The current model of rudimental snare drumming was developed in Switzerland in the 16th century (USMC, 1935). The practice of fife and drumming continued through employment of Swiss troops by the British, and came over to the Colonies by the time of the Revolutionary War (USMC, 1935). The practice of rudimental drumming began to fade out of a military field and into a military camp practice by the time of the First World War (USMC, 1935). However, the Civil War marked the last war drummer boys were used in the battlefield (USMC, 1935).
After the military need for drummers and fifers ended, the American Legion developed groups for drummers, fifers, and trumpeters; to gather and perform the art form of military music (USMC, 1935). In addition to the privatization of rudimental snare drumming practices, the popularity of snare drumming increased, and survived, through the World Wars and the depression. This led to the popularization of rudimental snare drumming as a competition instead of a field practice (Mazur, 2005). Documentation surrounding rudimental drumming had been limited prior to Sanford Moeller’s publication in 1925. This book detailed many of the rudiments used by the Civil War drummer boys as well as the basic components of the rudiments, which are called basic strokes (Moeller, 1925).
The Moeller book was a catalogue of a specific technique as well as a pedagogical tool for the snare drummer. The Moeller book allowed for drummers to approach this cataloging of Civil War snare drumming technique from home. In a sense, the Moeller Book operated as one of the first motion capture (via photography) self-instruction manuals in any artistic field (Moeller, 1925). The Moeller Book provided frame by frame analysis of basic strokes and rudiments. Prior to Sanford Moeller, percussionists like Henry Bower provided technical assistance through prose and music notation (Bower, 1912). However, there were no sequential frames to reference, only still images with a key to sort through (Bower, 1912). While helpful, the Bower system of pedagogy wasn’t as detailed as Sanford Moeller’s. This method of expressing snare drumming technique changed with the invention of the motion camera and resulting video tape and DVD technologies. While there were many products between 1925 and the current day, Jojo Mayer’s 2007 DVD built upon the Moeller Book’s style of slow-motion and motion capture analysis of drumming via the camera (Mayer, 2007).
Works Cited
Bower, Harry A. (1912). The Bower System for Percussion. New York: Carl Fischer, 1912. Print.
Mayer, Jojo. (2007). Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer: A Guide to Hand Technique. S.l.: Hudson Ltd, 2007. DVD
Mazur, K. (2005). "The Perfectionists the History of Rudimental Snare Drumming from Military Code to Field Competition." Percussive Notes. 43.2 (2005): 10-23. Print.
Moeller, Sanford A. (1925) The Moeller book: the art of snare drumming. Ludwig Drum Co,1925. Print
USMC. (1935). Manual for Drummers, Trumpeters Und Fifers, U.S. Marine Corps, 1935. Washington, 1935. Print.