There's no substitute for quiet practice. Everything you said was spot on. I found that learning songs with low volume playing greatly helped my dynamics and my ear for different situations. Keep up the great work!
I just bought my first own drumset at 44 years old. I am a multi-instrumentalist and I really appreciate your calm, professional approach on this channel. Really learned a lot from you, thank you so much!
8:00 I’d like to add that, just like for other instruments and for singers, the inability to play quietly is a stumbling block for everything(!) else you’re trying to achieve on your journey. It isn’t just about volume, it’s about the absence of fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, mastery of your limbs and muscles and in turn having the most direct, economic, precise connection between your intention and execution. In other words: If you can’t play softly when you intend to, you probably won’t ever be able to manifest the sounds and accents you imagine at any volume, soft or loud
Learning to play with intention and clarity at low volumes has gotten me a lot of gigs and made life much easier for the other musicians AND the sound engineers and venues. Yes these are smaller venues but I enjoy the intimate performance. Learning this has been a huge challenge and I’m no master but it’s made me a much better player and listener.
I completely agree with the premise of this video! I mostly play beatdown/hardcore/death metal where I am mostly playing caveman style blast beats. Nothing has ever made my playing shine more than trying to play as quiet as I can. It took about 6 months of practice for me to really notice a difference, but very worth it. I had been playing drums for 15 years by the time I started trying this so it is never too late to learn.
I do 90% of my practise quietly. And i make sure i also practise loudly, too, for the other 10%. Dynamics is key. I like the point you made that each dynamic level draws out different sounds from the kit. This I use often, a way to make a chorus pop is a 10% increase in volume, and now the kit has a few more frequencies and might interact a little more with the room. What you said about quiet with sticks is also true. Over time I can do quiet gigs with sticks, but in the early days this felt impossible.
Dynamics and usable sounds is really a conundrum. You have the drum tuning which may not be appropriate for a quiet setting (if you want to get a focused sound at quieter dynamics), so you have to factor in that. Also you can use lighter sticks but they also don't give you the fullness of sound that a larger stick will. I usually play 5As, for louder gigs I will use 5Bs or extended 5As, and for quieter stuff I will use 7As. There is some overlap between the 5A and these alternatives in both dynamic range spectrums. For technique if I want to get maximum power I will grip the stick at the end and for quieter playing I will grip the stick further down the middle. So not only the height of the stroke matters but also how you grip the stick and what muscle groups you are recruiting to play. All the best
This was probably the most "preaching to the choir" video I've seen here. Wide dynamic range has always been my favorite thing on drums, and I was kind of forced into it for the first year or so anyway because there was a period where my drum set had to be stored in my room. I think thanks to that I had a good head start on the quiet side, and wound up having the opposite problem most have: I had to learn to play loudly. I still tend towards too quiet if I'm just messing around with improvising, but at least I know I can crank it up if I need to.
I often practice dynamics, but I’ve been doing it with grooves and fills I’m making up on the spot. However, like some others have said, I’ll start to incorporate it into songs that are usually played loud(ish), I can see the value in doing this. Cheers.
All of the great drummers that I can think of use dynamics all through their playing. Being able to use dynamics effectively give so much more power to the parts when you play hard--so why not learn to play softly? If for no other reason than not drowning out the rest of the band when they get to the quiet part of the song! I know guys who do nothing but rimshots on every backbeat. It gets old, and they go through drumsticks like crazy. Thanks as always, Ben and Cody, for another great presentation (loved the "moonlight" FX!), and more super-cool grooves!
For me, playing quieter was not just about tones/sound quality, it was also about learning/memorizing/remembering songs. Through the muscle memory of heavy hitting my way through a song, I might have just subconsciously went to the next part of the song. If I "tap" my way through an entire song, at "coffee shop volume", it forces me to truly understand the arrangement of the song and anticipate the changes in a much more confident way.
Well done Ben & Cody on reaching 100K subscribers!!!!!!!!!!!!! I like to use 7A maple wood tip sticks for very quite playing. With maple sticks the tone of the cymbals and drums change and becomes mellow and warmer. PS I was hoping that in the 3 demo's they'd be played back at the same volume to show that the volume of recordings can be the adjusted to archive any loudness level.
