Muffling Musical Instruments
Here’s a few tips to make sure no one gets annoyed with you and to maintain neighbourhood harmony, whether you’re living and practising in a flat or a house.
2 minute read
Multiple lockdowns haven’t helped the creative arts and it’s been a struggle for musically inclined people to find alternative outlets for their passion. While a total lack of concerts or live performances and many months at home were a real struggle throughout the course of the pandemic, sometimes there’s nothing that can replace a musical practice session. It’s all very well and good if you feel the urge to get your instrument out and let off a few notes, but your neighbours may not be best pleased. Here’s a few tips to make sure no one gets annoyed with you and to maintain neighbourhood harmony, whether you’re living and practising in a flat or a house.
Violinist Chloe Hanslip said: ‘I have neighbours above, below and next door, but the majority are out in the day so I try to finish practising by the end of the workday.’
Even if you’re not a professional musician and you just like to dabble, or you’re learning a new instrument, you will have to practise at some point. You can only learn so much about your instrument by reading before you need to have a go. Modern technology is great for most electric instruments, as you can plug in headphones and be as loud as your ears can handle. Whether that’s a keyboard or something you can plug into a computer, like electric guitars or violins, you’ll have no problem switching to stealth mode if it gets too late in the day or you’re conscious about people around you. You may have to invest in a particular set of headphones or a musical adapter first in order for it to work with your computer.
For non-electric instruments, this is where it starts to become a problem. With brass instruments, like trumpets, cornets and horns, it may be the easiest solution to use a mute. There are several different types of mutes you can buy, including practice mutes and cup mutes. Some of them generate a bit of back pressure as it stifles the volume, while others can dampen the sound without affecting the feel of playing too much. With price being a factor, it really depends on how willing you are to avoid unnecessary anger of neighbours.
With woodwind instruments, it’s rarer to use mutes, but it can be done. The effectiveness varies depending on the instrument, as fingering is always an issue in regards to where the noise escapes from. Clarinets have many finger holes that make a mute almost useless. Stuffing a cloth down the bell might help dampen the noise, but will prevent you from getting the lowest notes out. Clarinet and saxophone mutes do exist in different degrees, such as a foam insert for both the top and bottom of the instrument (of a clarinet) or an entire case to surround and dampen the noise (for a sax). These can be a bit on the expensive side, though. It may be easier to consider using a softer reed, which will therefore make the instrument quieter and easier to play. That’s only half the battle though, as you’ll still be generating a lot of noise, especially if you’ve got paper thin walls. You can try padding cloths into the bell and playing into curtains to limit the spread of sound.
This won’t be of any use to flautists or piccoloists, though, who have no way of muting or padding their instrument. You can try putting a small piece of cotton wool in the head joint, which will work well on the low range, but less well on higher pitches. However, messing with the pitch of your instrument doesn’t do well in practice as you’ll become more familiar with out of tune and out of tone notes.
Drummers are notoriously loud, perhaps because of the excitement they feel or the energy they provide. Drum mutes are rubber pads that sit on top of the drumhead. As they’re made of rubber, they instantly absorb the impact of the drumsticks and any vibration they produce. The downside is that the bounce back you normally receive from hitting a drumhead is totally eliminated, giving you a totally different feel for play. When it comes to playing without a mute, it might take a little time to readjust. You can also find mutes for cymbals, which dramatically reduces the noise made.
Stringed instruments can also have mutes. These add mass to the bridge or dampen the strings behind, resulting in lower frequency vibrations. The only downside to these is that you are less able to hear the effects you’re producing as the sound is being interfered with. It is, however, recommended to practise without a mute in order to hear the full effect. Violinist Rafal Zambrzycki-Payne said, ‘I don’t think it’s particularly good for the violin and you can’t hear much.’ While they have negatives, they’re still useful for a few hours at least.
Pianos come with their own quietening technology. Featuring both soft pedals and practice pedals, these dampen the sound by shifting the hammers closer to the strings or moving them so they strike fewer strings, or by moving a piece of felt between the hammer and strings. A grand piano is very difficult to quieten when playing dramatic pieces, so a softer touch is advised.
It’s all very well muting your instrument if needs be, but nothing can replace loud practice, especially if a piece of music calls for it. Sometimes, trying to play for the consideration of other people by using convoluted methods inconveniences your playing more and you can even end up damaging your instrument (or yourself). You should try to limit your practice to a certain time period and never play too late (or early), for the sake of your neighbours. You can always speak to your neighbours first to make them aware of your schedule. If they do not allow for practice because of differing time schedules or other reasons, consider practising round a friend or family member’s home.
Alternatively, you can always try silent practice, or soundless exercises. Follow passages of music while going through the fingering to keep your mind and muscles working on solutions to phrases. Nicola Benedetti, Scottish-Italian violinist, likes to sit and look at a score doing just that.‘ I sit and look at the score and practise in my brain. I go through the piece and finger through without noise. Sometimes just reading the score is a very pure way of making decisions, for example on tempo or how you want to play a phrase.’
No matter your position, it’s important to be considerate of those around you. If you’ve done everything you can, but your neighbours are still inconsiderate or refuse to listen or be reasonable, then you may have to consider moving or hiring out a private practice room at a local studio or music shop. While soundproofing your home may sound like the most practical solution, it is often the most expensive and arduous process (and not recommended by experts). Guy Johnston, a cellist, encourages seeking help from those around you. He practises in the houses of his friends and hardly ever at his own home. ‘Don’t hesitate. Ring, write and ask friends and family. I can hardly believe that I have such good working spaces.’
