I would love to play my acoustic piano all day long, but I can't. I live in a terraced house, so whenever I want to play the piano, I need to see if my neighbours are at home, or else they will probably get annoyed. Same goes for my mom.

Isn't this the main problem for a lot of piano players here? How do you get around this?

I have a digital piano, but I rather play the real thing. It's such a shame that I'm not able to play the piano whenever I feel like it. A digital piano just doesn't give me the right experience.

I was thinking of buying something like this and put it in the attic, but there'll always be noice coming from it that might annoy the neighbours as well:

http://www.chrispleimpiano.com/inventory/Brewster.jpg

Best solution is having a million that I can spend on a new house ...

This is the down side to owning a piano if you live in a town-house, condo, apartment or other close living quarters. This topic comes up on PW fairly often, and there is no easy answer. You might search the archives here and read about the experiences other members in your situation have had and how they handled it.

I suppose you have to try to get along with the neighbors as much as possible. On the other hand, you too are paying to live there and have rights and privileges, of which owning and playing the piano is among them (most likely).

I suppose I’m very fortunate in that my closest neighbor is about 300 feet (100 yards… a football field) away. I can pound away to my heart’s content at 2:00am (or any other time) and it doesn’t bother anyone.

I hope you can find some resolution or compromise.

Rick

No don't buy a spinet!!!! That'll likely not sound that good, create noise for your neighbours AND yourself.

I would try to talk to the neighbours, first to see of they can actually hear it, secondly if it annoys them, thirdly if it does annoy or affect the neighbours, see if you will need to limit the times you can practise (not too early, not too late). That's what I did.

Good luck!

I live in a townhouse, but my music room does not connect directly with my neighbor on one side. There is a patio in between us. The music room (which used to be the dining room) opens onto the living room (it's actually all one big room). This living room does connect directly to the formal dining room of my neighbor on the other side.

I don't believe my first neighbor can hear my piano unless he is on his patio. My other neighbor can hear the piano in his dining room, but he rarely uses that room.

I restrict my playing to after 10 a.m. on weekdays (11 or 12 on weekends) and before 8 or 9 p.m. in the evening, unless I'm having a party (very rare indeed...and never after 10 p.m.).

However, we are retired people, so this schedule gives me enough time to play as much as I want.

It's harder when you're working or in school. It might help to determine the work/school schedule of your neighbors so you can work around that. Still...try to be as considerate as you can.

If the choice is between a spinet and one of the AvantGrand models, I know what I'd choose.

Until last October I lived in a flat, so was restricted to using my Yamaha S90 synth. When choosing where to move to bring up our new daughter I was adamant we would move to a detached house partly so I could get an accoustic, preferably grand piano and not have to worry about neighbours.

It meant moving outside London (though only just), but that's what we did.

If I lived in a terraced or semi-detached house I'd go and talk to my neighbours to try and discuss hours where they wouldn't mind me playing so much. If they're reasonable people you should be able to work something out. Obviously I'd also try and not place the piano near any adjoining walls if possible.

What's a terrace house?
I used to have my upright on the neighbor's wall. I used 2 home made sound absorption panels right in the back. It helped control the sound inside the small room, and I never got any complaint from any neighbor. You could definitely hear from outside, but not so much from the neighbor's house.

Also, if you have drywall, rip it out and cover the wall with Mass Loaded Vynil. The thicker the better. That will completely block the sound. Add the drywall back on top of it.

I live in a ground floor condo end unit with a neighbor above and another to one side.

There's never been an issue with my piano. The fellow upstairs says he's never heard it.

Even if he does hear it, a person has the right to the enjoyment of his property, which includes musical instruments. If you want solitude, you don't live in a condo.

On the other hand, you need to be mindful of your neighbors, also. It's about give and take.

Being on the ground floor is important, I think, as far as sound reaching other condos or apartments.

A terraced house shares walls with other houses on either side, as opposed to a semi-detached which only shares walls on one side.

I would call that a town house or since I'm from Philadelphia, a row home. Town house sounds much richer than a row home.

I think if I share any walls with anyone at all I'd just have to get a digital piano and be done with it. I'd be too uptight to enjoy playing if there were a chance of a neighbor knocking on my door to complain.

I live in row housing (share two out of four walls.) When I got my accousitic I knocked on both neighbors doors and let them know that I got an acoustic and that I wouldn't be playing before 8am or after 8pm. I also let them know that if I was disturbing them to please let me know and we could arrange for a better time. I haven't had any issues with either of them because of that.

Being considerate of others does not mean you can't play an accoustic. Go talk to the neighbors and let them know that your more than happy to work with them!

Thats my half a cent anyway.

I have currently have this issue in a townhouse despite having lived in an apartment for 4 years without anyone complaining except when I lost track of time. I've even spoken to lawyers about it because it is becoming harassment. One thing to keep in mind is that some people are unreasonable; in my particular case, I don't even have to be playing, it could be a CD of piano music of perhaps a pianist is being interviewed on the radio.

