Guitar Technique Tip of the Month
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One of the most fun percussion effects almost anyone (including beginners) can produce on the guitar, classical or otherwise, is the snare drum effect. It is a real showstopper and non-guitarists especially, will be in awe of you! You will rule.
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Classical Guitar Technique
THE SNARE DRUM EFFECT, Part 2 of 2
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt. All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
EXAMPLES IN THE REPERTOIRE
I am going to go through examples I have found in the classical guitar repertoire to show you the various ways the effect is used and how it is notated by different composers and guitarists.
Gran Jota de Concierto (Francisco Tárrega)
The quintessential example of the snare effect is of course the Gran Jota de Concierto by Francisco Tárrega. Here is the snare passage as notated in the Complete Early Spanish Editions (in reprints of the originals) published by Chanterelle and distributed by Mel Bay Publications. I have added the tab. By the way, note the title.
The Notation
The snare effect is denoted by the word “Tambor” with a footnote that says, “In order to do the tambor, cross the 6th and 5th string at the 9th fret.”
As a notation geek, it is interesting to me that the stars Tárrega uses for the snare hits are written on the note G above the staff when the snare is played alone, but written as the note F in space one of the staff when the melody is present above it. Others, myself included, would have placed all the stars on the F note space throughout to indicate it is the same exact effect throughout the passage. As you will see in some of the following examples, sometimes two or three snares (or other effects) could be present, with each instrument assigned to a different staff location for clarity. Indeed, in a later edition by Ediciones Musicales Madrid, all the snare hits are notated with symbols as D’s below the staff, with the stems all pointing downward. I have added the tab.
The Fingering
The only right-hand fingering is an “imi” at the end of the melody section. The “p’s” at the beginning of the melody look like the symbol for “piano” meaning to play softly. However, Tárrega may have meant the “p’s” to indicate the use of the thumb, but the printer/publisher mistook them as “piano” markings. I don’t think there is any way to know for certain. That confusion occurred frequently in the past and continues to happen today.
Incidentally, I corrected the wrong note at the end of the first phrase of the melody. The note was printed as a B. However, the score shows a “2” by the B indicating that it should be played with the 2nd finger—which is impossible in its context. It is clearly supposed to be an A played by the 2nd finger.
The left-hand fingering assumes (although it is not indicated) a bar at the 9th fret. Everything falls neatly into position. However, I and other guitarists find it rather difficult to get a clear 3rd-string E and hold the snare at the same time.
Here are a few alternate fingerings for the passage:
Mosaico Española or Fantasia Española (arr. By Jorge Morel)
Jorge Morel put together a medley or mosaic of popular Spanish melodies and recorded it as Mosaico Española on his 1960’s LP, The Warm Guitar. He includes his version of the snare drum passage from Tárrega’s Gran Jota.
Have a listen:
The most striking thing to note here is that Morel chose to do the snare drum at the 8th fret instead of the 9th as Tárrega did. I think it makes the melody much easier to play. He also changed a couple notes of the melody along the way.
Fantasy for Solo Guitar, Op. 107 (Malcolm Arnold)
Malcolm Arnold uses the snare drum effect in the March of his Fantasy for Solo Guitar, Op. 107. The March is the sixth of seven movements of the piece. As I mentioned earlier, there is a slight challenge in transitioning from the previous movement (Arietta) smoothly into this March. I have included the ending bars of the Arietta to illustrate the problem.
The Arietta ends with quiet harmonics and an open E. The drum effect must be carefully and quietly prepared for the March that follows. This is a good example of a spot where the aforementioned Method #2 of execution works well.
Example #7 (end of the Arietta):
Example #8:
Watch guitarist Sean Shibe perform the segment (Video #9):
The Notation
At the end of the Arietta we are instructed to “prepare for Snare Drum effect” and the beginning of the March indicates “Snare Drum”. But no instructions are given anywhere in the score for how to do the effect. Fortunately, once the melody and accompaniment parts enter, it is fairly obvious the snare must be played at the 6th fret on the 5th and 6th strings. Other than that, the notation is clear and consistent.