Maple sticks have a beautiful sound, and allow you to size up with no weight penalty. For those of us with larger hands, a fatter maple stick that weighs the same as a thinner hickory is great.
Thanks so much! Great choice on the sticks. Have you tried playing softer with larger than normal sticks? It's a great experience as well and the added mass can make control a bit easier at the lower dynamics. While we appreciate that you were looking for a normalized comparison with those back-to-backs, that's not exactly what we were demonstrating. We've also done that in previous videos that are explicitly focused on volume vs. tone. Maybe it's time for another one of those soon...
From my perspective I think room acoustics can really hamper efforts even at the softest volumes. Playing high school musicals, where they frequently set the musicians up in front of the stage, can be a nightmare. Playing as soft as I can with sticks (even .500 diameter ones) still results in cymbals pinging everywhere, giving the impression of "loudness." Only way I've known to tame that is playing with rods. Where if I were actually on the stage, there wouldn't have been an issue...
I agree with your comment here. My band was a 3 piece rock band, and we got our first deal in 93…hit the touring scene for a handful of years. All the drummers I grew up listening to and admiring hit the drums with authority. I wouldn’t say it was always hard (when I think of hitting hard I think of Taylor Hawkins (RIP) and Morgan Rose), but the best word I could come up with was authority. When I was in clubs, theaters and even in the studio, our engineers and even our producers always said hit em like you mean it. I was aggressive because of it, and learned to play with serious volume but still dynamically musical…and every drummer I saw on the road was really the same. Just don’t see that like I did in the 90’s, and saw in the 80’s.
I don’t think there is any sort of shortage whatsoever of players having that ability, perhaps popular music styles have changed to include more lower dynamics
It will always be more of challenge to find drummers who are in control of a wide dynamic range (be it the louder and/or softer ends of the spectrum). That's one of the reasons why we're addressing this. The fact is, you don't get better at playing softer by practicing louder but you can get better at playing louder by practicing softer. Of course, to become adept across the dynamic range yo really need to practice at all dynamics. It's all about scaling technique and working with your body mechanics to effectively perform without hurting yourself or losing control.
A few months ago, I suffered a severe break in my left hand (bike accident, pinky through side of hand broken metacarpal). On the road to recovery, I have been forced to play more quietly. Better technique and arguably better sound has been the result. i was/am a heavy hitter, but there are beautiful sounds available using less force, and perhaps more precision. Playing less hard lets you get the stick and drum to do the work, and in my experience, especially when recording, slamming the drums can result in a smaller sound.
Sorry to hear about your accident. We hope you're on the mend and glad to hear that you've found some positive perspectives and opportunities from the experience. Cheers!
Learn it early, I say. I started playing really quiet gigs in the early 80s in jr high. I remember calls of “Use brushes!” before I had even started playing. Getting an apology later of “Oh you weren’t loud at all” from the same (previously grumpy) couple and giving them back a nose high dismissive response was oddly satisfying for me. It kept me aware of dynamic range and tone as part of the music.
Lol, I just recently had a sound engineer come over to me before a smaller show and say "this room is super live! I want you to play like there's a sleeping baby right under your snare drum. Seriously! Play with brushes only" I started off quiet, with hot rods instead of regular sticks. After the first song he came to me and apologized, telling me I can play louder.
@Kris Redus inspired me with his low volume video series. I love his style! I have a low volume setup and a full volume setup. I only just started playing a full volume kit (very much a beginner!) and the thing that shook me was that I am playing the back beat with the same velocity as a ghost note on the DB one heads. I think it will take me a few weeks to get the hang of it. Although, it is probably a valuable experience to go back and forth between the two kits. Great video!
I would like to see more videos on quiet/soft playing and technique on how to play quiet/softly. ( I don't mean using low volume cymbals/ heads). If there are other videos, what are the links?
We tend to stay away from specific technique topics on this channel as that's outside of our scope with Sounds Like a Drum. This particular episode is about as far as we go here on RUclips.
"Get a grip"... pun intended? I need to work on my dynamics and am self aware enough to know that. I've actually been working on practicing by playing along to backing tracks turned to a lower volume, which forces me to play more quietly and listen to the track more closely to hear it.
what are the advantages of things other than sticks? or things that only can be done with say brushes or some such? i dont think i have seen a video where they just went over the "not sticks" options and why oto use them.
