The snare action is the assembly that gives the snare drum its percussive sound. It consists of three parts, the action, the snare wires and the anchor. The action and the anchor are attached to the opposite sides or the snare drum shell, and the snare wires run between them across the bottom head. The tension on the wirs can be adjusted by the tensioning knob on the action. The wires are joined to the anchor and the action by plastic straps which are clamped into position.