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Keeping it down a bit


Skinnyman

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6 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

Not an option I’m afraid. She’s very, very good and plays a very nice Yamaha piano. 

Headphones are an obvious choice late at night but in the daytime and early evening I’d like the option of playing through an amp or just listening to the stereo without causing the neighbours any issues.

It obviously makes sense to talk to the neighbours and I’ll do that but I’m also wondering if there are any practical solutions that might help too....

My mum has a lovely Yamaha Clavinova which cost her about £5000 5 or 6 years ago, it's an amazing bit of kit, it sounds and plays like a real piano but with the flick of a switch it will convert to silent with headphones out or output to the stereo, she was a concert pianist with a hand built upright piano for over 40 years so she was extremely picky about replacing it but she has been really happy with this Yamaha, I wonder if that might be an option as I know how loud a piano at full Rachmaninoff can be!

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5 hours ago, casapete said:

I honestly believe you have a right to a quiet environment in your own home, and anyone regularly disrupting this should be advised it won’t be tolerated

I understand where you are coming from with this, but there are factors that have to be considered. Some houses are just poorly constructed and even music played at appropriate levels travels to next door neighbours. In these circumstances a balance has to be struck, as inevitably your neighbours will also have to tolerate noise you make by DIY and music etc. 

However I totally agree with you about acoustic drums. I spent a large amount of money putting rock wool and 2 layers of acoustic gyprock in my detached garage, put a drum kit in it and it could still be heard in everyone House in the street. It seems I would have to drop more cash to deal with the roof of the garage... The kit went... 

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2 minutes ago, jimmyb625 said:

It's very good that you're being this considerate. However, when you discover that your new neighbours are nocturnal and bagpipe enthusiasts, you'll probably wonder why you went to so much effort.

Very true!

Or...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... they might be the head of the local environmental health department and his cage-fighting wife!

:) 

 

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4 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

thick curtains

don't do squat to low frequencies , neither do iso pads unless you share the floor.

Piano is loud and percussive with it. You better hope your neighbours like piano!

My through the wall neighbours can't hear my bass practice amp but they can hear if I get too rowdy with the rig. I never hear their TV, just an occasional thump from kid banging around. Gibraltar board multilayer fireproof wall also good for serious noise reduction!

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If it's not too late (ie: house already bought...); I'd suggest that sorting out your future neighbour's point of view on the matter as being critical, and potentially a show-stopper. If it's certain that there'll be no agro, all well and good, including any internal work, improvements or concessions you, as a couple, are willing to make (headphones, electric keys etc...). If there's a doubt, carefully consider the implications of having an irate neighbour for a number of years.
If it is already too late, Good Luck; you may need it. I play drums; our remote cottage as a choice of residence was not a coincidence. :|

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15 minutes ago, jimmyb625 said:

It's very good that you're being this considerate. However, when you discover that your new neighbours are nocturnal and bagpipe enthusiasts, you'll probably wonder why you went to so much effort.

My first guitar/bass tutor had neighbours who were, to say the least, inconsiderate. 
 

Matters came to a head after a drunken Saturday night that went on to the small hours and ended up with a screaming domestic.

At seven a.m. on Sunday morning my tutor gave them the benefit of an impromptu performance through a full Marshall stack turned up to the max.

They never made a sound after that little episode

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32 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

My first guitar/bass tutor had neighbours who were, to say the least, inconsiderate. 
 

Matters came to a head after a drunken Saturday night that went on to the small hours and ended up with a screaming domestic.

At seven a.m. on Sunday morning my tutor gave them the benefit of an impromptu performance through a full Marshall stack turned up to the max.

They never made a sound after that little episode

I did a similar thing for my parents when their neighbours wouldn't stop their noisy all night parties. Took a 3kw PA round to mum and dad's place and cranked it in the small hours during the week (having first warned the other neighbours, who were also peed off about the noise). Did the trick.

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Here, the walls are a foot thick; one neighbour says they can't hear anything and the other has not mentioned bass practice, but does have a dog that can be heard barking and howling frequently through my living room wall. If they can hear anything then I think that makes it even.

I am reminded of a singer I performed with once (that gig came up in a "worst ever gigs" thread) who awoke his neighbour by putting up a picture on an adjoining wall at around 3-4am. The neighbour came to his door to complain and, upon being told to f**k off, punched him.
When the police then arrived at the singer's summons they found his flat to contain a significant number of road signs etc., resulting in a charge of "theft of street furniture".

