How to Play Drums Where You Can't Be Loud

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

Rate: (19 Ratings)

No instrument is louder than the drums. In addition to being the loudest, the drums also take up more space than other instruments.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

  • Drum Sets
  • Drumsticks
  • Old Phone Books
  • Modern Drummer Subscriptions
  • Old Pillows
  • Drum Practice Pads
  • Electronic Drum Pads

Step1
Purchase a simple drum pad to practice technique on. If you are a beginner, a solitary drum pad should be all you practice on anyway. Technique is vital to playing the drums well.
Step2
Find four or five phone books and set them around you on the floor if playing around the drum set is what you wish to do. Playing around these books will help you get around any drum set easily.
Step3
Use one of the many electronic drum sets available with headphone capabilities to hear actual drum sounds when you practice.
Step4
Get drum and cymbal practice pads for your acoustic drum set. Most drum stores carry sets of pads that also muffle sounds.
Step5
Employ the oldest trick in the book. Set up some pillows and bang away. Even your mother won't be disturbed by this.

Tips & Warnings

  • Each of these steps is meant for players with different needs and abilities. Don't waste your time trying to deal with all of them.
  • A more costly, but permanent solution is to install structural sound barriers. See NetWell Noise Control under the Related Sites.

Comments

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Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 3/21/2006 Mesh heads are an option in line with pads. They tend to be less pricey than pads (or an electric set) in my experience, have a better response (feel more like real drum heads), and even dull the sound a little more.

The biggest downside is that they take a lot more time than pads to remove, and they're not as sturdy (this is debatable).

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 8/8/2006 If you don't want your drums to have that loud echo sound, take off your drum heads, then put a few pieces
of clothes in them. Twist each lug the same number of times for an excellent sound!

Tip: Don't put clothes in your snare drum! It will only sound like a de-activated snare on a snare drum!

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 If you want to play the drums, do not invest in a set before you learn how to play. Invest in lessons and then buy a practice set. When you sit behind a real set of drums after practicing on pads for about a year, you will amaze even yourself.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 6/30/2006 If you want your bass drum to not carry so much, put a pillow against the beat head and it will sound good.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 2/1/2006 Why not go with a pair of digital drums? They can be used with headphones and sound great! Yamaha makes some good ones, but they can be expensive.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Get a pair of "Hot rods" type of drumstick and a pair of brushes. But, more importantly, practice "Dynamics." Play some notes from your exercise "fortissimo" (loud) and some others "pianissimo" (softly). Make sure you exaggerate the loudness and softness of your strokes when practicing, so your hands and ears can begin to get used to how the drumstrokes are supposed to sound and feel. Any drum pattern or groove (no matter which type of music) has in it a combination between loud and soft notes.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 4/3/2006 Put crumpled newspapers or cotton in your drums to muffle them if you want to quieten them down.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Set up a load of really hard and intellectual books in drum positions. Not only does it not make much noise, but you also bend the sides of the books so it looks like you've read them. Then you look intellectual. Put money on top of the high hat and cymbals and it makes the right sort of noise.

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eHow Article:  How to Play Drums Where You Can't Be Loud

eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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