They offer alternative sonic textures that go far beyond a simple change in volume. One of the key elements that is affected is the attack. You also often have the ability to play true legato strokes in a different manner. As for a video on this, we made this one several years ago with what ProMark offered at the time for brushes and broomsticks: ruclips.net/video/5_CsCuEhEAg/видео.html
Thanks for sharing! My problem is, playing in a rock band, how to maintain the energy and right feel while playing less loud. Any suggestions? Keep up the good work 🥁👊🏼
Thanks for the kind words. Our first recommendation would be to try practicing on your own at a variety of dynamics. Work to fine tune your balance across all limbs, hone your technique, and work on intentionality with your strike zones. These are excellent components of any practice ritual. When it comes to playing with the band, we'd recommend getting the entire band to practice together at a variety of dynamics as well. Work together to collectively convey energy and intensity without relying entirely on volume. You'll be amazed how much more energy can be present once you all have spent some time with this approach (balancing with your normal dynamics) when you're performing at whatever the appropriate volume is. As a side note, the stage volume for quite a few headlining rock bands over the years has often been a point of contention, making performances even more challenging than they need to be.
I'd like to see a video talking about the point of diminishing returns when it comes to how hard you hit the drums. I play worship and gospel and I feel like playing harder gives more energy to the song where needed. However, i would like to know what is the softest I can hit while still maintaining the big tone and high energy. Maybe do a comparison playing same songs at different levels of how hard you hit. Does it really make a difference to front of house or the listener
If you know you're going to need to play a low volume gig, does it make sense to tune the drums up higher to get "better" tone and/or response from the drums?
This is a context decision that typically requires more information to make a well-informed decision. This may shock some people here but "better tone" isn't always best for the context, especially in low volume scenarios. For example, tuning your drums a bit higher for a situation with only a bit of sound support (microphone for vocals and MAYBE for acoustic string instruments) may make improve the quality of tone at lower volumes but it may also do more to compete with the rest of the ensemble. Someone in the audience may love your drum sound but that shouldn't come at the expense of the overall performance. We tend to acknowledge to those situations where the overall performance suffers as, "the operation was a success but the patient is dead."
That’s a good start but if the band never says that you are or simply turns up, you might miss out on all of the benefits of practicing softer and more dynamic playing if that isn’t already part of your repertoire.
Well...i think trying to play real soft belongs to the categorie - limitations -....so it's like with every limitation....whether you try to get over the limitation or you say....all right, that's a challenge...let's try to make something out of it....and there's a good chance,that nice things develop out of it....or it's just fun....for a while......and the - for a while - is an important part of the game....or just another limitation... So...long live the limitation... In german we got a nice phrase that say.....in the limitation you can see,who is a master...
Thanks! We’re in a somewhat controlled acoustic space and capture audio for our videos without any added effects or processing for the sake of a delivering raw, natural drum sounds that don’t lean on post processing as a crutch.
This is a no-go. It just so happens that a couple days ago I took a decibel meter out to my drums and found that, even at the lowest feasible dynamics, drums are around 95db. The threshold where extended exposure starts wearing down your hearing is 85db. Additionally, the "immediate hearing damage" level is 120db, and the loudest note I could play reached 121. Any hearing you lose never comes back, so it's better to find some other way to learn how to play quieter.
We would strongly advise against practicing without ear plugs at even softer dynamics for any extended period of time. Permanent hearing damage is far too easy to experience.
![Tom Reso[lution] Tuning | A Pattern of Change](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dHCCCFE3xPU/mqdefault.jpg)
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
There's no substitute for quiet practice. Everything you said was spot on. I found that learning songs with low volume playing greatly helped my dynamics and my ear for different situations. Keep up the great work!
Having to learn to mind volume when learning has been nothing but beneficial to me in my progression.
What do you mean I have no dynamics?! I'm playing as hard as I can!!!
Lol.....loud, louder and very loud are dynamics!
Exactly what I came here to say!
You win the comments section today. That’s some funny stuff.
@ericessenberg3591 I heard it from some drummer but I can't remember who, maybe Peter Erskine 😆
I just bought my first own drumset at 44 years old. I am a multi-instrumentalist and I really appreciate your calm, professional approach on this channel. Really learned a lot from you, thank you so much!
