As soon as a drum kit comes into the house, many parents ask the same question: what will the neighbours think? Fair enough, because drums are the loudest instrument you can have at home. But with the right gear and a few good agreements, you can practise at home just fine, even in a terraced house or a flat.
Why is a drum kit so loud?
An acoustic drum kit is built to be heard over a band without any amplification. The snare drum and the cymbals are very loud even from a few metres away. In an ordinary living room, that sound travels easily through walls and floors.
That is also why hearing protection matters for the drummer. Good earplugs belong in every practice session, especially for children.
So is an electronic drum kit silent?
Quieter, but not silent. You hear the sound of the pads through headphones, but the hits themselves still make a tapping noise. The biggest problem is the bass drum: every kick on the pedal travels through the floor as a thud. Downstairs neighbours often hear it better than you do.
The good news: that vibration through the floor is exactly the part you can solve.
What helps the most?
A damping platform. Put the kit on a sturdy platform that is decoupled from the floor, for example a board on rubber blocks or on a layer of foam. That stops the thuds from the pedal travelling through the floor. A normal rug helps against the tapping, but not against the thud.
A practice pad. A large part of your technique is practised on a pad. It is almost silent and works anywhere, even on the sofa or at the table.
Mesh heads and low-volume cymbals. For an acoustic kit there are mesh drumheads and special cymbals with holes. It still feels like a real kit, but it is much quieter.
A softer bass drum beater. On an electronic kit, a beater with a soft head helps, and sometimes an extra damping mat under the pedal.
Where do you put the kit?
The spot makes a big difference. Ideally choose the ground floor, a shed or a garage, and don't put the kit against a wall you share with the neighbours. An attic above a bedroom or an upper floor in a flat is harder; there, a damping platform is really a must.
Make agreements
It works best if you talk to the neighbours beforehand. Tell them your child is taking drum lessons and ask when suits them best. Many people are fine with half an hour of practice at a fixed time, as long as it isn't late at night or early on a Sunday morning. A fixed moment feels more predictable for everyone than occasional unexpected noise.
Do you live in an apartment building? Then also check the house rules for anything about noise.
And if it really doesn't work at home?
Sometimes a drum kit just doesn't fit in the house. Then you can work on a practice pad at home and play at full volume in a rehearsal room now and then. In Aalsmeer you can do that at N201 on the Zwarteweg, in the same building as my lessons, with seven equipped rehearsal rooms. Or at my own studio note.studio on the Aalsmeerderweg, where a drum kit is ready and you rent a room by the hour. In lessons with me, you play on a full drum kit every week anyway.
In short
Drumming at home is perfectly possible if you pay attention to three things: a platform that absorbs the thuds, gear that sounds softer, and good agreements with the people around you. Not sure which solution suits your home? Just ask during your lesson.
Want to find out first whether drumming is for you? Book a free trial lesson.