My primary band is a jazz quartet, and we play at a supper club once a week. When we start people are still eating dinner 10 feet from the band. So we need to play softly enough so they can still enjoy their candle lit romantic dinner and bottle of wine.

I can watch peoples faces and tell if the volume is good. If they are having a conversation without leaning in or talking into each others ears, then were good.

I use mostly brushes at first but then sticks, no special muffling, no special heads, my bass drum is wide open, just regal tip jazz sticks, but I have been playing for a while.

I understand some of your drummers are less experienced, and I guess that's the idea.

So I guess I'm just rambling. Too much coffee this morning.

Interesting to see that most people suggest that drummers need to know how to control their volume.

A plexiglass shield isolates the drums so you can mic them with no bleed from the drums into other instrument mics and vice versa. I still don't think some folks get it. To me all this talk of different heads, sticks, mufflers, isolation, etc. etc. etc. is a excuse for a drummer who can't play any style but beating the **** out of their drums. Any good drummer can play as soft as need be using any size set of drums, doing absolutely nothing to them to further muffle, or change anything. It's like , let's figure out a way to not be loud and still beat the hell out of the drums. DOH. Just play soft, listen, blend, and balance with the music and it will be smooth Sailing2. Just my 2cents. No offense intended.

Since this is a jam hole then all the suggestions about technique (which are all fantastic by the way) only apply if the particular drummer playing at the moment can effectively execute them. Odds are that will not be the case. It may be difficult to know until it is too late and the guy is already bashing away. So to that point, whatever you can do to minimize the drum volume may be in order but it also depends on the size if the space in question. Cheap MIJ kits have a tendency to be quieter due to the porus nature of Luan.

Having some percussion gear available would be cool. It's not difficult to muster up some pretty effective cajon playing for a 20 min set. I do get a little aggravated when I see drummers playing congas who obviously have no idea how to do so.

By the way, I really liked the idea of heavier sticks to play lighter. I had never considered that but it makes perfect sense.

I don't agree with Ronn Dunnett on all that he says, but this line - "There are no loud drums" - has a lot of truth to it.

Develop your touch. Learn to burn at low volumes. If you know how to yell already, try whispering.

People listen more intently when one speaks softly.

In that case, his only option has nothing to do with gear. He is going to have to look each one of them in the eye and state it quite plainly, without hesitation. And if they wont comply, he will have no choice but to make someone mad. There will be that ONE guy, who will be the idiot. There is always one of that guy at every show.

In my opinion there`s no such thing as the volume of the kit.

If they are single ply heads, you`ll be changing them by the day.

I think the Ploughman hit it on the head so to speak. The original question was , "What can I do to turn down the volume of the drums". I kind of lost site of that after reading the responses, but it is true. There are people who can't play soft or lightly. It starts with the person behind the kit.

And if you speak reasonably with someone in a friendly manner about not bashing on the drums during the quieter acoustic sets any reasonable person will try to adhere. Also there are movable baffles you can make called Gobo's that are used in a lot of studios to help isolate the sounds of guitar amps and drums that helped stop mic bleed that you could easily make. You could just move them in to place around the drums for the acoustic sets. The acrylic shield would work to but they are expensive and really makes the drummer feel isolated. Here is a gobo surrounding a guitar amp. Something a little taller, except maybe 3 or 4 of them around the kit will knock the volume down drastically. The drummer can still see and be seen. Of course you would want it to come up to the high tom level.

I used to play at an open mic at a "jamhole" of sorts where musicians of all levels were encouraged to participate and the rule was 2 songs per musician or group, unless invited to play more. Because a player with no groove is much worse than a hard hitter. So if you fit-in you might get asked to play more songs and if you sucked or were just too loud or simply a beginner then you got a chance to play 2 songs and then listen to other musicians and maybe pick up on what they were doing right so when you come back maybe you might improve. Or not.

Talking to people and having one person actually "In Charge" of the scene is going to work out best. Dampening on the drums will only encourage the hard hitter to hit harder. If you mic the drums, you could greatly increase the amount of monitor feed to the drummer of himself. Or, possibly cutting the level of monitor feed to him of the overall performance might make him tone down. I don't know how well that would work though.

If the open mic's don't hear it then you won't either = volume change.... DUH! Excited