'I can see parents doing the happy dance around the room as they read this, and I am sure my mum wishes they were available back in the day, instead of me stealing all of the bathroom towels to place on my drums.' While gels can be applied to any size of snare drum or tom, tone rings are manufactured to fit specific drum sizes so it is important to know the diameter of your drums before ordering these. These reduce tone and volume, and the thicker the tone ring, the more dampening that is provided. Tone rings are plastic rings, usually about 1-2 inches in width, that sit atop the drum head, held in place by the rim of the drum. Gels, such as the Moongel featured in Drum Ambition videos are small gel pads that attach directly to the drum head.

Controlling this is desirable in home practice situations, as it will contribute to reducing the overall volume. Resonance is the term used to describe the ring that the drum makes after it has been played. There are products available that reduce the resonance of the drums. Sound control - Practical means of controlling drum set volume. How to get a great sound from your new drum set. How to assemble a drum set from the box - A video guide. On the upside, they are relatively low cost, look aesthetically better, and normally attach to the shell with a velcro strip to stop the pillow from shifting around. These are good, but won't dampen the drum as much as a household pillow or cushion. For those of you who may be uncomfortable with the unscientific approach above, you could always insert an EQ Pillow - small dampening pillows designed by various drum companies. It also sounds better in many cases, particularly on entry level starter drum sets.

Not only will this significantly reduce the volume, it will feel more controllable to play then a floppy, undamped drum head. The best solution is to pack the bass drum with a household pillow or old blanket that is substantial in size to rest on the drum shell, while touching both the front (the resonant head) and back (the batter head) of the bass drum. While this is certainly a value added feature, the extra plastic ring applied to the inside of the front and back bass drum heads act only to reduce the ring, or resonance of the drum, and do little to significantly reduce volume. Nowadays, many drum sets feature 'pre-damped' bass drum heads as a selling point. Sound proofing is uneconomical and largely ineffective unless you have the big bucks to do it right, and practice pad sets that emit no sound at all can be far from inspiring for newbie tub thumpers.

One of the biggest concerns for many aspiring drummers is the unescapable fact that drums are loud! Electronic drums are great but are not for everyone, and unless you have the luxury of a large property or a sound proof room, your drums and cymbals are likely to be heard around the house.

How to make a bass drum