Mirco
195 posts
Aug 30, 2014
8:33 PM
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I live in an apartment complex, where the walls are thin and all the buildings are pretty close together. What is the rule of thumb for practicing a musical instrument, as far as courtesy? Of course, the key of harmonica makes a huge difference. (An A isn't as bad as, say, a D, which you could probably hear a block away)
Generally, I have 9:00 PM as my cut-off, then I'll go out to my car. No one's complained, but I don't want things to get to that point. Is 9:00 PM reasonable?
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Harp Study
44 posts
Aug 30, 2014
9:09 PM
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I think 9:00 pm is reasonable. I no longer live in the apartment atmosphere, but I do remember that concern when I did. Sometimes I like to try and play very soft in situations like that as well. It is great for improving dynamic control in general.
Also I would add that some harps are quieter than other; besides just different keys as you have mentioned. The folkmaster comes to mind. They play well for a cheap harp and have a soft quiet sound which at the right time/place might be a good thing.
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JustFuya
435 posts
Aug 30, 2014
10:19 PM
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When I lived in a studio apt in Hell's Kitchen I had upstairs neighbors who sang on Broadway and practiced in their own small place. Think 'Hair' at 2am but live and beautiful. No complaints from me.
It helps to meet your neighbors. I've had cops at my door but eventually I made peace with my neighbors by introducing myself and setting times and limits. Some love it and will sit on their porch for a better listen. Others need to sleep. I think 9pm is a well drawn line but you can blur that by schmoozing.
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bluzmn
81 posts
Aug 31, 2014
3:27 AM
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Yeah, 9PM is reasonable. The lease agreement for my apartment says musical instruments may only be played between 10AM and 9PM. The legal limit for making noise is 10PM in L.A., but if someone complains, the cops can shut you down at any time of day; of course, that usually only happens when someone is playing an amplified instrument.
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Kingley
3681 posts
Aug 31, 2014
3:34 AM
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Mirco - I too live in an apartment with extremely thin walls and can practice at any time of day or night. Simply because I play acoustically mostly when at home and I use very little breath pressure, which means I can play at low volumes. Add to that cupping the harp and I can play at a volume where the harp is barely audible in the next room. So my advice would be not to look at time curfews for your practice, but to instead look at your actual practice itself. Apart from being able to practice whenever you want too, learning to play at lower volumes will give you more control over your bends and a much wider dynamic range to your playing. Those things alone would would be worth the effort involved in learning to do it in my opinion.
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kudzurunner
4915 posts
Aug 31, 2014
4:23 AM
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I think it depends if children live nearby, since they go to bed earlier. I very much agree that it helps to make friends with your neighbors and set limits; it's much easier to accept loud amplified harmonica at 8:45 PM if you know it's going to end at 9.
I think the most agreeable time is the cocktail hour, and Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
The alternative to driving your neighbors crazy is to rent a rehearsal studio once a week for an hour or two, cart in your amp, and blast away.
Amen to Kingley's advice about making a positive virtue of being "forced" to play softly. I've occasionally practiced while on a Greyhound bus or a train, keeping it REALLY low. Make a virtue of necessity.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Aug 31, 2014 4:25 AM
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groyster1
2663 posts
Aug 31, 2014
7:16 AM
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in an apartment with thin walls,maybe you should play unamplified....my pignose amp is great for playing on my deck
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