The Low Volume Drumset Practice Method that ACTUALLY Works
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- čas přidán 14. 06. 2024
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Many of us have been or ARE apartment drummers, and we know the struggle. I posted several videos a few years ago about my apartment practice setup as I tested different ideas. But the question now is… Which method is best, and what actually works? I’ve cycled through many of the top “low volume practice” methods that are out there on the market. Some win for cost effectiveness, but others win for functionality. You’ll have to weigh the pros and the cons to decide which is best for you. However, there’s a lot more to effective apartment practice than just having the proper gear. Today we outline 4 big tips (only one of those has anything to do with which practice gear you decide to buy) that are designed to help get you back on the kit if you’re stuck in a dorm, townhome, or apartment. This is how to practice in an apartment - or how to quietly play drums - for all you apartment drummers out there. Enjoy!!
Lots more videos on apartment drumming, as well as all the details on the various setups I used while living in an apartment!
• How to Play Drums in a...
Hey I hope today’s discussion helped you out. If you’re new to the channel and you’re digging it, be sure to click the SUBSCRIBE button before you go!
Contact me here at my email! It’s always great to get mail.
stephen@thenonglamorousdrummer.com
tip: Use cover noise, like a washing machine or a mp3 of a washing machine.
bgryderclock plot twist: your Bassdrum is actually a washing machine
Loop the youtube video of the death metal washing machine and practice to that.
@@somepunkinthecomments471 That was a good rabbit hole to go down.
i guess Im asking randomly but does anybody know a way to get back into an instagram account??
I somehow lost my account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me!
@Mayson Torin Instablaster =)
I’ve seen dozens of riser builds on CZcams and most use MDF and tennis balls, as a homebuilder with an engineering background for over 40 years I don’t get the Medium density fiberboard because it’s heavy, chips easy, burns when using a hole saw, dosnt take moisture well and the tennis balls are relatively hard if (whole as they are pressurized due to inflation) so the vibration transmits right through the structure although a bit less vibration, but a dense pliable foam is a better choice
Loss the mdf in favor of 3/4 cdx plywood (used for subfloors minus the t&g) and experiment with foams in different surface coverages (whole sheet vibration soaking vs Point of contact cubes or strips)
Allow for your throne riser to be detached from the primary structure (U cut around your body weight) you don’t need foam here because you will just add unbalanced weight to one side of your riser as body weight but be sure to have your carpet cover both the primary riser and the throne riser to allow your bodyweight and throne legs to help keep the carpet from shifting
And if you’re set on tennis balls then perhaps cut them in half that will reduce a great deal of transmission since they are depressurized and if the cut rubber side is facing a hard floor it might help with lateral movement as well or at least slice them if you don’t want to have half of a ball because that vibration is moving through that hard bouncy ball much more than you may think
Advice from an old-time guitar player, keyboardist, Builder and a new electronic drum owner
MDF: heavy is good, the trick is finding the right number of tennis balls
This would be more of your liking: czcams.com/video/wAxxviPW7Bc/video.html ;-)
Thank you so much! I just got my first (used, beginner) kit and, of course, live in an apt.
Its wild how long i been watching your stuff
Always good stuff tho keep it up my guy
Aquarian eh? Thanks I needed that tip.. many years in many apartments I resorted to brushes (as sticks) which is great for technique and strength.. Bass drum has always been an issue so your advise is gratefully taken.. TY :)
Dear Stephen,
The tennis ball sandwich is absolutely brilliant! Terrific channel and videos.
I would like to ask: would filling the drums with cloth - blankets - and covering the cymbals with towels - or the likes - decrease the volume dramatically maintaining the sound characteristics of each piece?
When use Remo Silentstroke you should muffle the bottom heads but tune it low to maximize the vibration to get the natural tone of the drum from the bottom heads. A couple of toilet paper roll inside the drum to damper the bottom heads should do the trick, the cheapest option, no ringing and no after effect of snare buzz. Also place the mic on the bottom heads to get a good sound when miking the drum as the main sound is produce by the bottom heads when you use mesh heads for the tops. This will also minimize the bleed sound from the cymbal. This is my setup and it sound almost as good as normal drum setup when recording. ✌
Great video! What bass drum beater do you use for quiet practice? Do you use something heavier/lighter or softer/harder than your regular gigging beater?
much needed advice as I live in a townhouse :D
Awesome video
Also, use lighter sticks. I generally use a 5a but frequently practice with 7a sticks.
