Howdy, All:
Thanks for all the responses and advice. I do appreciate it. And no, you guys–and gal(s)–will have to work a lot harder to scare off this “old guy;” which I am, though I prefer old fart, or hoary flatulent, if you must know. And no, I’m not the least bit offended by any of the responses. Sure, some might view my efforts to assist my other half–or some such fraction–as evidence that I am ***** -whipped or over controlling. In fact, contrary to what you may have read into my post, I’m pleased that she has found something to interest her. That way she’ll focus less on me and my foibles and flaws. We got along much better before I retired. Now, it seems, she sees a bit too much of me. At any rate, after the wife had had several months of lessons it became clear that it was no passing fancy, and I offered to get her some real drums. She was thrilled by my offer. Inasmuch as neither of us knew squat about drum beating, I offered to investigate the subject and she was positively thrilled. And I did not get her cheap-ass student drums and cymbals. Hell, if she were part of the voting for my nomination for sainthood, I would have rated at least a vote for veneration, if not canonization. And, if truth be known, my concerns regarding excess decibels is mainly for her hearing, not mine. I am already adept at protecting my hearing. When dragged to the movies, I frequently stick Kleenex in my ears to reduce the noise level. When riding my motorcycle–which I reluctantly gave up last year–I would always wear earplugs under my full-face helmet to protect my ears from wind noise. Though realizing that it was no longer safe to handle a big bike, I still miss it, and am looking longingly at the Polaris Slingshot and the CanAm spyder, both three wheelers. But enough of that talk. Back to the subject at hand.
From the advice herein (Sorry for the lawyer talk, but old habits die slowly. And actually, at this point, I’m a recovering, ex-attorney, with hopes of a full recovery.), I was all ready to head out and buy a set of Vic Furth’s drum mutes. But I happened to see a reference to Lazaro Quilon and his Ultra Tone sticks. Though I am always skeptical of puffery (a legal term for the overblown praises of a product by the one selling them), I was impressed by the testimonials on his website and the videos, as well. After speaking with the gentleman himself by phone, I decided to bite the bullet, roll the dice and cross the Rubicon. I ordered a set of his sticks. From my readings and from advice given me, I was concerned that regular drum mutes are likely to adversely effect the drum sounds, and more importantly, the “feel” for my wife. According to Lazaro, noise is reduced by about fifty percent with his sticks. If so, what remains of my sanity is probably safe. And if not, I can still run down to my local Guitar Center for drum mutes and/or ear plugs.
My wife was quite tickled to hear your responses. I well try and get her to post for herself here.
Thanks again, All. And if I manage to remember (Note Well, folks, memory IS affected by age), I’ll report back regarding the effectiveness of the Ultra Tones.