We're so glad to hear that! Happy drumming!
8:00 I’d like to add that, just like for other instruments and for singers, the inability to play quietly is a stumbling block for everything(!) else you’re trying to achieve on your journey. It isn’t just about volume, it’s about the absence of fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, mastery of your limbs and muscles and in turn having the most direct, economic, precise connection between your intention and execution.
In other words: If you can’t play softly when you intend to, you probably won’t ever be able to manifest the sounds and accents you imagine at any volume, soft or loud
Yes! Absolutely. That's why we chose to title the video as we did. It's not clickbait- it's the truth!
Learning to play with intention and clarity at low volumes has gotten me a lot of gigs and made life much easier for the other musicians AND the sound engineers and venues. Yes these are smaller venues but I enjoy the intimate performance.
Learning this has been a huge challenge and I’m no master but it’s made me a much better player and listener.
I completely agree with the premise of this video! I mostly play beatdown/hardcore/death metal where I am mostly playing caveman style blast beats. Nothing has ever made my playing shine more than trying to play as quiet as I can. It took about 6 months of practice for me to really notice a difference, but very worth it. I had been playing drums for 15 years by the time I started trying this so it is never too late to learn.
I do 90% of my practise quietly. And i make sure i also practise loudly, too, for the other 10%. Dynamics is key. I like the point you made that each dynamic level draws out different sounds from the kit. This I use often, a way to make a chorus pop is a 10% increase in volume, and now the kit has a few more frequencies and might interact a little more with the room. What you said about quiet with sticks is also true. Over time I can do quiet gigs with sticks, but in the early days this felt impossible.
Dynamics and usable sounds is really a conundrum. You have the drum tuning which may not be appropriate for a quiet setting (if you want to get a focused sound at quieter dynamics), so you have to factor in that. Also you can use lighter sticks but they also don't give you the fullness of sound that a larger stick will. I usually play 5As, for louder gigs I will use 5Bs or extended 5As, and for quieter stuff I will use 7As. There is some overlap between the 5A and these alternatives in both dynamic range spectrums. For technique if I want to get maximum power I will grip the stick at the end and for quieter playing I will grip the stick further down the middle. So not only the height of the stroke matters but also how you grip the stick and what muscle groups you are recruiting to play. All the best
This was probably the most "preaching to the choir" video I've seen here. Wide dynamic range has always been my favorite thing on drums, and I was kind of forced into it for the first year or so anyway because there was a period where my drum set had to be stored in my room.
I think thanks to that I had a good head start on the quiet side, and wound up having the opposite problem most have: I had to learn to play loudly. I still tend towards too quiet if I'm just messing around with improvising, but at least I know I can crank it up if I need to.
I often practice dynamics, but I’ve been doing it with grooves and fills I’m making up on the spot. However, like some others have said, I’ll start to incorporate it into songs that are usually played loud(ish), I can see the value in doing this. Cheers.
All of the great drummers that I can think of use dynamics all through their playing. Being able to use dynamics effectively give so much more power to the parts when you play hard--so why not learn to play softly? If for no other reason than not drowning out the rest of the band when they get to the quiet part of the song! I know guys who do nothing but rimshots on every backbeat. It gets old, and they go through drumsticks like crazy.
Thanks as always, Ben and Cody, for another great presentation (loved the "moonlight" FX!), and more super-cool grooves!
For me, playing quieter was not just about tones/sound quality, it was also about learning/memorizing/remembering songs. Through the muscle memory of heavy hitting my way through a song, I might have just subconsciously went to the next part of the song. If I "tap" my way through an entire song, at "coffee shop volume", it forces me to truly understand the arrangement of the song and anticipate the changes in a much more confident way.
Well done Ben & Cody on reaching 100K subscribers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I like to use 7A maple wood tip sticks for very quite playing. With maple sticks the tone of the cymbals and drums change and becomes mellow and warmer.
PS I was hoping that in the 3 demo's they'd be played back at the same volume to show that the volume of recordings can be the adjusted to archive any loudness level.
Maple sticks have a beautiful sound, and allow you to size up with no weight penalty. For those of us with larger hands, a fatter maple stick that weighs the same as a thinner hickory is great.
