* Tips 

• Practice, practice, practice.  If you live with or near other human beings, be kind.  Put a tea towel between the cross-pieces and the hide to dampen the sound even more.
• Better yet, use Brenda's handy dandy paint brush tipper.  You can make your own with two 1" paint brushes taped together so the metal crimp holding the bristles is completely covered.  (Uncovered metal edges might damage the drum hide.)
  
  This practice tipper is solid enough to create the sturdy beat, but the brushes produce a wispy, almost jazzy sound.  It's quiet enough not to make your housemates crazy, and you may even come to enjoy the sound.