Piano in a flat- asking for trouble?

For the record, the choice is between not taking the piano and being a considerate neighbour. The 'it's legal as long as it's not gone 11pm argument' only leads to escalation and an arms race of noise with your neighbours :D
 
Take the piano, sell it to a school (they love uprights) and use the funds to buy a decent electronic one (not a cheapo plastic job but a proper one). My GF uses one and the keys are very well-weighted, and the pedals feel like the real thing. A good set of cans and you're off. Well worth it in my experience.
 
+1 for the electric piano idea.

We live in a flat and have one. It's not quite like a real piano, but it's good enough for practice/teaching, and more to the point it has a volume control!
 
mjt said:
**** 'em. Playing the piano's more important than grumpy neighbours.
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Great attitude ... I suppose the question is whether he'll still be able to play it when his angry neighbours come around and shove it up his ***? :rolleyes:

Seriously, show some respect for your neighbours and use a keyboard with headphones.
 
philip2009 said:
Great attitude ... I suppose the question is whether he'll still be able to play it when his angry neighbours come around and shove it up his ***? :rolleyes:

Seriously, show some respect for your neighbours and use a keyboard with headphones.
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Why assume all neighbours will hate the sound? My parents are concert pianists and have had two grands in their house for 25 years. Not a single complaint from any of their neighbours in all that time and most of them enjoy the sound, in fact.

Most people will prefer the sound of a nice piano to thumping drum n' bass or christraping black metal.
 
mothermachine said:
Why assume all neighbours will hate the sound? My parents are concert pianists and have had two grands in their house for 25 years. Not a single complaint from any of their neighbours in all that time and most of them enjoy the sound, in fact.

Most people will prefer the sound of a nice piano to thumping drum n' bass or christraping black metal.
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I love piano music. But more importantly I like to listen to what I like when I like.

Not what the neighbor feels like playing when they feel like playing it.
 
mame said:
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.
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No no no no! A keyboard is a completely different instrument. :mad:

I'd say sell the upright and put the money towards a decent digital piano if you're going to start learning.

Fact is that you will have to repeat some stuff dozens, maybe hundreds of times before it sinks in, and that will drive your neighbours mental.

I do all my repetitive practice on my digital with headphones, but disconnect them and turn the volume up when I'm playing through stuff, which the neighbours don't mind as long as I'm not making a right pig's ear of it all. I'm in a semi-detached btw and am planning on buying a grand soon for proper playing and for when I have my more talented friends over. :p
 
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MikeHunt79 said:
Take it, it may need tuning once moved however...
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You should get it tuned every 6 months ideally.

I would definitely be mindful of the neighbours. Whilst you should be entitled to do what you want, you don't want to annoy them either. I would talk to them, see if they are shift workers or if there is a bad time to play it. I think making them feel like they've been considered is half the battle.
 
philip2009 said:
Seriously, show some respect for your neighbours and use a keyboard with headphones.
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What nonsense. A keyboard is a total heap of **** compared to a piano, unless you're creating music.

Why should the OP sacrifice learning the piano just in case someone gets annoyed with some music?
Seriously, unless it's at unreasonable times and/or at an unreasonable volume, they can get ****ed.

Anyway, this depends on two things.
1) How well-built your property is, and
2) How much of a **** your neighbours are
 
Helped move my sisters piano a few weeks ago, with my dad and a two of his large mates.. what a bloody nightmare that was.

All I can say is get other people to do it. ;)
 
Take the piano, get its hammers pricked and possibly an extra layer of felt and it will be damped right down (assuming it's a fairly small upright). This will cost you maybe £50-100 from a fairly average piano technician but significantly reduce the amount of sound leakage. One of my old teachers did precisely this and although his piano was somewhat dodgy to play, he never got any complaints from his flatmates :)

arty
 
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