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34 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

I did a similar thing for my parents when their neighbours wouldn't stop their noisy all night parties. Took a 3kw PA round to mum and dad's place and cranked it in the small hours during the week (having first warned the other neighbours, who were also peed off about the noise). Did the trick.

I promised myself I wouldn’t resort to lowering myself to their level , although I might have mentioned I had an SVT rig and 2.5k PA system that could be brought into the equation.... didn’t quite come to that but I was close on a number of occasions. Looking back I can’t believe what we tolerated really, now I’m a bit older and wiser I probably wouldn’t be so reasonable.

 

2 hours ago, Roger2611 said:

My mum has a lovely Yamaha Clavinova which cost her about £5000 5 or 6 years ago, it's an amazing bit of kit, it sounds and plays like a real piano but with the flick of a switch it will convert to silent with headphones out or output to the stereo, she was a concert pianist with a hand built upright piano for over 40 years so she was extremely picky about replacing it but she has been really happy with this Yamaha, I wonder if that might be an option as I know how loud a piano at full Rachmaninoff can be!

This ^^^

It’s a more than fair compromise IMHO, and will preserve your sanity in the long run.

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50 minutes ago, casapete said:

I promised myself I wouldn’t resort to lowering myself to their level , although I might have mentioned I had an SVT rig and 2.5k PA system that could be brought into the equation.... didn’t quite come to that but I was close on a number of occasions. Looking back I can’t believe what we tolerated really, now I’m a bit older and wiser I probably wouldn’t be so reasonable.

 

This ^^^

It’s a more than fair compromise IMHO, and will preserve your sanity in the long run.

The Yamaha Silent Piano system seems like it might be an answer. It depends whether anyone will take hers in PX for a reasonable price....

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45 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

...It depends whether anyone will take hers in PX for a reasonable price....

No, no; she should keep her lovely piano, and play it as often as possible, either for quieter stuff, special occasions or when the neighbours are out (or invited in for a cocktail evening, hint hint..?). The lecky joanna would be for the more robust repertoire, scales, practising, late night romps. There must be room for another keyboard, Shirley..? o.O

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12 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

Talk to your neighbours. Tell them what to expect, let them know it won't be late, or long hours. I'd imagine your bass will be the hardest one for them to cope with - at least with the piano they'll hear a bit of a tune. So do anything you can do to keep your volume down as much as possible (headphones, unplugged), and tell them that you are doing this. You are allowed to make some noise, and as long as you are being considerate they really shouldn't mind.

They may have a baby who naps ...

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10 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

The isolation pads definitely do help with the vibration, I’ve got them at one of my houses that has bare  floorboards and you notice the difference 

You can just use polystyrene slabs or that thick foam (think it’s called sorbothane in the US) to sit your amp/speakers on 

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6 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

No, no; she should keep her lovely piano, and play it as often as possible, either for quieter stuff, special occasions or when the neighbours are out (or invited in for a cocktail evening, hint hint..?). The lecky joanna would be for the more robust repertoire, scales, practising, late night romps. There must be room for another keyboard, Shirley..? o.O

Sadly not. Not if I want all my guitars and basses to hand 😁 But the Silent Piano thing fits to a “proper” piano and just disconnects the keys from the hammers when activated, leaving them to activate just the electronics. Clever.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like it can be retrofitted so I need to have the conversation about trade in. But at least at the end we’ll have a proper Yamaha piano with the option to play it silently.

Which is nice 

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4 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

You can just use polystyrene slabs or that thick foam (think it’s called sorbothane in the US) to sit your amp/speakers on 

Yeah, I don’t think it would be very difficult to make a few, I’ve seen people use the safety matting tiles 

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1 minute ago, Reggaebass said:

Yeah, I don’t think it would be very difficult to make a few, I’ve seen people use the safety matting tiles 

What about car seat foam ? Or from sofa cushions

That’s very dense - maybe boxing your amp in on most sides with that stuff would help?

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We live in a solid 1930s semi but unfortunately the party wall is very thin.  I don't plug in any instrument in the house and if I play acoustic (guitar) I'll play in room that doesn't ajoin next door.

For a couple of years we had a noisy inconsiderate and unfriendly millenial on the other side of the wall, so I know how easily sound travels and have no intention of upsetting the nice new(ish) quiet and freindly neighbours.  I was the same with the previous good long-term neighbours.

 

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