Snare drums are named after the snare wires found on the bottom of the drum. When you hit the drum, the snares start to vibrate against the resonant head. This gives the snare its characteristic sizzling sound. As the snares greatly influence the sound of the drum, it might be worthwhile to replace them when your snare drum has stopped sounding the way it should.
Thinner snares are more sensitive and are therefore more suited for jazz music, for instance. Thicker snares, however, might be more beneficial to drummers who like to play much louder. The number of snares is also quite important. Should you choose a strand with many snares, you'll get a relatively full snare sound compared to the drum sound. With 16 snares, for instance, there is 50 percent drum sound and 50 percent snare sound.
