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.
- A roundup of recommended instruments to start fresh: instruments I’d love adults to take up as a hobby
- For adult women: solo activities you can enjoy, and a chance to discover new hobbies
- Recommended ways to kill time that you can do alone at home
- What does the “a.k.a.” you often see in artist names mean?
- What does the word “repezen” used by rappers mean?
- Fun for Kids! A Collection of DIY Musical Instrument Ideas Using Everyday Materials
- [For Men] A Collection of Hobby Ideas You Can Get Absorbed in on Your Own
- Let’s play Christmas songs with handmade instruments! Craft ideas for sound-making instruments
- [Beginner Friendly] Easy Craft Ideas You Can Do
- Handmade instruments with plastic bottles: try making flutes, percussion, and traditional ethnic instruments.
- [Music-themed Educational Toys] A roundup of toys that let you enjoy sounds
- Boost your performance by aiming for a perfect copy: key points to watch out for in a cover band
- Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for summer
Summary of quiet instruments you can play at home. Silent instruments you can play at home (1–10)
ukulele
If you like relaxed tones that evoke a tropical vibe, the ukulele is a great choice.
It’s also recommended for those who want to start a string instrument but feel hesitant because they’ve struggled with guitar in the past.
Compared to the guitar, ukulele chords are easier to fret, so it’s easier to give it a try.
The body is also smaller than a guitar’s, so in many cases you can play at home during the day.
If you’re still concerned about noise, you can reduce the volume by covering the central sound hole on the body or using other simple tricks.
MIDI pad
If you want to play a slightly unusual instrument, a MIDI pad is a great choice.
Since it’s a digital instrument, you don’t have to worry about making noise! In addition to a walkthrough by YouTuber Koji Seto, the sight of trackmaker STUTS performing on a MIDI pad has also become well known recently.
There’s a lot you can do with a MIDI pad: you can assign piano scales to each pad and play it like a keyboard, or assign different sounds to each pad like a drum machine or sampler and build beats—that’s one common style.
Rather than for complete beginners to instruments, MIDI pads are especially recommended for people who have played guitar or bass, or those interested in digital music.
Kalimba
Another recommendation is the kalimba, an ethnic instrument known for its beautiful tone that brings a sense of calm when you listen to it.
The kalimba, also called a thumb piano, originated in Africa and produces sound by plucking metal tines attached to a wooden body with your fingers.
Kalimbas come in various sizes, and smaller ones don’t produce very loud sounds, so they’re easy to play at home.
Some are decorated and look stylish and cute, which can lift your mood just by having one in your room.
A roundup of quiet instruments you can play at home. Silent instruments you can use at home (11–20)
DJ
When people think of musical instruments, turntables and mixers might not come to mind, but DJing—linking tracks together and scratching—is highly recommended.
Since it’s an electronic setup, you can freely control the volume and enjoy it without worrying about noise.
Plus, if you go with digital DJing using a DJ controller, which has become mainstream in recent years, it’s relatively easy to get started.
Another appealing aspect is the variety of play styles you can pursue—whether you want to blend tracks to create your own unique mix or master scratching for a cool performance.
theremin
The theremin is known as the world’s first electronic musical instrument.
It’s played by moving your hands closer to or farther from two antennas that extend from the body.
Of the two antennas, one controls pitch and the other controls volume.
Originally, it produces sound by being connected to an amplifier and speaker, but the easily available Moog Theremini model has a built-in speaker, so the instrument can produce sound on its own.
Of course, you can freely adjust the volume, making it suitable for apartments as well.
Proper performance requires practice, but that also means it can become a long-lasting hobby.
electronic accordion
The accordion—played with piano-like keys or round buttons and a bellows—has also become a noteworthy instrument in recent years.
Even for those with piano experience, it takes some time and practice to play it well, and many people are captivated by its distinctive tone.
However, actual accordions can be surprisingly loud, so if you live in an apartment or condo, it might not be something you can play casually.
To make it easy to play at home, electronic accordions are now being manufactured.
They have built-in speakers that let you play at low volumes, and you can also connect headphones to practice silently without projecting sound outside.
Silent upright bass
If you’re a fan of jazz or classical music, you might be drawn to the warm tone of a wooden double bass.
However, the rich low end produced by its large body isn’t exactly something you can play freely at home.
That’s why we recommend Yamaha’s Silent Upright Bass.
Since it has no body and only a frame, it allows you to play at a greatly reduced volume without amplifying the resonance of the strings.
On the other hand, when you plug it into an amp, one of the instrument’s biggest attractions is that it can recreate a tone that sounds just like a real acoustic double bass.