Soundproffing my piano

Hello to everyone I'm writing from Italy and this is my first message on this newsgroup and I need some suggestion about soundproffing a piano I've a vertical piano and live in an apartment and the neighborgs who live below can't stand my playing and studying piano any longer I talked with them and we decided for specific hours of the day that were suited for playing Anyway, even if I respected that hours and periods they keep ringing or phoning me asking to 'please' stop playing the piano because they can't concentrate, study or they are sick and have headache Either soundproffing the entire room or moving to a single isolated house are not available options for me I've heard though that while it's impossible to completely quieten the piano so that the neighbors won't here the music anymore, on the other hand it's possible to eliminate the vibrations trasmitted through the walls and the floor reducing the sound transmission to 40% Actually, my neighbors complaint about the 'vibration from the ceiling' not the 'piano sound' I've read some messages about ways of stopping the piano vibrations through the piano feet and to limit the sound transmission through walls Nevertheless, they are old messages and not quite clear So, I'd appreciate it a lot if someone could elucidate me about these effective 'ways' of soundproffing a piano I've heard that the only effective things that can be done are:

1) Putting the piano over a thick layer of foam rubber or acostic foam .... .... or better yet a 5 inches rubber block or 'corque' Now, the problem is that I don't know what a rubber foam, an acoustic foam a rubber block and a corque are and also I don't know where to buy them and how to use them

2) Cover the wall closests to the piano with two layers of foam carpet or big cushions Again, what a foam carpet is and where can be bought and also what does 'big cushion' mean Is it the same as sleeping pillows ? I read that if your piano is right up against a wall, then covering the wall with two foam carpet layers may be a problem, yet I don't understand why ....

Thanks to everyone in advance for any advice

The smart thing to do would be to change your phone number so when your neighbors complain, they can't call anyone <grin>.

Seriously, you can improve the sound transmission issues, but you are not likely to please these neighbors. Maybe you should go into their place and have someone play the piano (play, not bang) and see if you think the sound is excessive.

Before you spend a lot of money putting the piano (and yourself since you have to play it) on some kind of sound isolation material, this is a first step.

You didn't say what kind of keyboard you play, but if you can consider an electronic piano and play it with headphones, that should solve their problem. If they complain that the 'key noise' is too excessive, tell them to move out.

Best of luck to you. I only once had a neighbor like this. The landlord told her to leave me alone.

Gary

I had a similar problem as a child. The upright piano was in a room adjacent to the TV and there was no door to close only an doorway opening. I put newspaper between the hammers and strings. The only sound was the patter of hammers on paper. I was able to practice scales, trills, excercises, and so on, to my heart's content while the family watched TV.

Al Stevens

I had that problem once, and I bought a thick 'shag' carpet remnant (a part of a rug that the store cannot sell after they cut a carpet for a customer) from a carpet store. In your case, I would attach thick carpet to the back of the piano and not the walls and put a nice thick carpet under the piano. It's got to be thick. You don't need foam, but you need a carpet that has a lot of body to it, such as a thick 'shag' carpet. It will look funky, but it should do the trick. Shag carpets were popular in the olden days. ; ) The Seventies, I mean.

I found that a helpful addition to shag carpetting was a few layers of roofing felt (bitumen sheet) on the floorboards, then the brown carpet underfelt. The roofing felt has paper top and bottom to avoid staining. God knows if it's a fire hazard - I have np idea - but it's cheap.

I can reach all the minor tenths, major tenths where both notes are white keys, and the F#-A# tenth. But it's a stretch.

Al Stevens

You should not be disturbing your neighbors by practicing piano. You must make every effort to soundproof. I have not tried this idea so don't know if it will work, but buy an inflatable air mattress and place it under the piano, then inflate so it is just off the ground. You may have to stabilize it somehow so you can play (a few strategically placed tennis balls might do the trick; you may have to remove the wheels). Then check with neighbor to see if there is any improvement. I suspect that most of the noise is mechanical noise thru the floor. However, if the music is still going through and bothers your neighbors, then you may need a thick cloth (curtain cloth ) between the hammers and strings. You need to inflate the air mattress and/or put the damper cloth only when you think they might be disturbed. C. C. Chang; more on piano practice at

With all due respect, I think I disagree with your entire post.

It is nice to not disturb the neighbors, but the neighbors have to be reasonable too. From reading his first post, I'm not sure if they neighbors are being reasonable or not (the jury is still out on this one). Negotiate reasonable hours and stay within them if at all possible. If no reasonable hours exist, then the neighbors aren't reasonable either and should be ignored.

I'd NEVER put a piano on an air mattress. There'd be no good way to stabilize it, and it would put the piano at a height that would encourage carpal tunnel syndrome.

I'd never put a thick cloth inside of my piano. I think I would damage the piano by doing this.

If the gentleman is that concerned with his neighbors, he should sell the piano and get a decent keyboard that he can play with headphones. If his neighbors still complain, then he should tell them to mind their own business, as they are too fussy.

My usual complaint from my neighbors is that I don't open my doors when I practice. However, I had one neighbor once that would stomp on her floor (my ceiling) when I would practice. I called the landlady and asked her what I could do. She told me that I should just play if I wanted. She expected that the tenant above me would call her to complain, and that if she did the landlady was prepared to tell her to autofornicate (use your imagination), because the landlady liked my playing.

I did this, and all I know is that six weeks later my problem child above me moved out.

Gary (courtesy is king, but pianists have rights too) Rimar