How to Make Drums QUIET for Practice

Posted by Mike Schumacher

A quiet environment is termed mandatory for learning a new skill, and drumming is no exception.

This article will discuss how you can make your drums create less noise. But first have a quick look at why it is necessary to reduce noise while practicing.

Why is quiet practicing necessary?

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t have any unnecessary noise when you are striving to learn something new.

This is because an adequate amount of focus on your work is mandatory to master the task at hand. Noise causes unavoidable distractions affecting your work and those around you.

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Compromising on a peaceful atmosphere may affect your brain or might also cause hearing impairment in the long run. Such noise may then undermine your entire purpose of practicing the new skill.

Now let’s look at how you can quiet your drums for personal practice.

Smart hacks for quiet drumming

Quiet drumming may sound like a strange term but believe us it’s truly possible!

There are a few simple ways to actually make your drums quiet for training. Have a look at a few of them yourself.

1. Choose the right environment

Having a peaceful practice room is immensely important. However, there is no possibility of reducing the noise if you practice in your home and you live near an airport or near a busy traffic signal.

In cases where your neighborhood is peaceful, you can go ahead and practice in the basement or even the rooftop. Another way to arrange for a quiet place is to go to a public place or a community center that’s dedicated to drummers.

In case of group drumming, however, the noise is not quite controllable for obvious reasons.

2. Use an electronic drum kit

Whether you are a beginner or an advanced drummer, using an electronic drum is an excellent choice to reduce noise. These drum kits allow the users to adjust the drum volume as and when needed.

In addition to reducing noise, electronic drums are also manageable size-wise as they are smaller than the acoustic sets.

This also leads us to the importance of choosing only quality drums and cymbals as they generate less noise.

3. Using add-ons to reduce noise

One of the basic steps to reduce noise is to wear headphones or earplugs when you are practicing. Choosing your headphones wisely can help you adjust the sound properly.

Some other add-ons include practice pads that are especially helpful for those who are beginning to learn drumming. Choosing to use drum plug-ins may not only help you deal with the issue of noise, but also give your beats a professional sound.

4. Soundproofing your room

You can also soundproof your studio by using curtains or thick wallpaper on the walls. One smart way to deal with noise is to place your bookshelves against the walls of the room.

Using insulation with foam-like material is also a proven way to limit the sound of your drumming to your studio. Effective soundproofing includes covering your doors, windows and ceiling with thick material.

If your studio is on the top floor, it is always advised to consider carpeting on the floor. If your walls are in a dilapidated condition, then fixing them before proceeding with the insulation is extremely important.

5. Soundproofing the drum

A smart hack to lower the noise is to apply a small pillow or a rug to the drum’s cavity. You can do so by removing the head of your drum and stuffing the inside of it with the said material.

Installing towels across the drums and the cymbals is also a great way to absorb the sound. You can also bring the sound under control by replacing the regular drum heads with mesh heads.

The good news is that these kits are available in different sizes so these can be tuned to the size of your drum.

6. Gain drumming expertise

Enhancing your drum playing skills also has a huge role in reducing unnecessary noise. This is because expert drumming essentially means practicing control over your movements as you make the beats.

This could be understood from the fact that a good drummer is not always louder, but is also quieter to meet the requirements of the notes.

The more you focus on enhancing your beats, the more productive sound you will produce. Taking drumming lessons is also a proven way to have more control over your movements as you play the drums.

7. Befriend your neighbors

To conclude these points on a lighter note, it is advised to turn your neighbors into your friends. This can be a good strategy to avoid conflict if and when the drumming goes way out of hand.

Buying soundproofing products

Before you make your purchase, consider to carry out a research online to decide the types and the prices of the products. If your walls are already carpeted, focus on buying the drum set add-ons instead of insulating material.

This strategy will not only save your time, but will also give your room a neatly finished look.

Conclusion

Expert drumming requires attention and focus which can only be possible in a peaceful environment. You can avoid noisy distractions by soundproofing your studio and choosing the right instruments.

Learning to get a get grip over your drumming can also help decrease the noise to a great extent. So the next time you are looking for a place to play the drums, remember these hacks!

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