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.
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A roundup of quiet instruments you can play at home. Silent instruments you can use at home (11–20)
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.
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.
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.
shamisen
If you’re interested in traditional Japanese instruments, I also recommend the shamisen.
Some people may feel it’s an old-fashioned instrument and a bit daunting for beginners, but many music stores sell beginner kits, so it’s actually easier to start than you might think.
That said, because it’s an acoustic instrument, the shamisen can be quite loud, and playing at home may be challenging.
In that case, you can use a tool called a shinobigoma (a muted bridge) to reduce the volume, or place layers of thick paper over the body of the shamisen to dampen the resonance and mute the sound.
You can lower the volume enough to play at home during the daytime, so if you’re curious, give it a try.
In conclusion
We’ve put together a comprehensive introduction to quiet instruments you can play at home. If you’re looking to start playing an instrument as a new hobby, being able to practice at home without worry is important. We covered a range from acoustic instruments with naturally low volume, to electronic instruments with adjustable volume, and even new electronic instruments designed for maximum quietness. Give any instrument that interests you a try!