With so few opportunities to sit out this summer I took to giving the flat a thorough 'make-over'. I took down the heavy velvet, linen-lined curtains in my room with the intention of getting them cleaned but the room looked so much better without them I decided to bin them. Light now pours into my room (except at night ) but that was nothing to when I came to play my violin. Wow! - I nearly deafened myself!!! The sound is absolutely amazing - it's like I've just got a different and much more expensive instrument - and all I've done is taken down the curtains.

Get rid of the carpet too and see what that will do! I have a tiled floor in my studio, and painted walls, no wallpaper, a very high ceiling rather like a small barn and one window with a light curtain that is tied back most of the time. It is a fabulous place to play and sing.

I play in the bathroom sometimes. It is quite a big room with a tiled floor and no soft furnishings of any kind.

That's funny - I love to play in the bathroom, too. Ours has such great accoustics!!

And does the rest of the family think you're strange?

[quote name='kerioboe' date='Aug 31 2007, 10:17 PM' post='582959']
[quote name='hillyb' post='582955' date='Aug 31 2007, 11:15 PM']
[quote name='kerioboe' post='582950' date='Aug 31 2007, 10:08 PM']
I play in the bathroom sometimes. It is quite a big room with a tiled floor and no soft furnishings of any kind.
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That's funny - I love to play in the bathroom, too. Ours has such great accoustics!!
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And does the rest of the family think you're strange?
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Probably! But that's not just to do with playing instruments in the bathroom!!!

I don't mind suffering for my art Petrat but not to the extent that I'll get rid of my lovey deep-pile carpet - I've got really tempermental feet! Besides if the resonance gets more extreme than sans curtains I'll have to play with ear plugs

You could cut carpet squares to wear on your feet!

and would that be sitting or standing?

I love practicing in our kitchen because the accoustics are quite nice in there.

He he It could be either!!

I've never thought of it in this positive way - just that I was glad the carpet and curtains absorbed loads of the sound for the sake of the neighbours! I must try in the kitch soon, huh? Might even make ME sound good, but that isn't likely.....

The kitchen works well for me! The dining room, where the piano is, is dreadful - it's like singing with a duvet over my head. Though some might say that's an improvement!

My piano is in the kitchen.

I like to play in the bathroom sometimes but that's only when my aunt and uncle aren't at home! Or else I think I will get very weird comments!

On the landing at the top of the stairs.

The house I live in dates from the late 1920s/early 1930s, so the ceilings are reasonably high anyway, but the stairs and landing combined make for a real concert hall effect.

My flute student's family are replacing all their carpets. Had our first post-holiday lesson today and I sounded amazing... I just wish it hadn't been the acoustic!

A rotten player can't sound good anywhere, so don't credit the acoustics for everything, Sarah!

When I lived in the city we had a huge georgian staircase which sounded like the Albert Hall for my clarinet. It was fabulous.

Now I live in a tiny cottage and only if I play the violin standing directly in front of the fireplace do I get any kind of ressonance.

I'm thinking of taking my fiddle up the nearby mountain though and playing some Scottish Airs to the grouse and mountain hares among the purple heather.....

Awww fanx. I know that I sounded better than I have any right to after getting so out of practice but stilll...

We have an extension with a wooden floor and a vaulted ceiling, which is lovely for playing in. However, I teach and practise in a room which is just the opposite. My reason? If I sound good in there, I'll sound good anywhere!

there is that! Though I do like to practise in good acoustics, otherwise it can get a bit depressing!

That's kinda what my teacher told me. She told me that I was working on getting a good sound in a room with carpet, curtains, a suite and hundreds of books absorbing all the sound so, when I go somewhere with much better acoustics, I'll sound fab!!

Me sounding fab!? Can you imagine? Pfnar!