Thanks so much! Great choice on the sticks. Have you tried playing softer with larger than normal sticks? It's a great experience as well and the added mass can make control a bit easier at the lower dynamics.
While we appreciate that you were looking for a normalized comparison with those back-to-backs, that's not exactly what we were demonstrating. We've also done that in previous videos that are explicitly focused on volume vs. tone. Maybe it's time for another one of those soon...
From my perspective I think room acoustics can really hamper efforts even at the softest volumes. Playing high school musicals, where they frequently set the musicians up in front of the stage, can be a nightmare. Playing as soft as I can with sticks (even .500 diameter ones) still results in cymbals pinging everywhere, giving the impression of "loudness." Only way I've known to tame that is playing with rods. Where if I were actually on the stage, there wouldn't have been an issue...
I feel like we went from everyone playing hard in the 90s and 00s, to it being very difficult to find a drummer that can hit hard when necessary atm.
I agree with your comment here. My band was a 3 piece rock band, and we got our first deal in 93…hit the touring scene for a handful of years. All the drummers I grew up listening to and admiring hit the drums with authority. I wouldn’t say it was always hard (when I think of hitting hard I think of Taylor Hawkins (RIP) and Morgan Rose), but the best word I could come up with was authority. When I was in clubs, theaters and even in the studio, our engineers and even our producers always said hit em like you mean it. I was aggressive because of it, and learned to play with serious volume but still dynamically musical…and every drummer I saw on the road was really the same. Just don’t see that like I did in the 90’s, and saw in the 80’s.
I don’t think there is any sort of shortage whatsoever of players having that ability, perhaps popular music styles have changed to include more lower dynamics
It will always be more of challenge to find drummers who are in control of a wide dynamic range (be it the louder and/or softer ends of the spectrum). That's one of the reasons why we're addressing this. The fact is, you don't get better at playing softer by practicing louder but you can get better at playing louder by practicing softer. Of course, to become adept across the dynamic range yo really need to practice at all dynamics. It's all about scaling technique and working with your body mechanics to effectively perform without hurting yourself or losing control.
A few months ago, I suffered a severe break in my left hand (bike accident, pinky through side of hand broken metacarpal). On the road to recovery, I have been forced to play more quietly. Better technique and arguably better sound has been the result. i was/am a heavy hitter, but there are beautiful sounds available using less force, and perhaps more precision. Playing less hard lets you get the stick and drum to do the work, and in my experience, especially when recording, slamming the drums can result in a smaller sound.
Sorry to hear about your accident. We hope you're on the mend and glad to hear that you've found some positive perspectives and opportunities from the experience. Cheers!
Learn it early, I say. I started playing really quiet gigs in the early 80s in jr high. I remember calls of “Use brushes!” before I had even started playing. Getting an apology later of “Oh you weren’t loud at all” from the same (previously grumpy) couple and giving them back a nose high dismissive response was oddly satisfying for me. It kept me aware of dynamic range and tone as part of the music.
Agreed! "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago...the second best time is now!" You're never to late to get started. Cheers!
Lol, I just recently had a sound engineer come over to me before a smaller show and say "this room is super live! I want you to play like there's a sleeping baby right under your snare drum. Seriously! Play with brushes only"
I started off quiet, with hot rods instead of regular sticks. After the first song he came to me and apologized, telling me I can play louder.
@@shimonemlen7691 LOL. That’s how it goes.
0:42-0:54 This section is my mindset to a T, and is also the very reason I can't understand extreme metal genres.
@Kris Redus inspired me with his low volume video series. I love his style!
I have a low volume setup and a full volume setup. I only just started playing a full volume kit (very much a beginner!) and the thing that shook me was that I am playing the back beat with the same velocity as a ghost note on the DB one heads. I think it will take me a few weeks to get the hang of it. Although, it is probably a valuable experience to go back and forth between the two kits. Great video!
I would like to see more videos on quiet/soft playing and technique on how to play quiet/softly. ( I don't mean using low volume cymbals/ heads). If there are other videos, what are the links?
We tend to stay away from specific technique topics on this channel as that's outside of our scope with Sounds Like a Drum. This particular episode is about as far as we go here on RUclips.
