Serious music lessons will require thinking about a place to rehearse – without the mess and waste of neighbors’ nerves. What do you need to consider?
When a person learns to play one instrument (or even more than one), the sounds they produce at first will not seem the most pleasant in the world, even to his parents. And the first thing to take care of is soundproofing. And the instrument itself, if it is not a flute piccolo, takes a certain amount of space, so it is better to think about the place of its storage, so that the room did not turn into a warehouse. Third, if the area does not allow for music to give an entire room, you need to think about how to allocate a corner with the least losses to the space of the apartment.
Sounds of music
Even minor work with the wall surface will many times improve the results of musical experiences. And modern acoustic materials (and we are not talking about egg cartons!) will not spoil the appearance of the room.
Acoustic panels, bought in specialized stores, look pretty stylish, come in different colors, and besides the real benefits also show that the owner of the room understands the sound.
Place it toward the center
Sound engineers advise placing the place to listen to music – whether you’re a musician or just a music lover – strictly in the middle of the room, so that the sound reflections from each wall are as equal as possible. Clearly, this is ideal and, to put it mildly, not the most comfortable. You can strive at least to make sure that the place for listening to music is symmetrical in relation to the walls.
If you want to save your neighbors from noise, and yourself from unwanted sound distortions inside the room, it is best to turn to professionals who will calculate everything and place soundproofing in the right places. And again: there is no need to fear that for the sake of better sound you will have to sacrifice beauty.
Take it seriously
Do not forget that soundproofing is necessary including the musician himself – bare walls reflect sound well, which distorts the real picture. And if the room is used not only for rehearsals, but also to work with sound processing, you need to worry about this problem before you think about decorating.
It is important to understand what the room will be used for: rehearsals, composing, working with sound. Of course, immediately you want to combine all this in one place, but, as experience shows, there are no universal rooms, and one aspect of the musical life of the room will necessarily outweigh.
Storage of Instruments
Another pressing problem is where to find a place for all instruments. If there is only one at home (and it’s not a grand piano), the issue turns out to be insignificant. But if someone collects old guitars or cellos of the same master, difficulties can arise.
And the first thing to advise is to use walls. Just screw the right number of mounts to the wall if the collection is not very large.
The instruments themselves, especially the exotic ones, will decorate any interior. If they are used very rarely at home, the instruments can be fixed with special fasteners in the frames and removed if necessary.
Another option is to create a cabinet with special compartments for tools. Try to find a trumpet, a guitar and a child’s piano here. Everything seems to be standing exactly where it has always belonged, and yet the collection of sundries, which includes beautiful instruments, does not look like a showcase in a junk shop. If your tools have some kind of history, you can display them for all to see, like exhibits in a museum.
Your Corner
It’s clear that in a two-room apartment (and even more so in a one-room apartment) to choose a place for music is not particularly necessary. Even if the size of the house can accommodate a small jazz band with a grand piano and two double bassists, it is worth thinking about the best place to rehearse. Not everyone in the family will want to spend hours listening to scales while sitting next door.
A rehearsal spot in the basement or garage can save everyone. The basement is less acoustically demanding. And when everything is roaring around, the drummer can’t hear anyone around him. Neither, however, can anyone else hear – it’s preparation for the rigors of club life.
A carpet under the drums, carpet on the walls – that’s the maximum you need for a teenage punk or rock band.
Garage is even a classic of the genre, strongly associated with American teen culture. On weekends, you can even hold small concerts here, without the fear that the musicians in a fit of passion will destroy the family china or pour soda on the floor.
