Living in an apartment

[moltar]

How do you who live in apartments in the city solve the problem of practicing piano? Do you have an acoustic in your home, or do you practice on digitals? Do you rent some place where you can go and practice? How do you go about this?

[rc]

I've been in an apartment for 3 months.  I use a digital, and I don't think the neighbours have a clue I practice piano.  Hell they probably only suspect my existance.

I have an upright at my parents house across town, it's not very convenient to get there and a lot of the time I can hardly practice because my parents are always bustling about making noise...  Or, like today, I tried to get in some practice and my Dad goes to bed early, so that puts an end to that.

The thought of lugging that piano up three flights of narrow stairs is insanity to me, and I doubt the landlords would go for it.  They're anal.

So I just live with my digital, I wish it was a grand, but I just adapt as best I can when I'm on a real piano, which is mostly at my weekly lesson.  It suits me fine for now, because I know in a year I will quit my job and study music as a fulltime student, and probably make the practice rooms my second home.

If I didn't have plans for school, I would endure under the plan of working hard to get a place of my own.

[dana_minmin]

I live in a small flat. For most of the times, my family leaves when I practise, which is quite discouraging. They said I'm playing too loud (I do play pp as well). My upright piano is lying against the wall seperating us from our next door. Luckily no complains from them yet, but I was told my practising was heard 3 or 4 doors away, by a music major . She's not complaining but I received some good comments.

Renting a studio is not quite possible in my area because the rent is high and you can't practise long. Most importantly you have to make a reservation in advance. Sometimes I can't say for sure when I'm free for practising.

I practised on an average piano on campus for the last 3 years on weekdays. The concept is similar to the rental thing you mentioned, but it's not very convinent to me.

I think the "problem" rooted from the family. If they love classical music, like my friend's parents, then everything is fine.

[dana_minmin]

I know in a year I will quit my job and study music as a fulltime student, and probably make the practice rooms my second home.

Congratulations! It's a big decision in your life. I wish I could minor in music.

I would endure under the plan of working hard to get a place of my own.

same thought 

[ramseytheii]

I have a Baldwin Acrosonic (it's a spinet) in my apartment and I have practiced as early as 9 am, and as late as 8 pm, and nobody has ever complained.

A friend of mine who had a grand piano, used to put a large piece of soft styrofoam or something, shaped like the body of his piano, over the strings, behind the hammers.  It muted about 80% of the sound.  That won't work for an upright, but it works great for a grand.

Walter Ramsey

[general disarray]

I had friends who studied and lived in NYC who had horrible problems with crabby neighbors.  One was threatened with eviction.   

I also had a coach for a brief time who studied with David Bar-Illan and she said the lid of his Steinway in his NY apartment was practically nailed shut, covered with a heavy tapestry, had felt strung across the strings and each leg of the piano rested in ugly styrofoam blocks.  She said you had to have the hearing of a dog to play the thing.

An acoustician told me once that it was "impossibe" to truly dampen a piano because buildings with wood floors and beams act as sound boards. 

You need concrete to dampen sound and he said even that failed.

I think this is why God invented digital pianos.  I know, I know, they're not the same, but what can you do in cities where people live on top of one another and don't want to hear pianists beavering away over and over again at the same passages until anyone with a brain eventually would have to run out and throw down four gin & tonics before 10 a.m.?   

[rc]

Congratulations! It's a big decision in your life. I wish I could minor in music.

Thank you.  What keeps you from minoring in music?

My thought is even if not possible now, it could be a possibility in the future.  I've been saving my money for 2 years, only to find that I need to take a course to get accepted as a student in the university (+ 1 year) .  No matter, the music program will still be there.

As for your family, it could be a courtesy that they're willing to leave to let you practice...  I wouldn't want to have somebody practicing while I'm trying to do my own thing, but I know a lot of people who would put their TV watching ahead of somebody's piano practice - "HEY DON'T MAKE THAT RACKET WHILE I'M WATCHING LOST!".

I have a Baldwin Acrosonic (it's a spinet) in my apartment and I have practiced as early as 9 am, and as late as 8 pm, and nobody has ever complained.

I think you use reasonable hours for that.  I'm willing to put up with noise from my neighbours during those hours.

Another advantage of a digital:  my favorite time to practice is starting at 6:30AM, and sometimes I get an inkling to play something at midnight

An acoustician told me once that it was "impossibe" to truly dampen a piano because buildings with wood floors and beams act as sound boards. 

You need concrete to dampen sound and he said even that failed.

Even with my digital, at my parents house, I was told the force from the attack could be heard through the floor

Once I was looking into what it would take to soundproof a room, and I found it would be ridiculously difficult to really prevent the sound from travelling through the walls, floor, doors, windows, duct work, even the foundation...

[dana_minmin]

What keeps you from minoring in music?

well... OFFICIAL qualification. I haven't do grades (I fired my teacher) in the last 11 years and "my qualification" stays at grade 5. It's frustrating that people only judge you on "qualification" rather than their ears. Luckily I convinced my summer course teacher to allow me taking her course at the conservatory. This course targeted on students at grade 8 or above. I prooved my "qualification" and she says, quite indirectly, I'm above grade 8 but not ready for ATCL yet . I self-taught for 6 years .

btw, I'll call my potential teacher about graded exams (grade 8  ) this weekend and I'm a little nervous having lessons again. Hopefully I can do a diploma after this.

