If you are an avid drums lover who occupies a small apartment in one of those busy metropolitans, and so you need to Playing Drums in an Apartment, please know that we feel for you no matter which corner of the world you live in.
Being a musician who lives in a small place, surrounded by corny neighbors (and sometimes, cornier flatmates), is no less than a life-long punishment verdict. All it takes for your neighbors to shower you with the bitterest of complaints are a few minutes of your jamming.
No matter how well you play, there are still going to be some who would never enjoy the beauty of notes you produce. People would have to complain about how their night’s sleep was disturbed because your musical instrument was very loud and how their kids failed a test because of the loud sounds reaching their apartment from yours.
Why Is It Difficult To Play Drums In An Apartment?
It is easier to play pianos and violins in your small flats regularly; but instruments as loud and powerful as drums require you to disturb the non-artistic ones’ peace if you want to play them professionally.
This, in return, makes you the least favorite of your neighbors with some of you even have to bear with threats that come in the form of warning letters from the building’s management.
Well, for a drummer giving up on drumming just because of someone’s fear is not an option. Then what should be done in such a case where your neighbors become thirsty for your blood? Unfortunately, not all of us have access to a drumming studio, and even if we have, most of the time lack time to visit them every day.
Well, the only good news is that you have landed at the perfect place if you have been going through such a dilemma lately. Drums are loud, and there is no way we can force them to produce less noise. However, there are a few tips that can make playing drums in an apartment rather a calmer act with minimal noise production.
We suggest you read below to learn some of such tips and tricks so that you never have to deal with your neighbor’s ruthlessness without ever compromising on your regular drumming practice.
Reducing the Noise – Tips for Playing Drums In An Apartment
Follow these tips to go on with your drumming sessions inside your apartment without driving your neighbors crazy if:
1. Use soundproof drum panels
Being honest, no soundproofing can completely block the noise if you live in apartments. However, if good in quality, the drum soundproofing panels can somehow reduce the actual volume and bring it to a level where it gets hard for it to reach across the door.
These panels come in the form of small tiles and scattering a few of these randomly in your drumming room can absorb much of the sound that is produced. The ideal way to use these is to stick these to your room’s walls with a temporary fixation.
Make sure to remove these from the walls after you’re done jamming and store them carefully because, if not taken proper care, they usually lose their sound-absorption capacity after a few days.
2. Use Low Volume Cymbals
One tip that, if followed, can bring a significant drop to the voice produced by your drums is to replace your ordinary Cymbals with high-quality, low volume cymbals. If you invest wisely, these cymbals will drop down your drumming sound to 80% without making you feel like you are not using those actual cymbals.
For someone who needs to practice drumming daily for professional purposes, these cymbals would work great. These cymbals come with a lot of small holes that allow for the sound reduction, but without making you feel like you are beating something artificial.
3. Go for Electronic Drums
Being an old school and professional drummer, the very idea of shifting from your acoustic beasts to a new drumming kit is itself haunting. However, you have to make this sacrifice if you want your landlord to let you stay in that apartment a little longer.
One of the best tips anyone can give you regarding playing drums in an apartment is to use electronic drums instead of any other. An Electronic drum set is generally much quieter when it comes to sound production, and playing these usually won’t let the noise reach anywhere outside your vicinity.
With very few brands promising the highest quality Electronic drum sets, it is somewhat hard to find an amazingly quiet one. However, try to do read out in-depth research, and you will surely get your hands on a latest-generation drum that knows its job real nice.
We suggest going for an electronic drum with rubber pads only when you are low in budget. Even when it is not that good, it will still do some part of its job to keep your apartment quiet as you beat those sticks.
4. Practice drum pad kits can come in handy too
Too low on budget and can’t even afford an electronic drum with rubber pads? Well, this is not something that can stop you from jamming in an apartment too. We suggest you look out for such brands that manufacture drum pads and invest in their best drum practice pad kits.
These pads do the job of quietening your drum’s sounds in a small space well. These pads are made up of such a material that makes them get beaten quietly. However, you must not expect your drumming practice to go realistically well because these pads are nowhere close to what a real drum comes with.
We suggest you use these only when you are in a desperate need to practice drumming but don’t want to disturb your neighbors and have no other quietening tool at hand.
The only good thing about these drum pad kits, apart from their noise reducing capability, is that these complete kits are way better than single practice pads even when these not too expensive than those.
5. Replace your regular heads with Mesh Drumheads
Can’t invest in electronic drum sets but need a good drumming feel? The best tip for playing drums in an apartment in your case would then be to use Mesh drumheads on your drums instead of the regular drumheads your drum comes with.
This option is viable for someone who would love quiet drumming without having to feel like they are not working with a proper drum set. The best thing about these mesh drumheads is that they can be tuned like conventional drumheads and produce a little tone too if you resonate them well.
All you need to use these drumheads is a little extra time because installing and removing them is somewhat a long process.
6. Cover your drums with Towels
This tip can come in handy if you have to work quietly with your drums just on an occasional basis. While this one is in no way a realistic substitute, the results you will get in terms of quieting your drums are surprisingly great.
Try to get a thick towel that weights well and cover your drumheads and cymbals with them. Their presence on these parts of your drum will cover the noise very well, but you can feel a little uncomfortable in terms of playing. Try to use double layers if possible and poke holes in your towel if you are covering the cymbals.
7. Leave those Drumsticks alone
Changing your drumsticks can have a significant impact on the kind and volume of sound that your drums produce. There are several options when it comes to using such drum sticks that would produce lesser noise. You can either use thin drumsticks, wooden rods or even drumming brushes.
We suggest you go with any of the options that you feel are comfortable working with and also won’t need you to spend extra bucks. Moreover, you can wrap your conventional sticks with cotton cloth to reduce the volume.
Playing drums in an apartment can be quite hard, especially if you don’t want to disturb your family and friends. If you are a professional drummer who gets his or her bread and butter from drumming, a combination of the above-given tips can help you carry on with quieter drumming without any significant downside.
If you have the budget and you’re serious about drumming, you could also consider renting a practice space. Visit Rehearsal Space Finder and see if there’s a listing near you.
However, if you beat those drums occasionally and don’t want to invest in quietening tools, then the best step for you is to practice drumming without drums.
There are many things you can bring in your use to practice drumming without drums for your leisure time fun without annoying your neighbors, and you must bring them to the best of your use. Once you gain the skill and want to take up drumming seriously, invest in any of the above-given options, and you are all good to go playing drums in an apartment.
