Attention apartment-dwelling musicians:

[imported_stev]

I'm getting back into the symphonic band scene to play my euphonium, but it's pretty loud so my neighbors would turn on me when I practice. Anyone run into this problem and have any good/crazy/creative solutions?

 

[yhelothar]

mom's house

 

[gwai lo]

practice room or something somewhere

attempting to muffle it didn't help me, since i also practiced for intonation and dynamics.

 

[hanoverphist]

my roommate had a room covered with foam and cardboard egg cartons on the walls and ceiling, the floor was thick ass foam as well. we lived in the middle floor of a 3 story so i had to be diligent. he only played drums for a while there, and only during the day. otherwise all normal practices were in an air conditioned storage unit down the street. neighbors could barely hear him at all when they were home and never complained, even when id ask them for input.

 

[biggestmuff]

Purchase a practice mute

 

[thomsbrain]

I've seen musicians (trumpets and things) practicing in a few regional park parking lots. Usually no one just hangs out in the parking lot, they park and go hiking, so you can sit in your car and play without really bothering too many people.

Most urban areas have rehearsal studios for rent, but they aren't cheap because they usually need to be very secure. When I used to play in my band, we rented a large room in a huge converted warehouse that had electronic security and stuff. There were probably a hundred or so room on two stories with a freight elevator. There were some fairly big-name bands that had rooms there. It cost us $600/month, which was roughly half the cost of an apartment in the area. Many studios were shared by several bands/musicians to keep costs lower.

 

[DestinyKnight]

I play in my apartment, keep it between 5PM-8PM, play with doors and windows closed and with the bell facing a closet full of clothes. Haven't had any complaints. I play trumpet. Practice mutes are OK once in a while, but you don't want to practice with one all the time, they are stuffy and add a lot of resistance, even the silent brass systems. Talk to your neighbors and let them know you'll be practicing at a set time of day, for a set length of time and see if they have any legitimate problems with your practicing schedule (for examples: baby's bed time, night shift worker). Most people are reasonable.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: DestinyKnight
I play in my apartment, keep it between 5PM-8PM, play with doors and windows closed and with the bell facing a closet full of clothes. Haven't had any complaints. I play trumpet. Practice mutes are OK once in a while, but you don't want to practice with one all the time, they are stuffy and add a lot of resistance, even the silent brass systems. Talk to your neighbors and let them know you'll be practicing at a set time of day, for a set length of time and see if they have any legitimate problems with your practicing schedule (for examples: baby's bed time, night shift worker). Most people are reasonable.

Talk to neighbors about problems? Son, this is Anandtech where such reasonable things are never done.

 

[KentState]

I would practice and then go talk to you neighbor about some guy playing an instrument really loud. They won't suspect it's you.

 

[nerp]

Rent a practice space.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: KentState
I would practice and then go talk to you neighbor about some guy playing an instrument really loud. They won't suspect it's you.

A++++ Would read again!!!!

FYI: The apartment complexes I've lived in over the years cleared out during the day. I doubt there will be many people around in early afternoon to hear you.

 

[Platypus]

You might be a bit SOL with that kind of instrument.

I play guitar in my condo building with little problems but I can also do some things to my amplifier you obviously cannot.

Talk with your neighbors and let them know.. I've had very little problems in the past as long as you're up front with them and establish times.

 

[Fritzo]

A buddy of mine used to rent a storage unit to practice drums

 

[villageidiot111]

Yamaha Silent Brass

 

[DestinyKnight]

Originally posted by: villageidiot111
Yamaha Silent Brass

Great for emergencies and late night sessions, but terrible as a long term practice solution.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I know it's probably against the terms of the contract, but what about going to one of those "U-Store-It" type places and reting a small unit there?

Usually they have security, heat, and electricity .... in an urban area it's not gonna be cheap ... but in the suburbs it can be pretty decent ....
For example, one of the places a couple of miles from my house "Wauconda storage" charges under $100 per month for a 10x15 or 10x10 storage room (or as low as $35 a month for a 5x5 room) ...