In approaching snare drumming, there would be many aspects that can correspond to the nature of snare drumming in composition, practice, theory, and technique. For each of these categories, there is a linguistic correspondence loosely tied to each: composition to creative writing, practice to handwriting, theory to syntax and semantics, and technique to the study of phonetics. For my current study of snare drumming, I’ve taken the work of Sanford Moeller who transcribed Civil War snare drummers using motion capture technology and updated both the military technique transcribed and the tools used to capture that motion (Moeller, 1950). From this practice, I began to see the structure of snare drumming rudiments from a quasi-grammatical view point from the data sets themselves.
While this information isn’t new by any means, the use of the motion capture data reinforces the idea of grammatical nature of snare drumming: snare drumming music is comprised of rudiments; rudiments are comprised of basic strokes; basic strokes are comprised of positions arranged in a different temporal order. As seen in Grammar of Snare Drumming, all rudiments described in the grammaticization of snare drumming are composed of the same strokes in different temporal arrangements: Full, Down, Up, Tap, and Buzz Strokes. At the same time, all of the basic strokes are composed of the same positions of the arm with variations in temporal sequencing: rest, up, down, and tap position (Snare Grammar). In addition to viewing the compositional components of snare drumming as grammar, it is important to understand the history of the snare drum in order to have an ear for composing for snare drum (History of Snare).
In order to fully understand this coupling of structural linguistics and the practice of composing for snare drum, a process of technical analysis must take place like that in a linguistic environment. This coupling yields to an application of phonetics, study of speech sound, to that of motion capture studies for snare drumming. As seen in the data, the recursive nature of the buzz stroke allows for the mapping of positions for snare drumming (Analysis of Buzz Stroke). This data shows the results of a daily scalar practice, although the scales in this case are rudiments; as the snare drum can only produce one note. As this linguistic approach to the composition of snare drumming begins to take shape, there is still the concept of both improvisation and motivic development. For both motivic development and improvisation to occur, the snare drummer must be able to articulate all of the available 40 rudiments in different rhythmic orchestrations. To start, the snare drummer should be able to orchestrate all of the basic strokes in different polyrhythmic patterns as seen below.
Once the snare drummer is able to perform these different basic stroke orchestrations, then the hands (and more importantly, the ear) is tuned to produce previously written snare drum music or novel music (Snare Works). This practice connects the technical analysis of snare drumming (grammar of snare drumming) to the development of snare drumming technique (the ear for snare drumming). The mastery of this process is the beginning of the path for motivic development on the snare drum using snare drum rudiments. As seen in both 6/8 melodies and Swiss Army Swing Band, the amount of separation needed between both limbs is based on the practice of the aforementioned path to mastery. These pieces, 6/8 Melodies and Swiss Army Swing Band, are the resultant integrated practice of the following: motion capture studies; polyrhythmic development of the two hands; and the application of the tradition of American Rudimental Snare Drumming via the Marine Corps Band.
Works Cited
Moeller, S. A. (1950). The Art of Snare Drumming. Leedy and Ludwig.