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Soundcheck Blindfold Challenges:
Snare Drums

Jared Falk  /  UPDATED Aug 22, 2022

Name that drum!

Musicians sometimes ‘taste with our eyes’, hearing quality based on how a drum looks, not necessarily how it sounds.

In this challenge, Jared Falk teamed up with technique guru Bruce Becker (of Drum Technique Made Easy) to see if they could identify the following three snares while blindfolded:

5.5 x 14 DW design series snare
5.5 x 14 Yamaha Recording Custom 20th Anniversary snare
6.5 x 14 Ludwig Supraphonic steel snare

To control some of the variables, all snares have the same Evans G2 head, and they all have the exact same tension.

While Bruce is experienced with DW Drums and Jared often plays Yamaha Drums, both found themselves surprised during this challenge. Will they come out on top? Can they distinguish what they hear in each drum? You’ll have to watch the video to find out.

Test your ears and play along! Make sure you close your eyes and listen, and we reveal the answers at the 5:30 mark.

How did you do? Which snare is your favorite?

*This article contains affiliate links, which means we might earn a small commission from the product seller if you make a purchase. For more info, check out our privacy page.


Jared Falk is a lifelong drummer, drum teacher, and the co-founder of Drumeo. For over 18 years, Jared has been a leader in the online music education industry, publishing his first online video lessons in 2003 and founding Musora in 2005.

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