I think it was ShArOn StAr92 who gave me the idea for this post. Are there any of you who have people complaining about you practising? My first piano was in the lounge where the tv was. My mum would want to watch tv and I would want to practise. I asked for the piano to be moved to my bedroom but that request was not granted. Now fortunately, the neighbours do not complain. They just play their stereos loudly when I am practising.

My brother used to put unrealistic restrictions on my niece's flute practice.

I sometime think it's almost better if parents just say no to learning an instrument rather than say yes and then not let the child practice...... I wonder if they realise that they are throwing their money away apart form anything else?

My brother especially, hates me practising but he doesn't give any restrictions. But I hate people listening to me playing at home.

I practice the violin and oboe in my own room, and my brother hardly ever comes in my room because it's boring.

The piano is in a seperate room with my dad's drum kit and the collection of recorders...

My mum and dad never conplained about me practicing. Ther'e nagging me TO practice, and increaced my piano practice to 40mins a day instead of 30.
I don't know why both mum and dad nag my about pianio much more than violin or oboe

I have difficulty practicing... I start to play the keyboard and Dad comes in and moans, so I take my clarinet through to the back and he follows me.... By which time Mom has started to watch tv and I havn't got enough room in my Bedroom to play...

Sometimes(and this is sometimes) I don't have enough room in my bedroom to put my violin and oboe in a safe place.

same here... my piano was put in the living room where the tv was... everytime when my family members want to watch TV, i cant practise. Maybe next time when we move house, i should request for the piano to be moved to my bedroom instead... my neighbours didnt complain.. in fact, i was praised... LOL... well, my brother also hates my practising but my 2nd brother will ask me to stop playing... my big brother wont... however. everytime my 1st brother was studying, i cant practise either.. i dont mind people listening to me playing at home though, but i will mind if there's too many people at home... so of course i'd prefer nobody at home...

well, my mum always didnt like me playing those loud music where most of the parts are ff... everytime i play that piece, she ask me to stop immediately... so i only plays it when everyone is not in, or maybe it's also alright if my dad is in... my mum set a 'rule' for me that i can only practise before 7pm... ooo my, i really really hate this 'rule'... in the past, no such 'rule', she only have it ever since May when i really started practising for hours everyday...

hmm... but now it's holidays for me, however not yet for my two brothers... my mum goes to work in the morning around 6.15am and comes home around 3pm... my brothers come home only in the evening... so at least i can practise much more compared to last time... yeah! lucky me!


ShArOn

Life tends to ask me to stop, rather than any individuals...
Maybe I'll need to cook, or take the kids to whatever out-of-school activity is due, or go to collect them from school. Sometimes they express their disapproval of my playing by shutting any intervening doors rather pointedly, or by coming in and talking to me, or worse, start up some horseplay in the dining room, where I play. The neighbours are always kind enough to say that what they hear sounds nice, but their tastes in music are very different - loud pop - so I'm sure they're only being polite. Another neighbour will sit on the back stairs to listen - we share a stair out to our gardens - and the third set can only hear me if they are outside having a barbeque or similar, and I've left the windows open - they don't mind either, thank goodness. I did make a point of not playing the nasty-sounding avant-garde stuff unless everyone was out; and the result was that the piece was only just ready for the exam.

Fortunately my parents always took the positive view, even if it sounded absolutely awful. They didn't realise just how bad a beginner on any instrument sounds (they thought it was just beginner violinists who made a dreadful noise!), and as I impressed and improved, some of the pieces I learnt became more difficult on the ear. I wonder if I've yet been forgiven for endless repetitions of various scale passages or of high notes

I try to practise with the windows closed, but this just wasn't feasible during the very hot summer we had this year. The people whose garden backs on to ours came round for a bit of a whinge one evening (although I had been working on a very high, atonal quick study piece)

Like anacrusis, it tends to be life rather than people who get in the way. Whilst I'd love to devote more time to doing music than I manage, I have to earn a living somehow, there are always jobs around the house to do, it's quite entertaining to see my friends every once in a while, and I need to sleep.

Ditto !

My little sister also 'pretends' that she wants to study.

Yeah sometimes it is difficult to practise becos of all sorts of distractions. Normally when i practise at home, nobody will watch tv, and even if they do they will put headphones on. My neighbours don't really complain becos most of them have gone to work for most of the day.

As long as you are not practising in the late evening like 11pm afterwards, it should be fine.

maTThew

My brother complains a lot! (mostly because he doesn't like my kind of music) My mum doesn't much like me playing while she's in the room, and she also doesn't like piano music that isn't easy on the ears/widely appealing so I have to restrict what I practise at home.

They also don't like me practising long, high notes on the flute...wonder why? Oh, and piccolo's forbidden.

I'm pretty lucky as the reason we got a digital piano is so that I can practise whenever I like without distirbing anybody. My family actually like it when I play the harp! Although, I think everybody uses ear plugs when my tin whistle comes out!!

