A Drummer's Life is a Hard Life.

Burdened (literally) with an instrument that's virtually impossible to lug around and often results in the neighbors calling the police, this article is a shoutout to all our drummers who are stuck in an apartment without access to the deafening glory that is their kit.

We have a few editorial staffers at Linear Groove who are in the same situation. They've put together a list of drumming ideas for apartment living.

#1 [Lots of] Hand Drums for your Apartment

A great solution can be to explore hand drumming. We won't pretend that we know much about hand percussion at Linear Groove, nor will we pretend that it's the same instrument, but what we will say it's a brand new avenue a lot of drummers enjoy thoroughly. Give it a shot, but be careful. It can become an addiction.

#2 Every Apartment Drummer Needs a Practice Pad [yes, really.]

Practice pads build chops, everyone knows that. But they can also be fun! Take it upon yourself to create new groove ideas with just a single surface to hash it out on. The less is more camp is a camp for a reason, a lot of great ideas come from stripping down equipment fluff and getting back to basics. Also, a pad is better than nothing at all! The worst thing you can do is not do anything while away from your kit. Say goodbye to those chops.

#3 Rental Space: Drum Outside Your Apartment

There are often old storage units, music studios, and warehouses that specialize in this type of thing. The tricky part is finding them, since a lot of them tend to have very little advertising motivation. Your best bet after a google search would be wandering around your city...it's likely you'll come upon some musicians playing somewhere. Introduce yourself and see if they have any useful advice on how to score a regular practice spot (just don't interrupt their jam).

#4 Improvise.

You're a drummer! You're good an improvising. We've heard it all, from #TBT pots and pans kits on the kitchen floor to basement arrangements with the coffee shop down the road. Visiting local collages, conservatories, and venues might open up opportunities to strike up an agreement with owners. The important thing is to network with people who share your problem, two heads are better than one, and two pockets are definitely deeper (if it comes to that!)