A love of music does not die away simply because you move into an apartment, and playing an instrument takes practice, regardless of your experience. But your living situation may require altering the how and when of your preferred arrangements. Here is a closer look at some tips for learning an instrument while living in an apartment.
Read Your Lease
Before investing in an instrument, it may be worth reading your lease to ensure you have the right to play one in the first place. Many complexes and associations place limits on the type of instruments tenants can play and the volume at which they can play them. Be sure you are compliant with any rules and bylaws to avoid creating headaches for yourself.
Contact the Neighbors
Whenever you add a significant noise source into your apartment, it is a common courtesy to alert the neighbors. If you have never met one another, take the time to introduce yourself and get to know them. Let them know your intent to start playing music and work together to create a compromise if there are any problems.
Be Respectful of Time
While the life of a musician is usually one spent awake while the moon is high, the rest of the world still operates while the sun is up. No matter how close you are to your neighbors, there aren’t any tips for learning an instrument while living in an apartment that will save you when they come to yell at you for playing in the middle of the night. Being respectful of others makes them more likely to tolerate the extra noise your playing brings.
Noise-Reduction Tips
Even if you are respectful of time, the noise generated by some instruments still requires further reduction if you hope to maintain any semblance of a relationship with your neighbors. For example, one of the benefits of learning on a digital piano is that it allows you to control the volume directly. Other instruments may need dampeners or require soundproofing.