Three types of snare sounds

Dana McKeon
Dana McKeon

Lesson time: (3min 58sec)

Dana explains how to make three types of snares: the rimshot, the PF hip-hop snare, and the inward "K" snare.

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This lesson is part of the course Learn the Fundamentals of Beatboxing
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Lesson transcript:

Snare Sounds in Beatboxing

Hey, guys, how are you doing? Hope you've been practicing because now we're going to move on to the snare.

The Snare Sound

The snare sound is that really sharp and cutting sound you hear in a beat. Sounds like this:

  • There are so many different types of snares that you can use in beatboxing.
  • What you've just heard is a bit more advanced , it's my favorite kind of snare.

Before we get into that, we're going to go through some simpler ones.

Rim Shot

First up, we're going to look at the rim shot.

  • You create this noise, usually in a drum kit, by hitting your drumstick against the rim of a drum.
  • It sounds like this:

Some people also call it the hand clap because it can kind of sound like a hand clap.

How to Create the Rim Shot Sound

  • Focus on the side of your mouth.
  • Keep your teeth tight.
  • Flick your tongue against them.

You can do it on either side or both sides together.

  • On the right, it sounds like: [Insert sound]
  • On my left, it's: [Insert sound]
  • And together, it sounds like: [Insert sound]

The more you practice, the more definition you'll get and the more similar to a rim shot it'll sound.

PF Snare

Once you've practiced this a bit, then you can move on to the PF snare, which is commonly used in hip hop.

Creating the PF Snare Sound

You can create sounds like this:

  • Tighten the outside of your lips, pursing them together like this.
  • As opposed to the kick drum, where you pushed the insides of your lips together, you're doing it on the outside.
  • Finish the sound off with an "F."

You can lengthen or shorten the F sound as much as you want, depending on how crisp you want it to sound.

Important Tips

  • Release air as quickly as you can, just expel it.
  • Take a deep breath in and go: pff, pff, pff.

Hear the difference between a kick drum and a PF sound, it's very clear.

Work on that definition to ensure that the sounds are distinct. That's how you can create dynamics within your beat patterns.

Inward K Snare

Now, we're going to take a look at my favorite snare, which is the inward K snare.

It sounds like this:

  • It's one of the most powerful snare sounds.

How to Create the Inward K Snare Sound

What you do is:

  1. Take a deep breath in like this.
  2. You'll create a "sh" sound while breathing in.
  3. Then create the "K" sound at the back of your throat. It sounds like: [Insert sound].

Practice Tips

It might take a while to get used to this and to make it more crisp. So just practice by going slowly at first, then making it as short as you can.

  • Breathe out.
  • Then: [Insert sound].

The more you practice, the stronger your muscles get and the more powerful sound you can create.

Eventually, you can be making beats like this out of the snares we've gone through.

Conclusion

Practice them all and then maybe pick your favorite to focus on, incorporating it into different beats, which I'll show you in the next lesson.

About the instructor

Dana McKeon
Dana McKeon

Dana McKeon is a top-ranking beatboxer, recording and performing artist, songwriter and guitarist. She is Malta's international beatbox pioneer and the island's official representative at the Beatbox World Championships, where she secured her spot in the Worldwide Top 5 (Solo Female Category) during her very first competition. Dana also holds two Female Vice-Champion titles from the UK Beatbox Championships. A versatile touring artist, Dana has owned the stage at a plethora of international live gigs including MTV Music Week, The London Paralympics, Lovebox Festival, The O2 London and British Royal Family events. As a support act, she has opened shows for the likes of Rudimental, Stormzy, James Arthur, John Newman and Beardyman. Her songwriting and production credits include chart-topping radio hits in Europe, airplay on BBC Radio and toplining for various DJs and artists. Dana's music features on countless TV spots and short films, including Netflix, BBC, CBS, NBC, ABC, Universal, MTV, Global, iTV, Bravo, Lifetime, Arena and BT Sport. In her course she breaks the art form down to its building blocks: the core sounds, beat patterns and techniques you need to start beatboxing with confidence, taught straight from a world-ranked champion. read more

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