A roundup of quiet instruments you can play at home. Silent instruments you can play at home.
When you think, “I want to start a new hobby!!” and you like music, instruments probably come to mind.
Playing an instrument is deep and rewarding to practice, and once you can play, you can perform in front of others or upload performance videos to social media.
But what many people worry about is noise for the neighbors.
“If it’s too loud, won’t it bother people nearby…?” That hesitation is understandable.
So in this article, we’ll introduce quiet instruments you can play at home.
In addition to naturally soft-sounding acoustic instruments, we’ve also picked out silent instruments that have been getting a lot of attention lately.
If any of them spark your interest, give them a try.
Summary of quiet instruments you can play at home. Silent instruments you can play at home (1–10)
silent guitar
Among instruments to pick up as a new hobby, guitars are definitely popular.
Many people admire the guitar, and it’s also a great choice because you can do simple sing-and-play once you learn a few chords.
That said, noise can be a concern with guitars.
Acoustic guitars in particular are quite loud acoustically, and even regular electric guitars can resonate quite a bit depending on the type.
That’s why I recommend a silent guitar.
A typical guitar amplifies the vibration of the strings with its body, but a silent guitar has no body, so it can be played at a lower volume than a standard electric guitar.
Of course, you can still connect it to an amp for a big sound, and you can plug in earphones or headphones to hear your own playing directly.
wind synthesizer
Brass instruments like the trumpet and saxophone are also very popular choices to pick up as a hobby.
They shine in pop, jazz, and rock, so one of their big appeals is the wide range of songs you can play.
However, brass instruments are essentially all acoustic, which means their natural sound is very loud.
That’s where wind synthesizers come in.
These are synthesizers that you play like a wind instrument; by blowing air, you can trigger the built-in sound sources.
While they’re often used by wind players for live performances and studio production, they’re also great for beginners looking to start a new instrument because you can play at low volumes and access a variety of instrument sounds.
Silent Brass
For those who want to start playing a wind instrument but can’t make a lot of noise, I recommend a wind synthesizer.
However, if you’re thinking, “I still want to play a real acoustic wind instrument!!,” then a product called Silent Brass is a great option.
It’s a type of mute that attaches to an acoustic wind instrument—think of a typical mute with a microphone and a headphone jack added.
By attaching Silent Brass to your instrument, the sound that comes out of the instrument itself is kept to a minimum, while you can clearly hear the authentic acoustic sound through your headphones.
It’s designed to feel natural to play even with the mute attached, making it possible to perform on an acoustic wind instrument at home during the day.
electric violin
There are electronic versions of the violin, the star instrument of classical music! What’s more, inexpensive models can be bought for around 10,000 yen.
Of course, compared to pricier models, there are differences in playability and sound, but the ease of getting started is a big plus.
Like other silent-type string instruments, electronic violins don’t have a body to amplify the vibrations of the strings, so the acoustic sound is very quiet, allowing you to practice at home without worrying about disturbing others.
Udo
For those interested in percussion, there aren’t many instruments you can comfortably play at home.
Even if you can control the output volume on an electronic drum kit, the thudding of the pads and the vibration from the pedals often carry into other rooms.
In contrast, a traditional instrument called the udu is very quiet, so you can play it at home with ease.
The udu looks like a clay pot, and when tapped with bare hands it produces a deep, distinctive “bohn” sound.
You can change the pitch by opening and closing the hole in the body, and the sound also varies depending on where you strike it, making it fun to build beats by combining these elements.
Otamatone
Some people might feel, “Is this really a musical instrument? Isn’t it just a toy?” But if you watch the video of a man who delivered a stunning performance with an Otamatone on an overseas audition show, you’ll surely understand that the Otamatone is a bona fide instrument.
You produce sound by pressing the tail section of the Otamatone, and the pitch changes depending on where you press.
Moving the Otamatone’s mouth alters the tone color, allowing for a variety of expressions.
It’s an instrument you can enjoy casually, almost like playing a game.
digital piano
If you’re looking for an instrument that can be played quietly, a digital piano is a classic choice.
Even if you’ve never played the piano before, one of its charms is that you can gradually improve with steady practice.
On the other hand, the piano is so deep that no matter how far you progress, there’s always room to get better, making it likely to become a long-term hobby—that’s another appeal.
There are models ranging from compact ones that fit in small rooms to large, stand-equipped versions, and the key action varies among them, so try them out in person and choose the model that feels easiest for you to play.