playing quieter

[warrier1]

This is probably a dumb question, but being a rock blues drummer and keeping hard backbeats i filled in for a band, and they told me i was to loud this was the second time filling in i was told that, how do you play quieter, when used to playing hard.

[Anne Beeche]

Put less force behind your sticks. Instead of pushing them, let them bounce. Coming in closer to the head seems to help as well.

[jjmason777]

Hey Warrier1-

As an ex-heavy metal drummer, I too had a little trouble making the transition to quieter drumming. I felt like I couldn't do fast fills, or get a good snare sound unless I was pounding the hell out of my drums. What helped me learn dynamics is playing with a bunch of old farts who would not turn their amps past 3.

Now, what I would suggest for you is to play to some CD's of some of the same type of music that you are having trouble playing quieter with, at a low enough volume that forces you to play quieter, so you can hear the music. Then stick with that, until you feel like you have control over your playing at softer volumes. I also had to re examine my hand techniques, and make a few changes there as well. Bottom line: it takes practice! But stick with it, because the rewards are great. You will become a much better drummer for it! Just ask any of the older guys (like me) on this forum. I am sure they will all agree.

[Isaac Lee]

Try using smaller sticks. Hotrods could also be an option if you need to be REAL quiet. For excessive cymbal wash I like to toss a MoonGel square on the bow of my ride. Smaller diameter drums can also be a little easier to play quietly. You could go as far as to get a floor tom conversion kit and rock a 16" kick with a couple toms. Just to give you a few ideas.

Above all, it takes some getting used to. You have to be conscious of volumes happening around you. I played in church today and it was very low volume. Its so challenging trying to feel the music when playing softly. It can be downright frustrating. Its important to realize that if you aren't used to playing at lower volumes to give yourself some time to adjust to how things feel. Its a different beast then playing 1/2 to full backstrokes ya know?

I really need to develope these skills much further myself. As well as playing at higher volumes. Its never ending! One last thing. A really nice, well placed, low volume rim shot can fatten things up and make you feel some pocket/groove. Rimshots have dynamics too.

[aydee]

Volume bandwidth goes from low to high from the fingers, wrists, elbow, shoulders... respectively.

As the stroke gets bigger using more body parts, it gets louder, but the stroke should remain essentially the same.

[mrchattr]

The better your overall technique, the softer you can play without losing speed or precision. If you want to play quieter, practice quieter. That's pretty much the answer to "how do I do (anything)?" You have a drum set and I'm guessing a practice pad somewhere. Sit down at them and play quieter. A drummer pretty much never needs to play louder...you can always mic a kit up if you are in a room that large enough for it. But you can always find situations where the quieter, the better.

[larryace]

Also a good thing that has helped me is to understand that the drums should never be the loudest instrument on stage. Keep those ears and eyes open and listen to where your "dynamic zone" is in relation to the rest of the band members. Less is more. Blend, don't overpower.

[Muckster]

Don't fall into the "lighter sticks = less volume" camp. Proper technique and practice in all dynamic levels is the key.

[tyrocks00]

Listen, Listen, Listen to everyone else you're playing with.

[larryace]

Really, one of the skills of a good drummer is to be able to adjust the volume on any limb, totally independently of the others, or all together, or any combination you can think of. I think it takes a ton of skill to be able to to finesse a drum dynamically as opposed to slamming the crap out of it.

[Fill Drummin]

I've found that there are simple tricks to get effective volume reduction right off the bat. Try playing slightly off center of the drums to start. With your kick drum, slide your foot back towards you a bit. Playing lower to the head always worked well for me. Also try playing with less arm and more fingers. I would also suggest a "drier" cymbal too. And always run your warm up exercises as soft as possible with control.

Most of all be patient. Most things won't work for you overnight. You have to start somewhere and that's usually nowhere near where you want to be.

Good luck!

[rogue_drummer]

I run into that all the time. The church I play in has only brick and plaster walls with sheet rock. The room is not accustically sound by any means. In fact it's horrible. It was designed for only an accustic piano and smaller choir but we now have electric 3 guitars, an accustic and electric piano/organ, 2 Djembes, my 4 piece drum kit, and 2 singers. Needless to say, the sounds bounce off all the walls and it is VERY loud, even when we all observe proper sound dynamics.

I've tried playing with lighter sticks, moon gels on the heads and everything short of stuffing the heads with cloth. To make matters worse my drum set is set against the back brick wall on the stage.

Playing softer and still keeping time and doing the necessary fills is quite a challenge that I have to continually work on. I feel your pain!