Double Bass Practicing String Bass in a condo??

[chriswell]

Friends,
I have been fortunate enough to have had a house to practice my Double bass my entire life, no shared walls with neighbors. I can play to my hearts content usually I do not play after 9:00 pm. I am at that age (65) where people downsize and I would like to sell my house & move into some type of condo or Townhome (no outdoor maintenance) which would have shared walls with a neighbor.
I am concerened as to how much disturbance my playing will cause my neighbors. How much limitation it will put on my ability to play in my home.
I would love to hear your experiences.

Thank you, Chris

 

[Lee Moses]

I've never dealt with it personally, but there are several threads about this subject:

NYC jazz upright bassist, noise complaint.

DB Apartment Hunting Questions

The general take:
1. A townhouse should be much better than an apartment, as you will only have neighbors on the sides of you, as opposed to above and/or below.
2. You will have to adjust your playing times to accommodate your neighbors, regardless.
3. It all depends on your neighbors--some won't be bothered by it at all, some will be thrilled to have a musician living next door, and some won't want you playing ever.

 

[chriswell]

Has this been your personal experience? Thats depressing, doesn't a lot of it depend on the quality of the build/insulation/thichness of walls. I know that Lee Ritenour has recorded the majority of his albums at his studio/condo in Santa Monica. Thank you

 

[LouisF]

One of these should do it: Ultra Rubber Bass Practice Mute (and a large thick carpet square underneath)

Plus a conversation with the neighbors about not wanting to inconvenience them, and could the please let you know (before the pound on the walls)

 

[Ed S]

It would make a significant difference whether you would be playing on a ground level concrete slab - as in a townhome, as opposed to an upper floor condo. When I was in a 2d floor apartment, my neighbor complained about my playing. Later, on the concrete slab floor of a townhome, no complaints. Of course, maybe the first neighbor was hypersensitive and the second deaf...

If I were moving into a high rise condo, I would look for one that had a ground-level "common" room available for tenants to use, and would practice there. Or (seeing as you are in FL) play outdoors. See what the association rules allow/prohibit. But even if technically permitted, don't underestimate the unpleasantness unhappy neighbors can inspire.

Sucks, but if I didn't play bass, I certainly would not want to live nextdoor or downstairs of one.

You can do a lot to try to minimize the sound/vibration, but don't be surprised if your neighbors complain that your bass - even during the day - interferes with their "quiet enjoyment" of their space. I might look into an electric upright, which could be played through headphones.

And sure, a lot can be done with insulation. For a brief period when she attended school, my wife stayed in a very quiet, well-built apartment/condo. And you see all of these expensive buildings in NYC with pianos in them. Whether FL condos adhere to similar standards, I don't know. If yes, I would expect them to be in the pricier developments.

For these reasons, I'm hoping I can stay in a separate home - either my current or a smaller one, with the assistance of maid/outdoors service - until I am completely decrepit. By the time I am decrepit enough to feel the need to share walls, I suspect I'll be beyond much bass playing.

 

[lurk]

I've lived in NYC apartments for 50 years and have never had a complaint. I use a rubber practice mute, have a twice-folded yoga mat under the endpin, shut the window using AC in hot weather, and typically don't play more than 1-2 hours straight. Perhaps residents of this city are a little more tolerant than most despite their reputation of orneriness.

 

[chriswell]

That is very encouraging! Thank you, Chris

 

[chriswell]

The Mute that isnt for bowing is it?

 

[Ed S]

Perhaps residents of this city are a little more tolerant than most despite their reputation of orneriness.

Yeah - perhaps I was showing bias/ignorance on my part, but I was supposing Floridians (especially folk of the OP's age) might not be terribly tolerant about noise.

I wish the OP luck.

 

[chriswell]

I am not in Florida anymore the Twin Cities, I'll update my profile. Whats an OP?

 

[Ed S]

Sorry. Original Post/Poster.

Maybe Minn condos will be well-insulated to deal with all that cold!

 

[chriswell]

Well I am definetly gonna look at an end Townhome nobody above or below only one shared wall that seems to be the gist of the threads. Thanks, Chris

 

[lurk]

The Mute that isnt for bowing is it?

That rubber practice mute is better for pizz than arco. I think a lot of getting a good sound is keeping the top vibrating, the air moving, and kind of riding that and allowing the bass to speak rather than forcing it to speak. This of course is much more palpable arco than pizz and the mute does get the way of that a bit.

 

[MrLenny1]

Find a condo with a basement.
Good Luck.

 

[ctrlzjones]

(…) One of these should do it: Ultra Rubber Bass Practice Mute (and a large thick carpet square underneath)

A sneaker between the endpin and the floor can be a working substitute to replace the carpet (Those are called sneakers for a reason, you know)

 

[Jason Hollar]

Well I am definetly gonna look at an end Townhome nobody above or below only one shared wall that seems to be the gist of the threads. Thanks, Chris

This is my current situation. I’m pizz-only so I’m able to practice triple p if necessary.

I’m usually at it between 9am-noon and fortunately my immediate neighbors seem to go to work most weekdays.

 

[turf3]

Has this been your personal experience? Thats depressing, doesn't a lot of it depend on the quality of the build/insulation/thichness of walls. I know that Lee Ritenour has recorded the majority of his albums at his studio/condo in Santa Monica. Thank you

Well, the problem with the "it depends on the construction" answer, which is the lazy answer, is this conversation:

"Well, Ms. Real Estate Agent, I like the layout and appearance of this condo/townhose a lot. Now let me just take this wrecking bar and hammer and break into the shared wall here in a few locations so I can see what the construction's like..."

Yep, not gonna happen.

No one selling a place is EVER going to tell you anything except "yeah, it's totally quiet here, last night the neighbors had a four piece rock and roll band playing with full Marshall stacks in the room next to my bedroom and I never even heard a thing" - not "oh yeah, this place has tissue paper for walls, when the people three doors down roll over in bed I can hear the springs creaking".

A musician moving into a shared-walls situation needs to prepare for the situation that the neighbors will be able to clearly hear everything and won't like it. Because that's going to be the case 99% of the time. So, budget now for soundproofing, and I mean REAL soundproofing not a few squares of Sonex foam stuck on the walls.

 

[ddnidd1]

Its very difficult and very expensive to control low frequencies. Your neighbors will definitely hear your playing.

 

[chriswell]

Thank you for all the replies.

 

[klyph]

I’m usually at it between 9am-noon and fortunately my immediate neighbors seem to go to work most weekdays

This right here is the ACTUAL thing you need to consider. You mentioned in the first post your age and need for downsizing- if you move into a restricted age community (55+) you will find that many of your neighbors will be retired and invariably involved in an active, daily quest for sh!t to complain about- a miserable existence that is easily shared with the unsuspecting.
I would consider that to have a seamless existence as someone who likes to make noise, you may have to put up with some in exchange. You might want to consider a condo or townhouse in a complex where there are working people and families, whose children might contribute to your own “soundscape” but whose schedules can be worked around and whose antics might make the parents more tolerant of some disambiguated background noise (or music). Just a thought…