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Snare Drum
The sharp crack that makes you nod your head.
1 · Hear it
Listen twice: once alone, once with the band. The second one is how you'll actually hear it in songs.
2 · What it actually is
A shallow drum with metal wires stretched under the bottom head. Those wires rattle when you hit it, which is where the sizzle comes from.
Its job
It usually lands on beats 2 and 4 — the backbeat that makes music feel like music.
Listen for
A crack plus a short hiss of rattle after it.
You've heard it in: The clap-like hit in almost any pop or rock song.
3 · Words that go with it