Watching this video in 2023, and it is great. For an accomplished acoustic drummer who needs a quiet setup for practice, etc., I love these ideas and recommendations.
For a parent of a budding but beginning drummer, this video just sealed the decision for me that a sub $1,000 electric drum set is the way to go.
Thank you for helping me come to this clarity.
We had a gig where our drummer needed to be almost nonexistent so we bought some hot rod sticks and Vic Firth drum mutes and it worked great
I have an electric set but I want to get an acoustic set now. I live in a detached house and the drums will be in the basement which has concrete floor and walls. Do you think I still need to muffle down? I mostly play at night...
How much durable is that Aquarian kick pad? I heard these things (even from other companies) last not longer than a few months. Bass drum is my main issue and this is a dealbreaker for me.
I meant to say I generally use 5b sticks.
Hi Stephen. Have you had any experience with air drums such as Freedrum, etc.? Or any one else watching this video use these type of drums.
Another tradeoff you need to make: You're going to be noisy in a way most people are not, so be more quiet than most in some other way. Get used to not wearing shoes. Install quiet close hinges on cabinets. Save laundry for Saturday. Listen to music on headphones. Don't crank the TV to hear it in the bathroom. Etc.
I spent 7 years in a town house. I used to use miter saws and routers in my living room in the middle of the night. I never had a complaint from anyone. I almost made a game out of it because nobody EVER said anything. Never. They experience now messes with head because I sworn the last year in a house and bought an acoustic kit to learn. Now I have to move back into a different town house and I’m not sure if L80’s and mesh heads are going to be enough. 🤷♂️ I think using brushes should help a lot too.
I still can’t believe I never had the cops called on me back then lol.
I agree with most of your advise. However, walking without shoes will be very annoying for people who live in an apartment next to your's or under it because your feet don't provide the cushioning under your heels that shoes do. Unless you're used to wearing high heels or some other hard healed shoes at home, of course.
Nice cajon lamp stand😆
😂😂😂
I own a 5,000 sf home with my drum sets in a finished basement with insulated walls, ceiling with everything sheet rocked. The wife still complains even if on the second floor.
Time for that divorce
Hmm... drums or wife. Tough decision
My edrum kit is almost broked and i really want an acustic kit. But i'm also do some drum covers, you think that triggering an muffled acustic kit would work?
Nothing for the floor? I was sure I would find something that would help to quiet the floor for the people below.
Steven Clark is the best
Electric drums !!!
I would really love to see a comparison between a Sylomer riser and a Tennisball riser. Sylomer seems a bit more "engineered for the task"
I mean such a thing: czcams.com/video/wAxxviPW7Bc/video.html
THOSE l7 quiet symbols would be awesome if they were super cheap./
Can you just use a carpet instead of tennis balls ?
gotta save up 7 GEES and get a nice roland =P
ahh man really, like really, people who are searching for methods to be able to play full kit quieter REALLY don't need telling "play quieter and don't play at unacceptable times" how can you think these are actually viable tips to include in a video..? no one who watched this video will have thought "oh yeah! if i want to play quieter, I _could_ play quieter, huh who'd have thought" same goes for practicing at night, no one in their right mind didn't consider _not playing at night_
idk about other people but I was just hoping to get a few tips on how to make a kit produce quieter sounds, idk like dampening tricks, random household items or materials we can use to soften the sound etc. but you dedicated like over 1/3 of the video to "play quieter, and not at socially unacceptable times" really, really not useful...
Also I feel like just listing a load of stuff people can buy isn't helpful either. Most drummers already know you can buy gear to make the kit quiet, and most drummers who are searching for ways to make their kit quiet are almost all definitely looking to *not* spend a load of cash on special drum heads or rubber pads or a whole rubber thing for the kick, or 12 massive wooden panes, 10² meters of foam and a shed load of tennis balls, most people are likely just looking for useful tricks and hacks to bring the volume of their playing down a bit... If I was down to spend a couple hundred on making my kit quiet, I wouldn't search for a youtube video, I'd go on amazon and just buy the gear directly
It's like five minutes of talking and then three seconds of showing you visually what you want to see.
What more do you need to see? Didnt think that a foam pad would be complex enough that hed need to explain it.
I subscribed and then I watched the video and then I immediately unsubscribed
The worthless ness of the topic is funny
How is it worthless?
@@ryanwilson5936 intentionally rude and disrespectful troll comment
@@williamjenks6866
Right on