In choosing the right snare drums for your drum kit, first, you have to determine what genre of music you will be playing to. There are different types of snare drums that produce different types of sounds. The right sound will depend on your taste and preference, and mostly, in the style of music that you are playing; there’s jazz snare drums, rock snare drums, metal snare drums, punk snare drums, and funk snare drums.

• Jazz snare drums Jazz snare drums are made of wood or brass and are usually played with brushes, not sticks. They have light to moderate drumhead texture that reduce muffling, and measure six inches deep and 14 inches wide.

• Rock snare drums Rock snare drums are typically made of stainless steel to produce louder sound that can be heard over electric guitars. They measure 14 inches wide and 5.5 to eight inches deep. They have drumheads that are heavy coated that for slight muffling.

• Metal snare drums Metal snare drums are usually made of brass, bronze, aluminum, or synthetic material such as carbon fiber and acrylic. They produce a higher volume and a brighter timbre than the other snare drums. They measure 13 to 15 inches wide, with a depth of eight inches. Smaller versions are also available, and are usually termed as power piccolos.

• Punk snare drums Punk snare drums are as loud as hi-hat cymbals. They are available in different tuning types and drumheads, and can often be easily configured. They measure 15 inches wide and 5.5 to six inches deep.

• Funk snare drums Funk snare drums have a distinctive stressed and highly accented sound. They are tightly tuned to produce a high crack while maintaining a full-bodied sound. Funk snare drums measure 13 to 14 inches wide and are available in various depths.