If you have reasonable neighbors, simply talking to them and arranging practice times could go a long way. Living in close quarters, one cannot expect complete silence. Given my current situation, I would only speak to someone after they've expressed concern, not prior.

Becca,

Without trying to be needlessly argumentative if I never played before 8am or after 8pm I would not bother to own a piano. From about 6:15am-7:45am and roughly 8:30pm-9:30pm are the two weekday times I can reliably count on as being available (most days) for playing. It's a rare weekday that I get more than half an hour or so outside those times. Now weekends are much more open.

But I think that's a very reasonable accommodation to your neighbors and I would have to do pretty much the same thing...and therefore it would have to be a digital piano for me.

I have a digital for those after hours myself. I'm lucky that I have the luxury of time (I keep forgeting you guys with work schedules. LOL) Thanks for reminding me.

Do you think the average (not unreasonable) neighbor would go for later? I know my one set of neighbors wouldn't but they have 3 little ones under the age of 5. I could probably practice early but I'm no early bird.

Our noise laws (both landlord and municipal) state that I can make reasonable noise from 7 to 10 pm but I'm not comfortable with that. Plus I like my neighbors no reason to aggravate them.

A silent piano is an acoustic piano where there is an option to silence the strings by means of an interposing hammer bar. Silent pianos are available from many manufacturers, including Steinway, Bechstein, Bösendorfer, Grotrian-Steinweg, Kawai, Yamaha, Schimmel and Seiler. The Gabor System is a silent retrofit for your current piano.

I like the Roland digital pianos.

Agree with Rotom and Becca (and others) when they say talk with your neighbours about it.
I remember a recent thread about one of the forum members having a very unreasonable neighbor with legal threats.

Growing up i never really thought about the noise (outside of hte room). Thankfully my family was ok about it. Actually, my parents would be screaming if i wasn't playing. My sister on the other hand....well she had to put up with it. Neighbours never said anything either. I remember doing Rach's Bells Prelude for an exam - i must have made a heap of noise. And there were lots of very late night practice sessions.

Things are different now with age. Babies/children/careers. Only time i have is late at night or early in the morning (sometimes i do both).
I recently jumped into the digital world. If not for my digital, i would barely get a couple of hours a week of playing/practice. There's a sort of freedom to be able to play through the night and not worry about the noise.

I live in an apartment with neighbours directly above and below me, but not at the sides.

When I got the piano, what I did is buy this vibration absorving casters (http://media.photobucket.com/image/piattino%20casters/supply_photo/Piattino-eBay3copy.jpg). In theory that helps with sound vibrations being transmitted to the building structure, but not helps with air transmission.

I also got some acoustic foam that absorbs sound and put it in the wall at the back of the piano. That helps a bit with air transmitted sound, but I know my neighbours can still hear me.

The third thing is not to play the piano at night or early at morning (I have a digital for that), and don't make too long sessions.

And so far so good, nobody has complained. But if I would play all day long (all day long is the extreme situation) I probably would get into hot water with my neighbours very quickly. For playing all day long you must live in a place without neighbours, or with deaf neighbours, or get a digital / silence piano, or acoustically isolate the room where the piano is in (very expensive)... otherwise you have to make an arrangement with your neighbours.

Regards,
Kurt.-

Thanks for the responses and thanks, Thehound, for explaining a terrace house.

I will write my neighbours a letter or talk to them whenever i get the chance. Arranging practice times is a bit of problem, because they are always at home. Currently I can only play the piano in the evening (because of work), so that doesn't help either.

Like Brent already mentioned, I'm also too uptight to enjoy playing if there is a chance of a neighbor knocking on my door to complain. Any noise cancellation would be great. I was already thinking about making an anechoic chamber (bet it's quite expensive.)

I guess i should quit my old digital and invest in something better. Hopefully I'll be able to purchase a large house in the future that can fit a grand piano without bothering anyone. I hope the same for you guys. Our first world problem as a piano player.

This is why I could never live in a condo, townhome, etc.

If you're using the term 'terrace house', I expect you're British. I'm living in a flat (apartment in USA) in the UK, and having an acoustic piano is simply out of the question - I'm surrounded by neighbours (neighbors in USA) on three sides, so I set out to buy the best digital piano I could find two years ago. Frankly, playing on my Roland V-Piano via headphones at any time of the day or night is so liberating and the DP's playability and 'connection' is so good that I don't miss playing on an acoustic in the least, despite never having played on a DP until I actually set out to buy one in 2010 (and I've been playing on acoustics since I was in nappies (diapers in USA)....well, almost ).

I think you might be surprised to find out how good the best DPs are today, if you have a look around.

I live in a flat. 3 direct neighbours and they can hear me also in the not-direct-neighbouring flats as well.

I checked the neighbours before I started looking into piano (way before I bought one). They had no objections.

I then bought a grand piano. It's isolated from the floor with castor cups with rubber under them.

Finally I have a strict 2-hour practice slot which makes it easy for all neighbourss to know when I will play.

Also I practice very seriously.

I'm very happy that I did not have problems so far. Any or all of above measures may help this.