drumming in an apartment problems

Tom DeBagg said:
If you're already in an apartment, you could try Art's approach of sacrificing a goat to keep the cops at bay.
.....assuming I read that correctly. :unsure:

But I also like Son of Vistalite Black's idea as well.
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Sacrificing a goat is always a good idea! Or, you could host a quarterly pig pickin' for your neighbors if they let you play your drums.
 
I use my practice pad more than my drum kits.

I once lived in an apartment building. I had an electronic drum kit and no complaints. I turned on the TV or radio in the next room just in case someone complained - I could say the drumming was the TV or radio.
 
Luv4drums said:
on the idea of electronics, I understand the annoyance of the hard rubber roland td7 type of pads in an apartment, but isn't the mesh pad kits like the alesis actually as silent as pillows? Or vdrums with mesh pads?
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I have A Roland kit with mesh heads. The mesh heads and the rubber cymbals are quiet enough that I think use in an apartment would be doable. That is if you're not swinging for the fences.

The bass drum pad is a different story. I use a plastic beater and the thump/click of it making contact is the loudest part of the kit.

I can play at night while others are sleeping, but I need to be very mindful of the kick.
 
bud7h4 said:
No neighbors to complain about unrest in the forest.
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...and all of the oaks just shake their heads...being made of dense wood and all....
 
I’m recently divorced and kept the house (3 BR and 3 BA. I briefly considered downsizing but quickly realized that being about a half hour outside of NYC is huge. My basement is finished and where I have my drums. My friends (non-drummers) ask me why I’m staying in the house so I ask where should I go? The answer is always “an apartment”. No way would I move to an apartment. If I did move to an apartment, no more playing drums at home, no more cranking tunes at any hour of the day or night and no more peace and quiet without being disturbed. That said, if I did live in an apartment, I’d spend the money to rent a dedicated practice space. But I much prefer the single family home. So, to all those who advised “move”, I whole heartedly agree.
 
You can keep vibrations down (ie the kick pedal) by making an isolation platform. Cheap and easy to do, just 2 pieces of wood the size of area you need for the kit, separated by tennis balls.
On the Ekit side of things, just get a cheap rubber pad thing s/h as it's better than nought. And if the management say you can't even have an Ekit, unplug all the pads when they come around to look at it and call them practice pads!
 
jeffwj said:
The management at the apartment complex may consider an electronic kit in the same category as an acoustic kit. They probably don't permit muted kits because will still be vibrations transmitted through the floor to the ceiling below.

I have found that students who live on the ground level have much less to worry about. Without neighbors below them, drummers can use mutes, mesh heads, etc. At that point, the volume is usually less than that of a surround sound system (which many people in apartments have).

I have been in the process of writing some articles on a new website. It is a work in progress, but these two articles may offer some information.

Can I Learn to Play the Drums Without a Drumset?

and

Can I Play Drums if I Live in an Apartment?


Thanks,

Jeff
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This is correct. Apartments won't tolerate even tapping. Tried in my youth, gave up and had my kit at a buddy's house until I could save up enough to rent and eventually buy a home. This is a tough spot that we have all been in at one point.

One thought - if you are in a regular band and have a pool of money, look for 'commercial' opportunities. Many moons ago a buddy of mine and his band rented out the top of an insurance agent's building for evening practice. Basically became a weekend practice pad. They did this for years.

Feel your pain, it's like having a freakin Ferrari and having to sit there and JUST STARE AT IT!
 
MntnMan62 said:
I’m recently divorced and kept the house (3 BR and 3 BA. I briefly considered downsizing but quickly realized that being about a half hour outside of NYC is huge. My basement is finished and where I have my drums. My friends (non-drummers) ask me why I’m staying in the house so I ask where should I go? The answer is always “an apartment”. No way would I move to an apartment. If I did move to an apartment, no more playing drums at home, no more cranking tunes at any hour of the day or night and no more peace and quiet without being disturbed. That said, if I did live in an apartment, I’d spend the money to rent a dedicated practice space. But I much prefer the single family home. So, to all those who advised “move”, I whole heartedly agree.
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Stay put. Good decision. Once you have a house, you generally never want to go back to an apartment.
 
For snare practice, I use the DFD pad which has two practice surfaces. One surface is made of foam. In my experience, the foam does not have much rebound but it is very quiet.

For Bass practice, I use the TAMA Kick Bass Practice Pad https://www.tama.com/usa/products/detail/ttbd6.html . This is quiet enough for me. However putting a thin towel on the pad will make it even more quiet. The TAMA bass practice pad is very solid and sturdy but new ones are not cheap. You get what you pay for. Here are the pictures.

1708791903777.png

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BobC said:
Stay put. Good decision. Once you have a house, you generally never want to go back to an apartment.
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I didn't live in a non-rental home until I was 35 years old. I developed the bad habit of ignoring property maintenance. Broken sink disposal? Call the manager. Leaky window? Call the manager.

Owning my first home was a wakeup call. It took me about 5 years before I embraced the fix-it-myself mentality. I have a lot of tools now. 😐
 
How about setting up in a storage unit?
 
BGDurham said:
Sacrificing a goat is always a good idea! Or, you could host a quarterly pig pickin' for your neighbors if they let you play your drums.
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If you sacrifice a goat, keep the skins. Make sure to use goats from West Africa, they don't eat the same chemicals in their food, American goats do, so they provide better skins for your Djembes and Ashiko drums. Less fatty, gives better vibration. That is true. Don't forget to thank the goat.
 
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BGDurham said:
How about setting up in a storage unit?
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The caution I would advise is heat.

It gets hot in those units...and they usually are not air conditioned.
 
Otto said:
The caution I would advise is heat.

It gets hot in those units...and they usually are not air conditioned.
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Jeff talks about that in the video and yes, one would certainly want a climate-controlled unit (like Jeff's).
 
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