Playing an instrument in a terraced house

[ColouringPencils]

DD is currently practising for an exam, so she's playing more than normal. Also, it's hot and the windows are open... What do you think is a reasonable amount of time to play and between what hours in a terrace house? She does play very nicely but I am aware it is still annoying 😬

5 minutes. No I’m joking OP (sort of). It’s a difficult one. What instrument is it and what are neighbourly relations like?

If she's good then I wouldn't mind at all. Our old neighbours daughter used to play violin and I loved hearing her play. What's the instrument?

Depends what instrument and how good she is at playing it. A neighbour of ours used to practice the trumpet for half an hour every day, but he was great as he used to be in a military brass band.

Clarinet. Neighbours are all nice, mostly older people but the ones immediately next door are young. She is probably practising exactly the time they sit down to watch TV... An older person in the house opposite commented how much she enjoys listening when she is in her front garden, so it can be heard from at least that distance.

30-45 minutes a day?

How long does she need to practise for? I think you need to check with your actual neighbours tbh. It’s not something that would bother me so I wouldn’t mind her practising a few hours. If it’s irritating someone though then I’d say not much longer than half an hour

I’d say up to 90 - 120 minutes a day, but only an hour at a time. I’d probably try and finish before 7pm so everyone can do what they want in the evenings, though.

A couple of hours between 10am and 7pm? After all it's a home so?this is what they're meant for - family life and all that comes with it

Buy her a clarinet mute. Or cheat and use a half pair of tights lightly stuffed in the end.
good luck for her exam! Nothing is over to hear than a well played musical instrument - except maybe drums.

Ask the neighbours!

I’m a musician and every time I’ve moved to a new house I’ve knocked on my neighbours’ doors and I explained that I’m musically noisy. I’ve said that if ever it’s bothering them to please let me know.

People are generally very good about it. I don’t practice with the French windows open as that seems obnoxious if people might be relaxing in the garden.

Also choose practice location carefully. I practise in the room that backs onto my neighbour’s staircase so that most of the sound won’t even reach her living room.

Say to the younger people
"my daughter would really like to get a drum kit but I'm trying to encourage her to continue with the clarinet"
They may say that they agree with you!

My younger daughter used to play the flute (detached house). My over the road neighbour said how lovely it was to hear her on a Summer's evening.

My DS plays cornet and I was acutely aware of neighbours, so bought a mute. He can now practise freely at all times and noone will be disturbed.

Unless your daughter is in her teens and a seasoned clarinetist I'd be surprised if her embouchure lip can hold to practice long enough to be a nuisance to anyone.

I never practiced at home for more than 90 minutes - I think that's more than enough time and reasonable if your household doesn't make additional intrusive noise.

Buying a clarinet mute might make you feel less guilty (and more jazzy) but honestly a clarinet isn’t going to carry too much if you have brick walls and when you open your windows you have to expect a bit more sound. So long as it’s not very early or very late or for a very long time of the one short snippet of music then I don’t think there’s anything to worry about and even then you can just tell your neighbours it’s exam time if they are actually bothered enough to knock on the door.

If you still want things to be a bit quieter there are some pros discussing things here:
music.stackexchange.com/questions/34585/how-can-i-practice-clarinet-quietly

I don't think it would be that much louder than a telly.

we're in a semi. I say that the DC have to end any practice by 21.00. They never do more than 30minutes at a stretch (even though I wish they would.).

Problem is, however good you are, practice is most often not pleasing to the ear - scales, long tones, working repeatedly through tricky passages to get them up to performance speed. We shut doors and windows and move away from the party wall, but that's really the best you can do.

There was a court case about piano practice being perceived as noise nuisance where a judge agreed 3hrs 9am-9pm was reasonable, so I'm sure you'll be fine!

To be honest, it's one of the neighbour noises that would bother me least.

The boy next door used to play the tuba, he wasn’t very good bless him. 😆

My neighbour used to practice on her piano for hours. It was so bad I thought it was a young child doing it!
She'd get half way through what she was playing and make a mistake and start again. Every single time.
It drove me insane.

I took my neighbour to court over his DD 3 hours a day either opera singing or flute practise. It was appalling and affected my life 100%

She was a (16 yr old) professional apparently. 3 hours of the same phrase over and over was hell. Really, hell. No set hours, My DD was affected homework wise.

I tried to negotiate set times of day and they said no.

I ended up moving.

1/2 hour, specified time of day is fine. Anything else makes you an arsehole. Really.

Really? I had screaming babies, normsl family noise and it drove me mad. Really

Well, it is. Much louder.

I think up to an hour at a time, but nothing outside of 10am-7pm