You can muffle the drums to some extent, but usually the tone quality suffers. There are plexiglass drum isolation shields, I've seen clubs that use them because of noise constraints. There are also good quality small drums out there that take up very little room, sound good and are not as loud. Or there's the electronic route, their way better than they were. Ultimately the easy way is for the drummer not to play so hard, I realize that's not as easy as it sounds.

If we have a quieter gig, our drummer will use bamboo drumsticks. The guitarists and bass player will also bring lower wattage amps and smaller cabinets.

Paul

I occasionally jam with friends in a small soundproofed barn in the drummers back garden. When we first started he had a really loud and brash Yamaha kit which was almost unbearable in such a small space. When he later found himself a 1960s Slingerland kit the sound was so much less offensive and nicer tone too.

Rehearse is something we did for many years, a long time ago, when we were young. Now it is just a hazy memory of a long lost time. It still occurs, rarely, when we have a recording project to do.

Rev

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

Talk to him about it. If he doesn't want to play in a way that allows you to play the gigs you want to play, he isn't a good fit. That is better for both of you.

Play those Tuesday shows. You need to play those shows to get the Friday/Saturday gigs. We played weekdays in the first several years of the band, now we'll never need to play another weekday. You earn it.

Bars where there you can be too loud, are they really music bars? Or just a bar that thinks they have live music? These aren't any better than the Tuesday gigs.

Practice like you play. Don't let the drummer be louder than you in practice or it will be that way at the gig. Talking about volume and where everybody sits is a very important part of being a band.

Good drummers are hard to find, so don't easily dismiss him or draw a line in the sand. Our first drummer with RG was one of the most gifted drummers I've ever heard, but he was just too loud and it did eventually cause problems with promoters/gigs. We actually had a club owner call him out. He couldn't play the same at quieter volume. I have heard drummers that can; could be technique or style (maybe post this "attn: drummers-they may have better insight to a cure than us guitarist).

Talk to drummer first (seriously and not during practice), see if it's a technique thing. Second try smaller kit. If he doesn't have it in him then you'll have to move on. Otherwise the music will suffer and so will everyone's ears. Good luck!

Surf.The most dangerous of genres...

Surfcat

MARCH OF THE DEAD SURFERS! (2024) - Agent Octopus
THE JOURNEY HOME - Free download (2025) - Agent Octopus (Single)

BANDCAMP - Agent Octopus
YOUTUBE - Agent Octopus Surf
BANDCAMP - Reverb Galaxy

I was considering starting a thread on this topic.
Apparently I have been playing guitar way too loud all my days and practicing recently with a more volume-sensitive player who kept inveighing me to turn down further, I discover that my sense of normal volume is TOO LOUD.
The percussive sound of clean guitar rarely hurts my ears but I do notice tinnitus in quiet places these last few years since I have been practicing loud and clean to improve my surf tones.
I have had hearing tests and done very well especially considering my years, but I take this fellow’s input as a warning to prevent further hearing loss.
Are filter plugs a better solution than those expanding foam things that render my guitar an indistinct plunk? I am told that my Bandmaster is too much amp for garage practice but it’s the best moderately loud amp
I have for surf. Practicing recently I was told to turn down when the volume was parked at “2”.

Squink Out!

JObeast wrote:

Are filter plugs a better solution than those expanding foam things that render my guitar an indistinct plunk?

Yes. Definitely look into musicians' earplugs. There are a lot of great options that lower the volume without muddling the sound.

I use these: https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hearing-protection/er20.html

But there are tons of similar options, as well as higher-end custom molded ones.

Four String Fender for The Delstroyers & The Woodhavens

I like this approach. Blasting away is never much fun anyhowin the long run - ears just get 'calloused' anyhow so the loudness becomes normal. I always hated loud rock clubs and felt the punishing levels disturbing, toxic.
Surf doesn't come from rock; rock evolved away from it. SO there is no inherent ultraloudness in surf, unless you are talking about Dick Dale and his impact.

_TJYarbro wrote:

Great advice here from Jake and RevMike. I've been hammering the concept of "dynamics" since day one. "quiet intensity". So take Penetration down to as quiet a level as you can, make it fast, and push the rhythm to the front edge of the beat. Now..quieter. Quieter..a whisper (still keeping that intensity and 'push'). I found it a good exercise for getting the band to play with their ears.

Squink Out!

Lot's of great advice. I have had the same problem with our drummer, he has started using special (nylon, bamboo?) sticks when low volume is needed and it helps a lot. He also purchased a set of congas and bongos and uses these on certain indoor jobs where moderate volume is needed. These work OK, different sound than a full drum set but let us play in venues where we couldn't otherwise. And smaller (Princeton Reverb or similar) sized amps keep everything in balance.