Condo residents often need to take noise levels into consideration, particularly when using musical instruments. It’s hard to focus on your music when you constantly think about whether your condo neighbors are annoyed or if you are disturbing the whole building with your musical instrument, right? Yet, of course, you don’t want to be held back and stop practicing just because you live in a condo that has rules and regulations regarding noise.
The key is to select condo-friendly instruments, and in this article, we’ll list the recommended musical instruments to learn and play in your condo without bothering other people.
Can you play an instrument in a condo?
Learning and playing an instrument can be one of your most fulfilling experiences in life. Musicians, students, hobbyists—a lot of people are interested in playing instruments. Research has shown that learning an instrument may help in relieving stress and developing complex motor skills. However, aside from the difficulty of starting to learn your desired instrument, there are the possible issues of whether it is suitable for you to play that instrument in your space.
“Can you play an instrument in a condo?" This is one question that will arise when you are someone who plays (or wants to play) an instrument and is planning to get a condo. And the answer to that question is yes! Yes, you can learn or play an instrument inside your condo, but of course, there are buts.
Living in a condominium requires comfortable living arrangements for everyone. That includes being considerate and mindful of noise-sensitive areas and showing respect to your neighbors by not disturbing them or violating the noise regulations in your condo rules with your instruments. Sure, you can soundproof your condo unit, but picking the right instrument to bring to your condo also plays a big role. It shouldn’t be too big, too heavy, or too loud.
Play Your Own Music and Musical Instrument: Condo-Friendly Musical Instruments to Learn and Play
There are a ton of instruments available, but not all of them are good choices if you live in a condo, where small spaces might make practicing your music difficult for others who live close by.
Good thing there are musical instruments that are suitable for condo life, and here are a few of them.
Harmonica
Harmonicas are simple instruments to learn since the basic principles of how they're played may be learned in a matter of just hours.
The reedy sound produced by your mouth when playing this folk and blues instrument is very different from a loud horn sound. No matter what note you play on a harmonica, it will always be in key, meaning even absolute beginners can create beautiful sounds with it.
You have some control over the volume of it because the sound level depends on how hard you blow on it. Though its compact size and handheld design make it easy to muffle the volume, certain techniques might require you to blow on the harmonica harder. Nonetheless, you can easily control and lower your volume if you think you are playing it too loud. Plus, it fits neatly in your pocket, so you can practice when you're out and about!
Flute or Recorder
Similar to a harmonica, a flute or recorder is relatively easy to control, and it doesn’t require too much breathing capacity or force to produce sound.
It's an excellent musical instrument to learn the fundamentals of music. One can quickly learn to read music and comprehend concepts like pitch and tempo by learning how to use a recorder or flute. They are also reasonably priced and come in different kinds. If you want quiet and calming music, you can try the bamboo flute.
Keyboard
Since it will be hard and heavy to move a full-on, grand piano to your condo, a digital or electric keyboard is a wonderful and more accessible musical instrument to pick.
With an electric keyboard, any beginner can easily learn the fundamentals of music theory. You can also turn off outside sounds by using headphones, and even without headphones, the built-in speakers are typically too little to make much of a noise. Another good thing about this is that it is versatile—it is a flexible instrument that can replicate the most consistent sound effects produced by different instruments like drums, horns, and even sound effects. Some models even let you play with backing tracks. In short, it’s a very accessible musical instrument that can produce not only piano music but others too.
Guitar
Because the guitar is so flexible and gives you so much control over your level of play, you can enjoy playing it without disturbing your condo neighbors.
Guitars are a popular and accessible musical instrument because they have a variety of styles and are quite easy to learn. If you're planning to learn and play an acoustic guitar, it's not much of a problem because acoustic guitars are often not overly loud to begin with, making it simple to practice quietly. And although electric guitars are noisier compared to acoustics, guitar amplifier technology has advanced to the point where the volume can be fine-tuned. Moreover, an electric guitar, like an electric keyboard headphone amp, can be played with headphones to reduce noise, so there is no need to worry about playing too loud!
Ukulele
The ukulele is a small and quiet musical instrument with strings that plays soft and soothing notes. It's a great instrument for condo living because of its small size and gentle sound.
Usually played acoustically, this four-stringed Hawaiian instrument resembles a guitar, and due to the fact that it is even easier to learn than the guitar, its popularity has increased significantly in recent years. It's an ideal instrument for learning and playing in your condo unit because of its wonderfully pleasing yet calm sound. Also, it is small enough that you won't be able to play it loud enough to disturb your neighbors, even if you try!
Digital Drums
The drums are an excellent instrument to play if you have any sense of rhythm whatsoever, but your neighbors will probably be angry if you practice on a real drum set. Don't worry—a digital drum pad will do just fine!
Digital drums are an excellent way to learn the fundamentals of sample-based music and can be performed with standard drum sticks or just with your fingers. Like an electric keyboard or electric guitar, you can listen with headphones and adjust the volume on electronic or digital drum kits. You don't have to make too much noise to enjoy the sound of the acoustic drumming! Numerous drum pads that are operated by finger attach to computer software, which is extremely adjustable and produces excellent sound quality even at low volumes.
