Your Practice Area

[Dave Light]

When I was a school teacher, I always advised my students to create a "homework area" that was exclusively theirs alone where they could do homework or study. For some of them, it was in their bedrooms, or at the kitchen table, or perhaps in the basement. When I was in school, mine was behind the kitchen door in the dining room; I set up a desk with a work light, and I was all set. My dad even built a wall-mounted book case for me over the desk.

Similarly, I've created a "music area" in my home where I can keep stuff set up and have most of what I need within easy reach. I've tried to upload a photo; I hope it worked! If you're able to see the photo, you can see that I have a music stand set up in the archway. Over the music stand is hung an old mirror, big enough to allow me to see my bowing defects (and they are many!). There's also a sturdy stool where I can perch my sturdy frame. Beside it is my guitar stand, on which I keep my Yamaha Silent Guitar and Fender Amp Can ready for service, as well as a bookshelf with numerous binders containing sheet music, and my "pickin' glider" where I can sit and play fiddle or guitar without arms to hinder my bowing or picking.

What sort of practice set up do you have? Is it permanent, or does it have to be moveable? Is it main floor, upstairs, basement, or "off site" (maybe in the garage or the workshop)?

[Sean Harrison]

I practice in the computer/office/music room. It was originally the dining room but the previous owners of our house extended outwards so for us it's where the piano, my fiddle, my son's guitar and the Mac live. And a couple of walls of bookshelves and my CDs and the fermenting wine and the sideboard, but they're not relevant to this topic.

[Kitty Herbert]

Yes, we too have a dedicated music room which doubles up as teaching room for my beginner piano and guitar students. Mirror, bookcases for files of music books, electric piano, 'real' piano, my husband's many instruments and my growing collection of fiddles around the room and hanging on the walls. I know we're meant to keep our fiddles in their cases, but I love the ease of access - just pick a bow off the hook and a fiddle off the hook and I'm away. It's my favourite room in the house and where I spend the majority of my time. Another benefit of a dedicated area I think is that I am mentally keyed in to practice time before even starting, because of association and the purpose of the room.
I love your dedicated area, Dave - looks very well organised.

[TimK]

The second story of my Cape Cod is a single finished room. That is my "music room". I keep my instruments, amps and PA up there. I also have a home recording studio set up there. I have a few posters, flyers and photos of my old bands as well as awards from fiddle contests on the walls. It is a comfortable area for making music !

[Mikey]

I have a designated music room just off the front entrance way. I think the original house plans called it a "formal" living room, but since I still have two others, I've turned it into a "formal" music room complete with baby grand that centers the room. I keep all the entire selection of instruments on stands and have cabinets for books and other accessories. I prefer this set up because it has lots of room, great acoustics with hardwood floor, and I can close the glass doors to keep out small kids who don't yet know how to conduct themselves in a room full of goodies as such.

I think its the most useful room in the house, and i can easily accommodate a dozen players. I like the fact that I can simply close the doors without actually putting anything away. Better yet, I can be playing within 10 seconds of walking in the room. I'm also on an acreage 1 mile from town, so I can play anytime of the day or night, indoors or out. My neighbors are too far away to hear unless I use my amps.


Life is good.

[Ròidh]

practice area,lol,ya ,i think i went way too extreame and just couldent stop myself, my room is about 30 to 35 long by 10 accross and over the years befor katrina hit decided to build a suitiable jam/practice/study/av music room with 5.1 home theattre for the cd audio and dvd lessons,complete with a small music build and repair shop desk, all instruments are hung on professional hangers on the wall so the out of sight out of mind thing dont inhibit practice,i went as far as to toss the bed out and got a sofa bed in here to make it more inviteing for music /companny,really everywhere in here has been taken over by music or the study of or repairing instrumrents,lately though the only way i get a drop of practice in is with the silent fender electric,whats nice is sometimes i run the wireless pack to an expensive effects pedal that has a headphone out and plug the wireless earphones on and can walk all over with no noise and has a decent range and can walk all through the house if i want ,my dads in bed alot all hours of the day ,but it is settup right,i even have the recording mic settup as well as a condenser rig for the small p.a. thats been permanently set up as it seems, when i had the cash i invested it and im very fortunate i did as i could never dream of compileing all this now, money is so tight that i have had to suspend fixing up instruments to give out,but i saw it comeing years ago,im unsure on how much worse it will get but i am stocked up on everything but strings,i do have one set put up but is literrally a months spare cash for me to replace that set if i have to use them because a string broke,but im really not hurting bad i did go without everything to get the equipment when the times were good and now that times are getting tough i have everything i need to keep going with the music,wishing you all the best/ btw happy birthday dave !

[Adam R Sweet]

I usually practice in the office/music room. All my instruments are there, music books and sheet music, music stands, amplifiers, etc.

When I travel, I always bring a violin and stay places where practicing won't cause problems for other people. I often practice outside in the back yard under a shady tree or take the violin into the woods behind my house.

[Tarrantella]

I'm lucky enough to have a spare bedroom I was able to convert. I changed the carpet to a hard floor for better accoustics. As my lodger is a musician as well we both use it so have 2 chairs, 2 music stands, CD player, bookcase full of CDs, shelves of music, a cupboard for instrument storage, practise amps, instrument stands, headphones - and a fan for those 2 days a year when it is too hot in England to practise!! My favourite room in the house!

[Curt]

I've a "bunkhouse," actually another room in the garage, big enough for my desk, a bunk, and a big basket bed for the dog, often my only fan as I practice.