As for your family, it could be a courtesy that they're willing to leave to let you practice... I wouldn't want to have somebody practicing while I'm trying to do my own thing, but I know a lot of people who would put their TV watching ahead of somebody's piano practice - "HEY DON'T MAKE THAT RACKET WHILE I'M WATCHING LOST!".

You reminded me I have a lovely family. But it doesn't feel great to make my music a repellant. It's particularly sad when my dad clapped because I finished practising and his suffer ended.

[birba]

I just had a midi-master "applied" to my Yamaha C3 and it works!  When I play outside of "practise hours" I just press a button and it becomes a digital piano.  During practise hours, I just say screw everyone, and practise.  Sometimes easier said than done, I admit.

[rc]

well... OFFICIAL qualification. I haven't do grades (I fired my teacher) in the last 11 years and "my qualification" stays at grade 5. It's frustrating that people only judge you on "qualification" rather than their ears. Luckily I convinced my summer course teacher to allow me taking her course at the conservatory. This course targeted on students at grade 8 or above. I prooved my "qualification" and she says, quite indirectly, I'm above grade 8 but not ready for ATCL yet . I self-taught for 6 years .

btw, I'll call my potential teacher about graded exams (grade 8  ) this weekend and I'm a little nervous having lessons again. Hopefully I can do a diploma after this.

That's good to hear!  I've also recently taken a new teacher and I think she's a much better match for me, it's great to have a good influence, I work harder in trying to match her expectations.  It's nice just to be moving forward, and then you'll soon have that grade 8 taken care of.

I think I just barely passed my grade 8 by the skin of my teeth -> .  The examiner was in a good mood, hahah, because I felt very underprepared.

You reminded me I have a lovely family. But it doesn't feel great to make my music a repellant. It's particularly sad when my dad clapped because I finished practising and his suffer ended.

That's too bad, I think I remember reading about your unfortunate piano-clashing with your family on the boards before.  Thinking back though, I always used to practice most of my fingerwork through headphones, because I didn't want everybody to hear my endless repetitions...  Only taking it to the piano after it was mostly under the fingers.

Like the General said, digitals are a godsend!

[dana_minmin]

I met with my new teacher today. I played and wowed her.  Before I play, she was skeptical, and now she'll help me with grade 8. 

That's too bad, I think I remember reading about your unfortunate piano-clashing with your family on the boards before.  Thinking back though, I always used to practice most of my fingerwork through headphones, because I didn't want everybody to hear my endless repetitions...  Only taking it to the piano after it was mostly under the fingers.

Like the General said, digitals are a godsend!

um... I'm a little bias against digitals, the touch is so different from a real one even the keys are weighted. I guess I'd break 12 digitals in a year because I played with force (to get a firm voicing on conventional pianos). My parents now allow ME to BUY a new piano after I made a call to my teacher, and I'm visiting music shops to find my new love. 

[rc]

I know what you mean, digital will never be the same as actual vibrating strings.

Good news with the new teacher! I love that feeling of taking those forward steps... 

And piano shopping!  Man that must rock.  I've got my own little beef with my parents, they have this big house, but me buying a baby grand and stashing it there is completely out of the question.  Instead I will have to get my own place, which will take a long time just to afford.  House + piano = quite expensive ...  Well, such is life

The last place I lived had an empty room and I would have been able to convince the roomies to let me put a baby grand there, but one of the roomies was such a slob that I couldn't endure to live there...  I still have nightmares.

[dana_minmin]

I'm planning to hunt for my new love soon. 

If I were you, I'd pay that funny roomate to live somewhere else and this costs you so much lower than a house.    One of my violinist friend joked that I could buy a small grand and put it in my tiny bedroom, sleep under the grand and dine on it. Treasure that grand and enjoy the touch.

I think one of the earliest furnitures I'd buy, if I have a house, would be a small grand or at least a very good upright. An oven would be the next. 

[gerryjay]

well, it was two years ago (exactly, btw) that i moved to an apartment, and strangely then that i resumed playing piano after some years. strange enough, in my former house, the piano was normally closed, in spite of the fact that the nearest neighbour was like half block away.

i did start studying in my upright, and luckily my (apartment) neighbours mostly enjoyed my practice, and there was no complaints. anyway, two things were not very well: i should limit my practice to 8 pm (and that's annoying, 'cause i'm usually awake until 3am) and i knew that people could hear my piano all-over the building, and even in the front street.

so, i decided to buy a digital, and it was such a great decision. not only my practice time is extended, but i know that i'm not boring or annoying anyone else but me... about the "touch and stuff" question, the only difference i did notice when i play a grand is that i play better, cause my practice is now enhanced and my technique is way better. basically, it's like moving from an upright to a grand, or from a grand to another one. there is also a lot of differences in the weight, sound, touch response, pedals, and so on. after some minutes of contact, it's just like playing in my own piano.

best!

[rc]

Dana:  I've heard the same thing, except my friends talked about me being homeless, living underneath the piano

and your priorities are good too, the oven isn't so important - we can go for a few days without food

[dana_minmin]

and play a few hours without [the need] answering nature's call