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How to Muffle a Drum

Drums are loud. So loud, in fact, that many musicians look for space outside their homes to practice to to avoid disturbing the neighbors and fielding noise complaints. Even in performance groups, bands frequently are loud enough that they overwhelm other instruments and vocalists. Whether you are looking to practice without waking the neighbors or performing in a small space that requires a little less drum to get the sound you want, you can muffle your drums to keep them from being overwhelming.

Things You'll Need

  • Pillow
  • Drum muffler
  • Drum muffler rings
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Instructions

  1. Bass Drums

    • 1

      Remove the inside head of your drum. Turning counterclockwise the wing nuts on the bolts around the wooden sides of your drum to loosen them until you can release the clamps, and take the head from the drum.

    • 2

      Insert a pillow, or commercial beanbag-style drum muffler into the drum. Lay it on the bottom, so that it conforms to the curve of the drum. Adjust it so that it does not rattle or press on the drum heads. This deadens the resonance of the drum shell and fills some air space to quieten the drum.

    • 3

      Replace the head on the drum and tighten the wing nuts back in place to secure it. Play the drum and make any adjustments needed to get the desired results.

    Drum Rings

    • 4

      Use a tape measure to measure across the top of your tom-type drums. Measure from outside to outside, moving the tape measure to find the longest dimension across.

    • 5

      Select correctly sized plastic weighted drum rings, typically made of heavy, dense black plastic, for each of your drum heads, except the snare. The snare does not function properly with a drum muffler ring installed.

    • 6

      Place the drum rings on top of the heads of your tom drums. Fit them just inside the metal frame of the head so that they cover the outside 1 or 2 inches, depending on the ring. Play the drum and adjust as needed to compensate for any rattles or buzzes they may cause.

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