Piano in a flat- asking for trouble?

SiD the Turtle

SiD the Turtle

SiD the Turtle

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Evening all. I'm about to move into a first floor flat in London. A friend of mine is trying to get rid of her upright piano and I've offered to take it. I don't play (but plan to start) but my flatmate does play.

Aside from the cost of actually getting it moved and retuned am I asking for trouble with the noise it might create? Living in flats in the past, I'm very mindful of winding up the neighbours.

Also, in before 'worst I've scored a free piano thread ever'.
 
SiD the Turtle said:
Evening all. I'm about to move into a first floor flat in London. A friend of mine is trying to get rid of her upright piano and I've offered to take it. I don't play (but plan to start) but my flatmate does play.

Aside from the cost of actually getting it moved and retuned am I asking for trouble with the noise it might create? Living in flats in the past, I'm very mindful of winding up the neighbours.

Also, in before 'worst I've scored a free piano thread ever'.
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For a flat i'd definitely say you're better off getting a keyboard or something instead. Can plug headphones in if you need etc.
 
Depends how good you are.
Just think how you would like to be treated, a nice piano medly mid afternoon or early evening might be aright if your damn good, but the first tree bars of twinkle twinkle on repeat would drive me crazy.
 
My neighbours teenage son plays the piano every day. At 7am in the morning, even on weekends. Does it wind me up? YES IT DOES :mad: Not only does he keep playing the same notes over and over again, he goes into ape **** mode and plays some scary piano pieces sometimes.

Anyway, as long as you don't play at silly hours I'm sure it's fine :p
 
sigma said:
During the day you can do whatever you want so I'd go for it.
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up to a point, but it doesn't hurt to have a bit of common courtesy for your neighbours, especially if like me, you live next door to a newly qualified doctor who works a really crappy shift rotation.

not everybody works 9 to 5 after all. ;)
 
Had some arty types move in next door to an old house, piano in room opposite my bedroom and it drive me mental.
 
i believe some pianos have a 3rd pedal that puts a cloth or other sound reducing thing between the hammers and the strings to make it quieter. dont know if they can be fitted to any piano, but its worth a look if the neighbours are hating the noise
 
VoG said:
up to a point, but it doesn't hurt to have a bit of common courtesy for your neighbours, especially if like me, you live next door to a newly qualified doctor who works a really crappy shift rotation.

not everybody works 9 to 5 after all. ;)
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True, you're never going to know until you move in though. Could always work/play around the shift pattern.
 
Just get a keyboard. A fraction of the size, has volume control and headphone socket, doesn't need tuning and you can slide it under the bed when not in use.
 
Reaper 392 said:
i believe some pianos have a 3rd pedal that puts a cloth or other sound reducing thing between the hammers and the strings to make it quieter. dont know if they can be fitted to any piano, but its worth a look if the neighbours are hating the noise
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It depends on the piano as you say but many have a soft pedal (an una corda I've just discovered it is called) but I don't believe they can be retrospectively added or at least it would be a great expense to do so.

It's probably also worth checking if the floors in the flat would be up to taking the weight of the piano as even without considering what the neighbours may think they don't tend to be light instruments.
 
The people above me have a piano and he sometimes plays it, I always enjoy listening to it - especially when hungover. However, he's a very good player. If he was rubbish and just playing Three Blind Mice over and over again, I'd get the orbital nuke out.
 
The trouble with pianos is, being so heavy, they're almost perfectly designed for transmitting sound through floors. And in my experience there's no such thing as good soundproofing in a flat. It's too expensive to do properly, and builders don't have to live in the places they build.

However the fact you're asking implies you're a decent person. So I would suggest that if you do take the piano you arrange certain times of day (maybe and hour in the morning and/or evening) when playing the piano would be ok with your neighbours. Because they are definitely going to be sharing the experience. Heck, I can even hear mine talking above me or switching plug sockets on or off, and if I'm quiet I can hear the old lady's TV in the flat above them. So you have to build up a relationship with neighbours whether you like them or not, because you're essentially sharing a house even if it's purpose-built flats.

As someone else said though, its one thing to have someone playing a bit of gentle Chopin above your head, quite another to have someone learning Freddie Mercury's greatest hits. On balance the keyboard suggestion is probably best, though I know I'd find it hard to turn down a free piano if one was going.

Whether I could move it or not is a different matter. :-)

Andrew McP
 
Eulogy said:
For a flat i'd definitely say you're better off getting a keyboard or something instead. Can plug headphones in if you need etc.
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This! But also it depends on how considerate you are. Neighbours are more likely to be easy if you restrict your playing to 'normal' times of the day. Anything after 9pm is pretty annoying. Also, do any of them have young children? Are old? Work nights?

To be fair though, it's good that you asked: a lot of people wouldn't be so considerate - I used to live under a copper and he was a right idiot with loud, early-morning parties midweek!
 
Greenlizard0 said:
Sure there's no law against it but how about common courtesy for those that have to live around you?
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Wouldn't exactly be playing it everyday for hours on end though would he?

Also as mentioned there may be a way of dampening the sound.

I guess a keyboard with headphones is probably the 'safest' option but pianos are cool.
 
**** 'em. Playing the piano's more important than grumpy neighbours.
Like others have said, as long as you don't play at silly hours I can't see why it'd be a problem. It doesn't have to be any louder than playing music (loudly).

As for the keyboard nonsense, it's not the same at all. You can't recreate the feel and sound unless you've got a good electric piano.

Oh, and OP - get it tuned before you even start ;)
 
As long as you show a little courtesy and respect for your neighbours, i.e. playing it for hours on end, early/late hours and the like. If they continue to complain, stab them with your C#.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I'm off to take a look at it tomorrow, will have to think long and hard about whether to take it or not.

I've worked out that the living room backs on to the communal stairwell, so I'd only be annoying those directly above and below and then only into other living rooms.

vonhelmet said:
Why are women like pianos?

When they're not upright, they're grand.
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