. Resumo: A partir de quatro aspectos estruturais – textura, acentuação, ritmo e fraseado – o trabalho propõe uma reflexão sobre como alguns hábitos de ensino e conceitos propostos pela literatura podem ser falhos na compreensão dos aspectos idiomáticos do samba. O trabalho utiliza como referência os trabalhos de Stanyek e Oliveira (2012) e Oliveira Pinto (2001) e, a partir deste referencial, conclui propondo alguns pontos a serem considerados em futuras publicações.

Palavras-Chave: ritmos brasileiros; samba; métodos de bateria; percussão; bateria.

METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SAMBA STUDY IN THE DRUM SET: reflections on common teaching practices and paradigms reproduced by drum and percussion literature in Brazil. Abstract: This paper considers four structural aspects – texture, accentuation, rhythm and phrasing – to propose a reflection about how the literature can fail when address the interpretation of samba. This work uses as references Stanyek and Oliveira (2012) e Oliveira Pinto (2001). Finally, it concludes suggesting some points to be noted by future publications. Introdução No início da minha formação musical notei que não havia métodos 1 sobre música brasileira tão bem estruturados como eram os métodos sobre rudimentos, estudos de caixa e jazz para a bateria. Essa brecha não existia só no campo das publicações, mas também nas salas de aula, onde o professor pedia aos alunos que tocassem um padrão de samba ou baião nos pés enquanto executavam um solo marcial na caixa. Embora este estudo seja interessante do ponto de vista da coordenação e tenha contribuído para a formação de bons bateristas nas décadas anteriores, é preciso reconhecer que é problemático do ponto de vista interpretativo e idiomático.