Quiet Drum Sets
Quiet Drum Sets
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Drummers who live in New York City don’t have it easy. Practicing in a small apartment and keeping the volume low is a unique challenge every drummer in New York City must face. I am still on the quest for the perfect “quiet drum set“.
Initially, I tried using drum mutes and cymbal mutes on a standard drum set. They felt unnatural and had no rebound. I felt that it made me work harder and I would end up playing very tensely. Drum mutes and cymbal mutes have improved in recent years. If you like to use real drums, these might be the best choice. One of my drum teachers actually put briefs (underwear) over the cymbals to mute them. As entertaining as it was, it kinda worked.
Pearl Rhythm Traveler
A few years ago, I discovered the Pearl Rhythm Traveler 5-Piece Drum Set. The Pearl Rhythm Traveler 5-Piece Drum Set used mesh heads, which were essentially quiet drum heads. They were similar to the heads used on electronic drums. I liked the set because you could actually hear the tones of the different drums. Although the situation was great for keeping the volume low, I easily broke though the heads on a regular basis.
DW Go Anywhere Practice Set
I currently practice at home on a DW Go Anywhere Practice Set. It takes up a small amount of space. You have to own a seperate bass drum pedal and a drum throne. I took the hi-hat cymbal and mute that came with the Pearl Rhythm Traveler 5-Piece Drum Set and use it with the DW Go Anywhere Practice Set. This has given me a more realistic setup. You can take any hi-hat set up and put a mute on it, like the HQ Percussion SoundOff Hi-Hat Mute 14″.
Practicing on the DW Go Anywhere Practice Set combined with practicing at Michiko Studios have helped me to make some significant improvements in my drumming. The drum pad set forces me to focus on precision and to really visualize the sounds that I want to come out of the instrument. When I practice at Michiko Studios, I get to refine the sounds and feels that I have worked on at home.
Hey Nick,
Thanks for reaching out. I got back from Vegas yesterday. Sorry I didn’t get back to you right away.
I guess the Pearl Rhythm Traveler would be an ok set.
Those mesh heads were poorly made even when I played light jazz. I had to constantly tighten them.
Depending on how much you plan to use it, it might be a good set.
Currently, that DW practice kit has been amazing for me. I’ve gotten more practice done on that then when I had a drum set in my parents basement as a kid.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
What is your opinion for the pearl traveler set for a beginner who needs to keep the volume down relatively low? I don’t exactly whale on my percussion instruments, so would you say it is just your playing style or the drum heads are just poorly made? A response would be appreciated. Thank you for your article!