Build a rehearsal studio in the backyard
If you have a young aspiring musician in your home, then you might appreciate a little tip on building your own studio, soundproof enough that your neighbors won’t hate it anymore.
Okay, that may sound a bit harsh, but it may be true. Children and adolescents learning to play an instrument for the first time can be a bit difficult on the ears, both for the parents who adore them, and perhaps more so for the neighbors without the emotional attachment that can make the noise sound more melodious than what it really is. If your child has a couple years of study under his belt and is adventurous enough to start his own garage band, you’d better hope he chooses Sam’s house to practice with.
If you’re not that lucky, there are things you can do to make sure you don’t get kicked out of the neighborhood. If you have an old garden or tool shed at the back of your property, consider turning that space into a staging area. If you have a little money to invest, you can add a bit of insulation to help dampen sound (which might even improve acoustics). Another method is to buy some moving blankets. Good quality mobile blankets are dense, heavy, and large. These factors can be combined to help dampen sound transfer.
Using steel cable, eye bolts, moving blankets, and some turnbuckles, you can line the interior walls with the sound-absorbing material. When installed this way, the blankets can be removed when the instruments are not playing and closed when it’s time to start the music business.
When your child is finally out of their “garage band” days, everything can be removed without much damage to the interior walls. Who knows, by then you may have caught your breath and decide to try out your old guitar yourself.
