Options On Practicing Quietly
Countless times I’ve been told to "KEEP THAT RACKET DOWN". Unfortunately some people may not appreciate your need to express your musical ideas and abilities on the guitar as much as others. It’s also sometimes important to keep the relationship with these people reasonably healthy, whether it’s your neighbors, flat mates, your wife, parents or whoever. There are several ways to keep your practice for your ears only.
It also largely depends on what kind of gear you’re using and where your practicing. If you’re playing electric guitar with an amp, it depends on what kind of amp you have and what settings you put your amp on. A lot of amps come with the option of plugging in headphones. This is probably your best bet for practicing without upsetting anyone else. You have to be careful with headphones and the volume at which you play. This is because the sound is now traveling straight down into your eardrums whereas when you just play normally the sound travels out the amp and has a chance to bounce around the room and dissipate slightly. So be careful. Try and invest in some headphones that allow for the protection of your ears.
Another thing about amps is that they allow you to adjust the volume of your playing. So depending on how loud you need to have your amp while you practice, you can also just turn your amp down, but then you can lose the effect a little if you’re trying to "rock out".
You can also just have you guitar unplugged and practice that way. On most electric guitars you will get a little bit of sound just from the strings un-amplified. It’s not much but it does mean you’re sure to not upset anybody.
If you’re using an acoustic this problem may not apply to you. If people are complaining about your practice, try and find an area where you won’t disturb them. Usually if you just play in your room with the door closed you shouldn’t upset too many people with the volume. If this is still a problem you can stuff your acoustic with small pillows and this will deaden the sound quite a bit.
Another option is you find somewhere where you can play at whatever volume you want where you aren’t going to upset anyone. This could be space in a commercial area so no-one gets upset if you play loud. Practice rooms are available for hire at many music centers but this can be a problem because of transporting gear and also you have to pay every time.
There is a more extreme option in dealing with the volume of your practicing. What you can do is find some cheap foam mattresses and sound proof your room or your current practice space. The best way is to cover the windows first and then your door. If you have enough, cover your walls as well. Old carpet and large rugs are also quite good for dampening sound. You want to try and keep your room useable as well so try not to go too overboard. If you can store the mattresses in a cupboard or somewhere out of sight, that’s probably going to help.
It also largely depends on what kind of gear you’re using and where your practicing. If you’re playing electric guitar with an amp, it depends on what kind of amp you have and what settings you put your amp on. A lot of amps come with the option of plugging in headphones. This is probably your best bet for practicing without upsetting anyone else. You have to be careful with headphones and the volume at which you play. This is because the sound is now traveling straight down into your eardrums whereas when you just play normally the sound travels out the amp and has a chance to bounce around the room and dissipate slightly. So be careful. Try and invest in some headphones that allow for the protection of your ears.
Another thing about amps is that they allow you to adjust the volume of your playing. So depending on how loud you need to have your amp while you practice, you can also just turn your amp down, but then you can lose the effect a little if you’re trying to "rock out".
You can also just have you guitar unplugged and practice that way. On most electric guitars you will get a little bit of sound just from the strings un-amplified. It’s not much but it does mean you’re sure to not upset anybody.
If you’re using an acoustic this problem may not apply to you. If people are complaining about your practice, try and find an area where you won’t disturb them. Usually if you just play in your room with the door closed you shouldn’t upset too many people with the volume. If this is still a problem you can stuff your acoustic with small pillows and this will deaden the sound quite a bit.
Another option is you find somewhere where you can play at whatever volume you want where you aren’t going to upset anyone. This could be space in a commercial area so no-one gets upset if you play loud. Practice rooms are available for hire at many music centers but this can be a problem because of transporting gear and also you have to pay every time.
There is a more extreme option in dealing with the volume of your practicing. What you can do is find some cheap foam mattresses and sound proof your room or your current practice space. The best way is to cover the windows first and then your door. If you have enough, cover your walls as well. Old carpet and large rugs are also quite good for dampening sound. You want to try and keep your room useable as well so try not to go too overboard. If you can store the mattresses in a cupboard or somewhere out of sight, that’s probably going to help.
posted by guitar lessons at 10:44 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home