Practicing in an apartment

[YcazaTuba]

Hey folks! I'm getting ready to look for a new apartment. I'm looking at loft-style apartments in particular. I'm posting because I've heard two different things about practicing in apartment buildings: Some people seem to think that a top-floor apartment is best for containing tuba sound, but I've also heard that the sound travels more through the floor than the ceiling, meaning a first-floor place would be better. Do high ceilings make a difference? I'd imagine that wood and carpet are better than the more modern concrete places, so I'm staying away from those. Any ideas or experience?

Thanks!

[John Banther]

The absolute best place is top floor/corner apartment.

I have the top two floors on the corner, and where I practice is at the top, so the level below me, is me, and nothing is above me, the room that is adjacent to the practice room is my bedroom, so basically no neighbors.

That is what I looked for, and got. I can practice all day, every day, never had a complaint.

Also, when you are looking at places, knock on the neighbors' doors next to you and ask them about it.

cheers,
John

[hup_d_dup]

My experience in apartments is that floor noise, like walking or pushing furniture around is very noticeable to the people below, whereas ambient sound like music or loud conversation is somewhat more noticeable to the people above. Therefore, generally you will probably be better off on a higher floor.

The other advantage you would have is that you can put carpets on your floor, but you can't put carpets on the floor of an apartment above you, and I bet you don't want to put carpets on your ceiling.

Hup

[chronolith]

My gut feeling is that ultimately it will not matter which relative floor you go with. It will depend more on the construction and the amount of actual MASS between the two spaces. If there is thick concrete between floors then you likely can go either way. Your problem will be your lateral neighbors at that point. Low frequency sound (correct me if I am wrong experts) is harder to contain than higher frequency sound. The answer to that in my experience is has always been to add more mass between the spaces to stop the sound. If all of the floors and walls are made of wood then you may not get a good option no matter where your neighbors are relative to yourself.

High ceilings I think will only change the way the horn sounds to you in the room. As one who practices in a basement I certainly wish I had higher ceilings.

Go for the thickest walls/floors/ceilings you can find.

[Jack Denniston]

We only lived in an apartment for 6 months, and I only practiced in our apartment an hour or so a day. When we 1st moved in I went around and met all the neighbors. I explained that I wanted to practice an hour a day but I didn't want to be a nuisance. I asked when would be the best time for them. They all said during the dinner hour, so that's when I practiced. I never had any complaints.

[Biggs]

We only lived in an apartment for 6 months, and I only practiced in our apartment an hour or so a day. When we 1st moved in I went around and met all the neighbors. I explained that I wanted to practice an hour a day but I didn't want to be a nuisance. I asked when would be the best time for them. They all said during the dinner hour, so that's when I practiced. I never had any complaints.

^this.

Limit your practicing to a sane hour (between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. is my rule of thumb) and you can avoid 99% of conflicts. Also, mutes are an option. I just bought a set of trap set mutes because I figured my neighbors might be tired of cymbal crashes and the practice experience seems to have improved for everyone involved.

[Steve Marcus]

Even in a suburban apartment complex where people are generally friendly to each other...

Before my wife and I signed the lease, we checked out the cinderblock firewalls between each unit. We confirmed with the leasing office that playing my tuba (I was very specific) between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM weekdays (modified for weekends) was acceptable. We even knocked on our soon-to-be immediate neighbors' doors to introduce ourselves BEFORE signing the lease.

It's amazing how, despite your own efforts to be sociable and open about your tuba playing with all your fellow apartment dwellers (the best opportunity for those conversations comes when they see you on the elevator with the tuba on your back), the neighbors themselves will never come to your door to question the "noise." If one of them wants to make an issue (usually a newly arrived tenant whom you haven't had the chance to meet in advance), they'll contact an authority rather than the simple gesture of a knock on your own door to discuss the matter.

One time, the local constabulary arrived at my door in the middle of the day asking if I had been "playing my instrument."

Of course, I said yes.

"We have a complaint, sir."

"If you'll let me know who filed the complaint, I'll be happy to discuss it with them and work things out."

"We can't reveal whom the individual is, sir. Besides, the village has an ordinance..."

"My tuba playing was approved by the General Manager of the apartments."

"We'll have to check on that, sir."

Five minutes later, the policemen were back at my door.

"You were correct, sir. The leasing office did say that you had permission. Just make sure you keep it within reasonable hours."

We learned that the tenant who complained was kicked out of the apartments 3 weeks later for playing her own recorded music too loudly and continuously. She lived 2 floors below our apartment (we're on the top floor of 5).

Fortunately, I now have an alternative site for practicing on days when my schedule permits. PianoForte Chicago where I work has a Recital Hall on the 8th floor of the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue. If the conductors on the train in from the suburbs don't give me a hard time about bringing my tuba on board during rush hour (so far, so good), I can sign myself up for the Recital Hall for my practice time. It will be interesting if the hours that I practice (usually morning) coincide with those of the tenant of the studio next door, the tubist of the Gaudete Brass! If they ever do, it'll just seem like old times in university's practice rooms with their paper-thin walls!

[luke_hollis]

I prefer to play in the boiler room

[DaTubaKid]

If the conductors on the train in from the suburbs don't give me a hard time about bringing my tuba on board during rush hour (so far, so good), I can sign myself up for the Recital Hall for my practice time.

Steve, the Metra conductors have only given me a hard time once the countless times I have taken the train downtown this year with my tuba. The one time they said anything, it was because they thought it was normal luggage, in which they request it be kept in the bicycle area so that the hard plastic feet on the case doesn't mess up the seats. A completely understandable request that was cleared up as soon as I mentioned it was my instrument and I would rather sit with it.

Rush hour is always...interesting. The couple of times I haven't been able to get there early enough to secure a whole seat for myself and my tuba, I had to sit in the upper level. Thankfully I had my F tuba, not my CC so space wasn't THAT big of a problem. But those times I had to sit in one of the single seats with the tuba between my legs. Not the most comfortable of train rides, but it sure beat walking!

*Edit* Of course, I was referring to returning to the suburbs during rush now, not heading downtown. Arriving early doesn't really do you much good then...

[Tubajug]

Low frequency sound (correct me if I am wrong experts) is harder to contain than higher frequency sound.

That is correct. Elephants are able to communicate for miles across the savannah using sounds below our hearing range because the low frequency waves don't break up as much as high frequencies when they encounter things like rocks, trees, etc. (I was an elephant nut before I became a music nut. I'm still an WWII airplane nut. I guess I'm just a nut. Mmm...cashews....)

[UDELBR]

In NYC years ago, I cut a deal with a nearby church: $100 a month for 2 hours a day practicing in their sanctuary. Everybody won.

[Bob Kolada]

I keep it between 10ishAM and 8PM. Despite the fact that I don't really practice music anymore, the only comments I get are when passing neighbors coming and going, infrequently at best, and -always- complimentary. Really! Who would have thought pedal D's in a non-musical context would be so enjoyable?