Tin Soldiers (more accurately translated as Playing Soldiers) from The Prince’s Toys (Nikita Koshkin)
This may be the second most well-known use of the snare drum effect in the classical guitar repertoire. This is the fourth movement of Koshkin’s masterwork. Its use of the effect is more varied than other works. Noted as a “tamburo militare”, it begins the movement and is played on the 1st and 2nd strings. Rather than staying stationary at one fret, the snare is played at various frets as a melody. The effect simultaneously mimics a toy drum and toy trumpet.
Example #9:
Watch Vladimir Mikulka perform the opening (Video #10):
As the piece develops, the toy soldiers become more real, and the drum effects become more real as well.
Example #10:
Watch Vladimir Mikulka perform the passage (Video #11):
The piece concludes with a variation of the toy drum snare effect heard at the beginning.
Example #11:
Watch Vladimir Mikulka perform the passage (Video #12):
The Notation
Koshkin is very clear and consistent in his notation. He indicates the snare as a “Tamburo militare”. He clearly indicates what strings are to be crossed and even indicates right hand fingerings for rolled effects. He uses the letter z for the right-hand 4th or pinky finger. However, in example #10 line 2, the notation is very confusing. A “CVII” is placed above the staff but does not indicate a bar. The snare is at the 7th fret held by the 2nd finger.
Beat! Beat! Drums! from A Procession Winding Around Me (Jeffrey Van)
This striking work by guitarist Jeffrey Van was written for mixed choir and guitar. It uses several percussion effects including the snare to capture the “drums of war”. Using four Civil War poems by American poet Walt Whitman, the work’s remarkable cohesion of text, guitar, and voices captures the richness and depth of the American Civil War experience.
The snare effect is used in the 2nd movement titled, Beat! Beat! Drums!
Example #12:
Listen to a performance of this section (choir and guitarist unknown):
The Notation
The notation is clear and consistent, though no suggested right-hand fingering is provided. The guitar part includes a page of “Guitar Notation Symbols”. Listed is the “Snare Drum Effect (cross the 5th and 6th strings and hold at the sixth fret; strike both strings simultaneously).”
El Berimbau (Baden Powell) arranged by Argentine guitarist, Cacho Tirao
For those who may not be familiar with him, Wikipedia tells us “Baden Powell was one of the most prominent and celebrated Brazilian guitarists and guitar composers of his time. He explored the instrument to its utmost limits, playing it in a distinctive, unique manner, incorporating virtuoso classical techniques together with popular harmony and swing.”
After the introduction, this very unusual arrangement uses three snare drum effects simultaneously to imitate another percussion instrument, the berimbau. Wikipedia tells us, the berimbau “is a single-string percussion instrument, a musical bow, from Brazil. The instrument is known for being the subject matter of a popular song by Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell, with lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes.”
Example #13:
Watch the arranger, Argentine guitarist Cacho Tirao perform the percussion excerpt (Video #13):
I found it interesting that he doesn’t hold the string pairs with the tips of his fingers but instead lays them fairly flat. Note that he uses the thumb rest stroke with all flesh.
The Notation
I was only able to find the handwritten manuscript shown above. I don’t know who wrote the manuscript. It could have been the arranger, Cacho Tirao, or someone else. At any rate, the notation is clear and consistent. Each of the three snares is placed at separate and consistent locations on the staff. The string crossings are clearly indicated before the snare section begins.
Flamenco
Let’s end where it all probably began—flamenco. Here is the great Sabicas performing the snare drum passage from Sitio de Zaragoza (Video #14):
PDFs and Video Downloads
We provide this Technique Tip in several formats to make it easier to read on your devices.
1. The PDF with embedded videos will not play well unless you download and save it to your device first. It may not work properly on all devices.
Download The Snare Drum Effect, Part 2 with Embedded Videos.
2. You may also download a PDF version without embedded videos (video links only). You can also download the videos from the links.
Download Snare Drum Effect, Part 2 of 2 Without Embedded Videos (Video Links Only)
Note: You must have Adobe Reader 10 or later installed on your computer to play the videos contained in the PDF with embedded videos. Download Adobe Reader here.