We have a neighbour who practices rock-style drums. They are really loud and we can feel as well as hear them. On the other hand, he sounds like he knows what he is doing and he is not just trying to break the drum skins. I tend to consider him a fellow musician rather than "the enemy". I want to go over and talk to him; but I don't want to say, "Hey shut up or go somewhere else!", because I know the need for practice. I would like to make some positive requests. What can a drummer do to reduce the volume he/she produces? There are two answers I can think of. One is to bang less hard; but maybe that ruins the style. Another is to go deeper into the house and close all windows, so you don't couple so much with the outdoors. Are rock drums amplified? Do they have pickups? That is, does it make sense to ask that the volume be turned down? If any of you have the problem from the other side, ie you need to practice loud and your neighbours complain, how would you like to be approached.

Thanks,

Murray