My parents don't like me practising.
I can't practice until at least 5.30pm (after school) as youngest brother is watching telly and the piano is in the same room as the TV (we have had an extension and it is the only safe room where it can be put)
I can't practice after 8.00pm as youngest brother is getting to sleep.
In this 2 1/2 hour time slot we also have time for meals (no practicing), my parent's having a 'rest' from it all (no practicing) and I have to do all my work. This generally leaves very little time during the week.
To top it all off, I'm not allowed to practice scales or Hanon for more than 10 minutes at a time as my parents say it does their head in (so I have to practice when everyone is out the house, which isn't that often).
Roll on grade 7...(next week! aaahh!)

My parents are totally against me doing anything musical. My father wouldn't even let me in the house carrying an instrument, and if i did manage to get it past the front door then it would be forbidden to leave it's case.

My mum isn't quite so bad, and can put up with my flute, but I always have to wait until I'm home alone before i play the violin or Piccolo. Also we have paper thin walls so the neighbours aren't keen on my piccolo.

My room is too small to play cello in, I usually go down to the living room, mostly my smallest brother is there watching TV though he doesn't mind

I'm moving soon to the country and getting a music room so practice will be no problem at any time of the day (apart from really late times I guess...)

I'm so sorry to hear of your experiences, CC and MM - have you any other venues where you could practise? I used to borrow the piano in the school gym to play during lunchtimes; the school was not particularly culturally minded, but the gym hall was in a wing by itself, so nobody noticed! Just as well, really.
My aunt had a sort of solution when she was learning the violin. She didn't make a nice noise, it has to be said, and really nothing ever came of her endeavours on the instrument - she proved much better as a flautist. What she did though was to lock herself in the bathroom and practise in there - great acoustics, and nobody could interrupt her as she sawed away...
Admittedly, her parents were actually in support of her efforts, it was just my mum who could have strangled her...

I grew up as the eldest of 9 children - and we lived in a 3 bedroom semi with a through-lounge with a tele, 2 cots, a piano, a drumkit, a double bass, a trombone, loads of woodwind and a dining room table, nappy buckets, toys - this is where we had to live , practice and everything . Guess what I'm trying to say is that if music is in you - you do it no matter what....

Wow, im surprised that so many people have a problem with practising. Up until grade 5, my parents had to urge me to practise the piano. And im sure they hate my awful beginner violin sounds but they've never complained. Im allowed to practise anytime, even in the lounge when people are watching tv or even when we have people over(but i they're usually pretty relaxed anyways) so i guess it works the other way round with me.

But once, these people were here and i was playing and the lady said(when i was happily playing Rachmaninov) ''It's really loud, can she not play?''. Ugh! How rude!

I'm quite fortunate, as even though the piano is in the same room as the television, my mum and sis don't seem to mind. My dad just watches the 'television' from the computer screen in another room.
However, when i brought the trombone home from school last time, there were strong objections as my standard of playing was really really bad. But anyway, I haven't touched a trombone ever since i left high school.

The neighbours are pretty unhelpful towards me when it comes to practice. I try and use a mute most of the time, but when you have to play ff then you just cant use one!!!!!


I wish they'd be more considerate towards us brass players!!!!!!!

It's lucky we live in an old house with quite thick walls so the neighbours won't here too much. Last year we had a Student next door who played drums. The strange thing is it never bothered me, but when our relatives stayed they did nothing but moan about it!

The girls practice in either of our lounges, sometimes one in each, even my husband puts up with CD and Instrument noise in the backgound whilst watching the football!

I do have to negotiate over the front room with my sister once in a while...but thankfully our neighbours have never had a problem. My last neighbours were around from when I was a beginner to the point where I was nearing Grade 6, and I got a CD of Mozart Horn Concertos from them when they moved

Well we bought a digital piano about 12 years ago and it was very expensive, but still cheaper than a real piano. You can use the volume control, headphones and disturb nobody.

Now I see that the prices have actually come down! I guess that's technology. Our son practises on the digital at home, and at the teachers house he plays either a real piano or a more modern digital - in a different room.

I've played both and you can tell the difference- but only because a real piano vibrates more and you can feel the strings vibrations. However, the differences between real pianos is so great that you'd never notice if it was a digital or real.

I've noticed that more and more teachers are using the digital pianos. If they have neighbours with adjoining walls, I think that's very sensible.

I still remember when we first got it, trying desperately to practise a piece. I wore the headphones and the only thing that drew complaints were the loud grunts every time I made a mistake!

Steve

I often have to negotiate with the telly, as we only have one living room. My piano's in there, and I also teach, so sometimes I feel like a living room hog...

There are tvs upstairs - but it's almost an insult to suggest anyone uses them!

I'm saving for a digital so I can practise upstairs when it's not convenient to play the acoustic.

Depending on who's in the room though, sometimes I prefer practising alone. The temptation to provide a running commentary is too much for certain family members, and doesn't help concentration!

"Play that other piece I like!" when I'm trying to learn a new piece isn't helpful. Apparently Rachmaninov's C# min prelude is "scary" (Bach's toccata & fugue in d min also gives my sister "the creeps"...) and I should play a "nice tune we can all sing along to"

Still, at least I know my playing is inspiring the feelings of the listener.....

xxx