Living in apartment or flat: solutions for practice?

sina

Member
I live in apartment and I don't have space for Drum and even because of neighbors can't bring a kit in my room. did you experience same and what are the solutions?
I'm tired of practicing with pad only:(
 
I think it's rather obvious.

Arrange for all your neighbors to have "accidents" that make them no longer a problem.
 
I think it's rather obvious.

Arrange for all your neighbors to have "accidents" that make them no longer a problem.
Oh, the old 'mass murder' suggestion...usually has unfortunate consequences tho...can you get an electric kit in your apartment? I started with electric drums because of neighbours/noise concerns etc
Otherwise, is there a music shop with a rehearsal space that you can rent? Really frustrating problem for you; there is very little with such small rewards as bashing away on a rubber pad...good luck, and please don't follow the good Doctors advice...toodles
 
An e-kit is really your best solution if you need to play a kit at home. But even then, I wouldn't suggest wailing on it at 3 in the morning just because it's an e-kit. The sound and impact from hitting an e-kit can still transfer through walls and floors, although much much less than an acoustic kit. I had a Yamaha DTX-treme III kit with the rubber pads and it actually made quite a bit of noise. If I had to do it again I'd look at the Rolands because they, IMO, have a better feel and are quieter too.
 
I live in apartment and I don't have space for Drum and even because of neighbors can't bring a kit in my room...


If you don't have space for an e-kit, take a look at something like this:

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http://usa.yamaha.com/products/musi...n/muilti_pads/dtx-m12/dtx-multi12/?mode=model
 
I live at an apartment and I have a TD9 and I haven't had any problems at all but even something like that might be too big for you if you say you don't have space.

This Roland kit on the other hand might use the same space as that Yamaha pad and looks like more fun.

They (Roland) also have a portable kit that folds for storage. You might want to check their website.
 

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Pearl Rhythm Traveler which includes additional mesh heads and plastic cymbals for practice.

RT-705HBC-Pra.jpg
 
Thanks folks for all notes. I have Yamaha Electric Drum at home and practicing daily but there are lots of things to know with the acoustic kit like tuning, recording, knowing and playing with different sort of cymbals all these experiences need a real kit. Isn't it?
How ado you deal with this ?
 
Thanks folks for all notes. I have Yamaha Electric Drum at home and practicing daily but there are lots of things to know with the acoustic kit like tuning, recording, knowing and playing with different sort of cymbals all these experiences need a real kit. Isn't it?
How ado you deal with this ?

You need an acoustic kit and cymbals for most of that, except recording. There is no satisfactory substitute.
 
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You need an acoustic kit and cymbals for most of that, except recording. There is no satisfactory substitute.

Sad but true. I only have an acoustic kit and it's really hard to adjust to acoustic kits because I am really lacking for exposure. I did get myself a set of Zildjian's Gen 16 electric acoustic cymbals though and that has really helped with being able to use the hi-hat proficiently, best thing about my ekit setup in my opinion.
 
Hello Sina,

My house is small, with close neighbours, so using an e-kit is my only option. like you, I feel that I'm missing out on a lot of finer points. Also, when I have the chance to play on acoustics I find the level and variety of sound to be a bit overwhelming, and I need to get to the different sound before I can focus. So, I've been following this thread with interest.

I hope someday to make a mini kit that will fit my space (when i can play well enough that the neighbourhood may enjoy it) but for now this works and it's certainly far better than nothing.

:) Leanne
 
What I'm considering is practicing during the week on physical exercises - e.g. hands, feet and technical motions and then renting a practice space for a couple of hours to tie that all in at the end of a determined period of time.

Life has taken over at the moment but it's my plan.
 
I think it's rather obvious.

Arrange for all your neighbors to have "accidents" that make them no longer a problem.

I've been away for a while, and found myself wondering what had happened to the good Doctor.

Thankfully he is still here.

And your next question is?
 
Check out the storge space rentals in your area...and look for one that does not have expressed restrictions on noise in the contract.

Rent one, practice there.

With years of experience in this area, i found that you do not get a real practice of acoustic set skills on an e-kit....has alot to do with how you hear it...and, of course, how the stick/bass pedal rebound...and NOTHING replaces real cymbals - the flex in the metal and transitioning back to the flex of the various drum heads- a load of subtly is lost.

Don't get me wrong - you can develop some interesting skills on an e-kit that can mostly translate to an acoustic set...but the loss between the 2 is significant in my opinion.

Truly, we should be practicing on both....and practicing explicitly on what we plan to use in performance...hopefully as close to the performance environment/actions as possible.

(btw, I find the same restriction of applicable practice crossover between pads and a real acoustic set).
 
I'm playing on a e-kit at home and take lessons once a week +jam with a band once a week. It has made me used to both sets. In the beginning it was really hard but now I play the electronic more like an acoustic... (Play much harder, especially on the pedals!)
Before I was jamming with people I used to go to a studio by myself for 2-3 hours every week just to get used to the feel. There are a lot of studios in big cities with special solo drum rates.
If you go for electronic try to get a set that goes with a normal bass pedal and hi-hatstand+pedal. It will be more expensive but your foot-technique benefit a lot from it and you can use the pedal when you go to a studio to practice on a real kit.

If it's not too noisy I would go with a real kit + silence pads and forget about the e-kit!
I don't have any experience with it but my friend lived in a flat and seemed to survive the neighbors with it...you'll have to research that one.
Whatever you do, don't buy the cheapest e-kit with shitty pedals, your feet needs as much practice they can get on nice pedals...
 
I have been doing my regular kit and putting mesh heads on them ... stuff your kick full of pillows and put a mesh head on it too.

When tensioned, the mesh heads do create a tone ... feels similar to a real head.

The added bonus is that you are playing at a lower volume and you would be shocked at the things you will pick up about your technique/dynamics ... I have opened a who new world with this set up. I even bought nylon brushes and use them.

First night I had them, I set up the kit and went to town at 3am .. (keep in mind I have no downstairs neighnor) .. not one single complaint.

I use rubber cymbals in place of my real ones .. not the best but a far cry from a practice pad!!!
 
What I'm considering is practicing during the week on physical exercises - e.g. hands, feet and technical motions and then renting a practice space for a couple of hours to tie that all in at the end of a determined period of time.

Life has taken over at the moment but it's my plan.

That's basically what I do. I have a private room that I rent at a rehearsal studio complex. I keep my drums there because there's no way I can play at home without driving at least one person nuts. So during the week l mostly work with the pad and metronome and on weekends and the occasional weekday I'll head to my music room and play the kit.
 
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