Keeping the Volume Down...

We all know that drums can be a very loud, acoustic instrument which can cause arguments with the neighbours. In my experience, most of the time, with a bit of tact, you will be able to come to an agreement on a time for you to practise, or give them your phone number, so they can ring you if there's a problem. There are a few points to take into consideration on this topic that are worth thinking about.

DYNAMICS - It is important to practise both playing loudly and quietly in order to achieve your full range of dynamic expression. Dynamics will make you a more well rounded, musical drummer, therefore practice sessions shouldn't always be full blast anyway. Playing quietly with good dexterity and control is a tough challenge and essential for some styles, and by playing softly you will learn to relax more and in turn feel more confident in your ability.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTISING AWAY FROM THE KIT - You own two hands and two feet... You can practise anywhere! And so you should - most of us don't get to play whenever we would like, so it is very important to keep our minds processing the mental information that your co-ordinational development requires. The floor acts as a pretty good bass-drum pedal most of the time and your knees will do for a snare and hi-hat! (or better yet seperate the two hands on different sound sources like you would on a kit!) Developing 2, 3 or 4 way co-ordination systems off the kit will help your confidence with those systems when you next sit at the kit. It's still practice, but without the mental pressure that can sometimes occur from persistent trial and error behind a kit.

PRACTICE PADS - Practice pads are a good too for practising rudiments and hand technique exercises quietly. THIS article does an excellent job of summing up the benefits of practising on a pad, but also underlines the importance of transferring your skills from the pad to the kit. Please do give it a read.

PRACTICE/ELECTRIC KITS - These days, you can buy practice kits which are a set of pads with a frame to give the positioning of a real kit. If you want a drum kit that you can turn down, you'll be needing an electric one, but these babies will set you back a fair way. It is important to note that some of the pros and cons explained in the article linked above will apply to both electric kits and practice kits; some things will seem harder when transferring the skills onto an acoustic drumset which will feel bigger, and give less rebound.