 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bigno16
Date: 2004-11-02 23:22
I personally practice in this little, rarely-used bathroom next to my own room. I like to practice there because unlike my very dead-sounding room with rugs and whatnot, this bathroom is tiled and the sound projects nicely and comes alive and I sound better than in my room.
But is this bad for me or detrimental? I mean, do you think it could make work against me by making me sound better than I actually am?
I just can't stand practicing in my own room because the sound doesn't go anywhere and sounds so dead.
Or should I practice in my dead-sounding room so that when I go into a concert hall I say to myself "Wow!"?
And do any of you have any preferences to where you practice and does it relate to this?
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Author: hans
Date: 2004-11-03 00:24
....is this bad for me or detrimental?
It might be bad for your hearing.
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Author: pzaur
Date: 2004-11-03 01:12
My only comment would be that practicing in a "dead room" will show every little mistake you make when practicing.
Make a note too short, it'll show. Make a note too long, it'll show.
It'll also make your sound seem very blah and probably fuzzy since all the sound waves are being absorbed quickly.
Playing in a live room will have the opposit effect. It can also make bad reeds sound good.
Hans also makes a very good point about practicing in a small, vibrant room. Remember that all those sound waves are being bounced around in a tight space and not absorbed by anything.
As for a preference...if I'm practicing music for a performance I want a room that will help me pick out the nuances in the music and won't cover them up with lots of reverb when I first start wood-shedding. The closer I get to a performance, the more realistic I want my practice to sound and be.
just my humble opinion from hours of practice room time...which I do not miss! Oh, to be free of the prison!
-pat
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Author: ken
Date: 2004-11-03 01:18
Both practice environments are injurious and over time, (shorter than you might think) cause long-term damage to the inner ear. Hard surfaces causing multiple deflection points create a false tone. Likewise, an overly padded surface masks an accurate tone and with the room so dead forces you to overblow to project.
A combination of both is the preferred climate. If you have to use the bathroom, hang a bedspread (at least an afghan, not a sheet) on the walls and play in its general direction. You will eventually go deaf if you do not put up something to absorb the high volume levels. I also would not do any serious practicing in the dead sounding room, the horn has to be allowed to produce a natural ring. v/r Ken
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2004-11-03 12:08
I vehemently refuse to use the practice rooms at my school. They are small, ugly, sound sucking cells that make me feel bad about myself and the temp is always 15 degrees higher than anywhere else in the building.
I try to use a classroom if I can because it is big enough to have some depth for the sound and small enough to allow me to hear all of those articulation mistakes (also doesn't echo because desks and whatnot suck up some sound.) I will use the concert hall over a practice room if need be, though. I just can't understand practicing in these tiny rooms that literally suck the life out of me when I will never perform in one. I also love playing in the concert hall because I can then "play the room" and I can become familiar with the way and time notes decay and let that become part of my performance too. I think it's important to have some idea of how the room you are performing in 'plays'.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-11-03 13:20
Although I do read in the bathroom I just never thought to bring my clarinet along. I do know that I do sound better in the kitchen and poorer out of doors. I'm undecided about whether the sound is more accurate in treated practice rooms. I do agree that young players should take appropriate steps to protect their hearing. ....and wonder what the schools are doing about it. Last row clarinet players who are subjected to loud percussion sections are at risk.
Bob Draznik
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Author: chipper
Date: 2004-11-03 14:03
I'm in the process of redoing a room in the basement for the three household musicians to use as a practice room. It measures 12x16 feet. There are three sheet rock walls, a beautiful hand laid up limestone cellar wall That I've just repointed, there will be a short knapp rug and the floor joists above will be left uncovered. This, I think will provide a balanced sound.
But the place I really LOVE to practice is the unused rackette ball court at our local YMCA. I discovered this one long dreary winter day while looking for a bit of solitude. It reverberates like crazy and really covers my mistakes
What about miking my instrument through my son's guitar amp? How do I do that and what result can I expect. He has all sorts of sound distortion equipment. Is it worth it to invest in a mike or will I end up in the same catagory as Acker Blick? A showman instead of a serious musician.
C
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Author: jmsa
Date: 2004-11-03 18:28
I was told by a professional jazz player to always go and practice in the bathroom before a gig, because the echo helps a great deal.
jmsa
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Author: clargoddess
Date: 2004-11-03 21:01
I totally know what you mean. I do not practice in my room either. I think it is to your advantage to practice in a room that will enhance the sound coming from your instrument. I personally practice in big rooms that do not have carpet. Spaces that have great acoustics usually help the musician hear the mistakes that they don't hear when they are rehearsing in a bedroom or small room.
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Author: Bigno16
Date: 2004-11-03 22:50
I could go deaf from practicing in my bathroom????
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! I don't wanna go deaf!!
::holds ears and cries::
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2004-11-04 05:38
The bathroom is the best place to practice, especially saxophone. It will give you a natural "reverb". If you are in college, it is best to practice in the bathroom of a dormitory at about 3 AM on a week night. Your sound will not only startle everyone on your floor, but will travel along the pipes up and down to the other bathrooms in the building, waking everyone up, lest they be unable to hear you through the floors. Actually, a trumpet is even better if you can play one. Everyone will think it's a fire drill...
Steve Epstein
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-11-04 13:52
I practice wherever is available at the time. I also vary it just for the sake of it NOT being in the same place all the time. Sometimes my room, sometimes the uncarpeted half of the basement, sometimes the carpeted half, sometimes the den, sometimes the practice rooms, sometimes an empty classroom, etc. etc.
Also, if you ever want to make a RECORDING of music, keep the bathroom in mind for that too.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-11-05 12:06
Chipper...you are a gem. Don't you know that the rackette court was designed originally as a practice room!
Bob Draznik
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