"Get a grip"... pun intended? I need to work on my dynamics and am self aware enough to know that. I've actually been working on practicing by playing along to backing tracks turned to a lower volume, which forces me to play more quietly and listen to the track more closely to hear it.
what are the advantages of things other than sticks? or things that only can be done with say brushes or some such? i dont think i have seen a video where they just went over the "not sticks" options and why oto use them.
They offer alternative sonic textures that go far beyond a simple change in volume. One of the key elements that is affected is the attack. You also often have the ability to play true legato strokes in a different manner. As for a video on this, we made this one several years ago with what ProMark offered at the time for brushes and broomsticks: ruclips.net/video/5_CsCuEhEAg/видео.html
Thanks for sharing! My problem is, playing in a rock band, how to maintain the energy and right feel while playing less loud. Any suggestions? Keep up the good work 🥁👊🏼
Thanks for the kind words. Our first recommendation would be to try practicing on your own at a variety of dynamics. Work to fine tune your balance across all limbs, hone your technique, and work on intentionality with your strike zones. These are excellent components of any practice ritual. When it comes to playing with the band, we'd recommend getting the entire band to practice together at a variety of dynamics as well. Work together to collectively convey energy and intensity without relying entirely on volume. You'll be amazed how much more energy can be present once you all have spent some time with this approach (balancing with your normal dynamics) when you're performing at whatever the appropriate volume is. As a side note, the stage volume for quite a few headlining rock bands over the years has often been a point of contention, making performances even more challenging than they need to be.
I'd like to see a video talking about the point of diminishing returns when it comes to how hard you hit the drums. I play worship and gospel and I feel like playing harder gives more energy to the song where needed. However, i would like to know what is the softest I can hit while still maintaining the big tone and high energy. Maybe do a comparison playing same songs at different levels of how hard you hit. Does it really make a difference to front of house or the listener
We've actually made videos about this in the past where we demonstrate the change in tone across the dynamic range for a given tuning.
If you know you're going to need to play a low volume gig, does it make sense to tune the drums up higher to get "better" tone and/or response from the drums?
This is a context decision that typically requires more information to make a well-informed decision. This may shock some people here but "better tone" isn't always best for the context, especially in low volume scenarios. For example, tuning your drums a bit higher for a situation with only a bit of sound support (microphone for vocals and MAYBE for acoustic string instruments) may make improve the quality of tone at lower volumes but it may also do more to compete with the rest of the ensemble. Someone in the audience may love your drum sound but that shouldn't come at the expense of the overall performance. We tend to acknowledge to those situations where the overall performance suffers as, "the operation was a success but the patient is dead."
I do often ask the band if I'm too loud.
That’s a good start but if the band never says that you are or simply turns up, you might miss out on all of the benefits of practicing softer and more dynamic playing if that isn’t already part of your repertoire.
Well...i think trying to play real soft belongs to the categorie - limitations -....so it's like with every limitation....whether you try to get over the limitation or you say....all right, that's a challenge...let's try to make something out of it....and there's a good chance,that nice things develop out of it....or it's just fun....for a while......and the - for a while - is an important part of the game....or just another limitation...
So...long live the limitation...
In german we got a nice phrase that say.....in the limitation you can see,who is a master...
Dryest drum audio
Thanks! We’re in a somewhat controlled acoustic space and capture audio for our videos without any added effects or processing for the sake of a delivering raw, natural drum sounds that don’t lean on post processing as a crutch.
LOL 😂
🤣
Unfortunately, the one type of control most people lack today is self control.
Fortunately, it can be learned and practiced!
Play without ear plugs.
Everyone that I see playing with ear plugs automatically plays louder, myself included.
Yeah, you will learn or lose your hearing. 😅
This is a no-go. It just so happens that a couple days ago I took a decibel meter out to my drums and found that, even at the lowest feasible dynamics, drums are around 95db. The threshold where extended exposure starts wearing down your hearing is 85db.
Additionally, the "immediate hearing damage" level is 120db, and the loudest note I could play reached 121.
Any hearing you lose never comes back, so it's better to find some other way to learn how to play quieter.
We would strongly advise against practicing without ear plugs at even softer dynamics for any extended period of time. Permanent hearing damage is far too easy to experience.