It is true to say that the guitar is one of the great musical instruments if you know how to play it, right? There is no denying that regular guitar practice will definitely enhance your skills.
You even can spend more time practicing if you can practice the guitar quietly. In fact, there are several ways that you can play this instrument silently.
This article will give you tips and tricks to mute and tone down your guitar. Thanks to that, you can play guitar anytime and anywhere. So, how to practice guitar quietly?
How to practice guitar quietly
To clarify the ways to practice guitar quietly, we will consider the following two aspects:
Tips to play an electric guitar silently
- Using headphones when you play an electric guitar
- Practice the electric guitar without an amp
- Use an unplugged electric guitar
- Plug Into a Laptop
Tips to play an acoustic guitar quietly
- Use your t-shirt to dampen your guitar
- Consider an acoustic guitar feedback dampener
- Choose a guitar silencer
- Choose a silent travel guitar
- Use palm muting
- Choose a soundless area
There are several ways that you can practice guitar quietly.
Tips to play an electric guitar quietly?
Using headphones when you play an electric guitar
To practice the electric guitar silently, one of the most popular methods is to play it with headphones.
By simply plugging your headphones into your amp (or pedals), you can practice your electric guitar without disturbing the people around you.
However, you need to choose headphones for your electric guitar depending on the amp.
At the present age, most guitar amps have a headphone output jack. Therefore, all you need is to use an adapter-like device to connect your headphones.
Practice the electric guitar without an amp
Assuming you are going on a picnic and are ready to practice guitar in the absence of an amp with you, you have a complete alternative.
With a battery-powered portable mini amp, you can still practice with your guitar quietly without an amp.
All you need to do is prepare a battery-powered portable mini amp that can connect to headphones or earphones. By using it, you can lower the volume of your gủtar so as not to disturb others.
On the other hand, you can use a modern multi-effects pedal as another effective solution. This instrument comes with excellent built-in amp simulations that produce the same effect as an actual amp. All you need to do is just plug the headset directly into the pedal.
If the above does not work for you, you can consider a mini amp-sim device. It is an instrument that you can plug directly into your electric guitar.
The VOX AmPlug is a very popular device that can be integrated with your electric guitar. Thanks to it, you can practice anywhere.
Use an unplugged electric guitar
There is no denying that it is much better to use an unplugged electric guitar than a gagged and muffled acoustic guitar. So instead of reaching for an audio device, think about buying an unplugged electric guitar.
Plug Into a Laptop
By plugging your electric guitar into your laptop, you can hear the sound directly on your headphones. As a result, you can have a whole new world of sound at your fingertips.
In addition, this method also allows you to record your training sessions. Using this method, you can also easily play an accompaniment or just listen back to your recording to see where you made a mistake so you can improve.
This method sounds expensive, but it doesn't have to be. If you are a Mac user, all you need to do is use Garageband or a free version of Guitar Rig.
If you are one of the Windows users, you can consider other more affordable software like Reaper. In fact, the only thing you need to buy may be just the interface.
2. Tips to play an acoustic guitar quietly?
Use your t-shirt to dampen your guitar
It sounds funny, but this is actually a very effective way. You can tone down your electric guitar by using a t-shirt or two to stuff the soundhole.
In fact, your t-shirt can muffle the sound and minimize the volume. However, you may have trouble getting the t-shirt off your guitar after each play.
You can use your t-shirt to dampen your guitar
Consider an acoustic guitar feedback dampener
You can place a dampener over the soundhole if you want to practice an acoustic guitar quietly. This is even considered a great solution in case you want to perform live.
The feedback dampener is very effective at significantly reducing bass frequencies that often pass through walls. As a result, it helps you limit the inconvenience to others.
Choose a guitar silencer
To minimize the volume of an acoustic guitar, using a rubber silencer and placing it over the sound hole is also a recommended solution. Unfortunately, you may experience hearing difficulties when practicing the guitar.
Choose a silent travel guitar
If you need to move around often, it is wise to buy a quiet acoustic guitar. However, this can be an expensive option for you if you just want to practice at home in a quiet way.
While these fun guitars will help you play as softly as possible, you still need to prepare your headphones for the best results.
Use palm muting
It is true to say that heavy palm muting is very effective in reducing the volume of the guitar so that it does not disturb others.
You can completely transform your noisy acoustic guitar into a completely silent one if you use palm muting properly. Unfortunately, you can play strumming patterns if you use palm muting.
You must not let the strings get too stiff but just enough to hold enough strength when they are strummed or plucked.
Heavy palm muting is very effective in reducing the volume of the guitar
Choose a soundless area
This seems to be the most obvious way. If you do not want to disturb others while practicing the guitar, it is best to play in an area that can absorb sound such as spare room, the gym, outside, or even in the car, etc.
All in all
To solve the problem related to "how to practice guitar quietly", you can use the methods mentioned above. You can absolutely practice guitar at any time without disturbing anyone.