Need advice?

[kogo50]

I'm 16 and I am a new drummer and need advice. I have an old drum set and its in my living room and the problem with this is that my mom hates how loud it is plus I want to be able to listen to my music a practice. I need to know if I should keep the set and get the drum silencers they sell or get an electric kit.

[dt344]

Hey man, I was in your shoes for a while, and I ended up buying an electric kit. Let me tell you this - they're great for practice, but if you ever want to jam with some buddies or go play a show, your going to need that regular set. Playing with anyone else with an electric kit is a huge hassle. You have a few options here: get mesh heads or muffler pads, as well as mufflers for the cymbals, or you can get a practice pad kit, which is basically a stand that holds five or six practice pads in the appropriate locations for playing a kit. My advice is hold on to that set...you're probably going to need it.

[yohin]

Yeah, keep the acoustic set and get the silencers or mesh heads. As for playing music, I got a pair of noise cancelling head phones and they work great for playing from my iPod.

[DLDante]

Vic Firth drum mutes are great for muffling sound, however, they won't completely eliminate the sound. Your mom might still get annoyed when you're playing and they do change the feel of the drums a bit (especially your cymbals). However, this will definitely be your quickest and cheapest solution (you can get a set for $50 - $60) and it will allow you to keep your acoustic set.

You might also consider Vic Firth sound dampening headphones (cost is about $30). If your mom wears these and is in another room I'm certain the drums won't bother her one bit. My wife wears 'em when she doesn't want to hear me play. I also wear them 100% of the time (even when using the drum mutes) to protect my ears. They do sell an electronic version of these headphones for about $50 which will allow you to listen to your music and will also protect your ears from the drums.

As for the e-kits, they are cool but to get one that will be able to capture most of what you can do on an acoustic set will cost you some serious money. I remember when I was shopping for my drum set the only e-kit that felt really natural to me was the Roland TD-20, which costs $6,000. Even then it didn't feel as good as the $600 Tama Imperialstar I ended up with. E-kits have advantages, of course, like being able to dial in a million different kits without having to actually have all those different cymbals and drums, but I don't know that I could completely replace my acoustic set with an electric set.

I'd recommend taking your mom to the music store so that you can try out the different e-kit options. Once she sees the price tags on them she's likely to become more tolerant to the acoustic set that's already sitting in your living room.

[nio]

Kogo, I had the same problem growing up. My next door neighbor was a major Trekkie...if I play past 5 pm when the show comes on, he walks over to my window and starts banging on it ! So, what I've learned here is that people will tolerate it only on certain times of the day. Schedule your practice when your mom is out of the house (eg., shopping, jogging, etc..). However, if she doesn't leave the house, I think DLDante has the best advise...get her some freekin' headphones, earplugs, or something. I just think it is very important for you to keep practicing on the acoustics...it helps you become intimate with every sound nuance and feel of your drums that the mesh, practice pads, or electronics will never provide.

[MartyM]

Well tell your Mom that you are quite aware of the noise situation, and to keep the peace with her and all others you will gladly purchase and supply ear plugs to all for their added comfort while you practice your musical instrament that is so helpful in 1. relieving the stress of the day and keep your mind clear, and 2. its vitale in your continuing support of the Arts and 3. this just may be you principle vocation in life and practice makes perfect! LOL...dude good luck..try muffling your bedroom doors and common walls and hang in there.

[bassist learning drums]

Can a pair of ear plugs be an option? For Mom, of course.

[gonefishin]

Welcome to the board kogo .

Can you move the set into your room or is there another room in the house available .Maybe find some common ground with Mom and only practice during certain hours of the day .

If not , you already have several other options with the e-set and muting your set .Good luck with the decision .

[quikstang2]

SoundOff pads/silencers
Practice with ear buds and then put larger protective earphones over them.