Nearly 5 years ago, I moved into an apartment and had to figure out how to “make drums work” in a limited space with lots of noise constraints.

I had my usual acoustic drums that I hauled out on gigs regularly, but I had to figure out how to practice consistently in my living room without disturbing my neighbors. This ended up being quite a journey, and in the end I was able to boast that I never received a single complaint from a neighbor over the 2.5 years I lived there.

I’ll tell you a little about how I did it, but first I want to focus on the biggest things that these 2.5 years taught me. Believe it or not, these lessons are valuable for ANY drummer - no matter where you live.

• Know what you need to practice. I like to call this the “diagnose and prescribe” sequence. Be aware of your weaknesses on the drums, and diagnose them. Admit that your doubles sound horrible or your backbeats aren’t consistent. Then prescribe some action...