Is it ok to play guitar in my dorm at uni?

Answers from people who have been in a hall with a guitar player would be very helpful, I don't wanna annoy anyone

What kind of guitar? Acoustic/classical, electric...?

Electric is probably fine if you play with headphones rather than an amp.

Acoustic/classical I imagine your flatmates may be less keen on and it might be pragmatic to seek out a music practice room on campus instead. If you only play e.g. in the middle of the day or something though and just for short-er periods a couple times a week at most this might be less of an issue. If you practice every day for over an hour this might be an issue for them though, especially if you principally do so in the evenings.

Obviously in any event I'd suggest avoiding doing it between 9pm and 9am.

Reply 2

Kingston Reps

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Answers from people who have been in a hall with a guitar player would be very helpful, I don't wanna annoy anyone

Hi,

Last year I lived in halls the floor above someone with a guitar and with someone on my floor who had drums.

It is possibly different for other accommodations but for the one I was in you could only hear loud noise from the people next to you or if you where in the hallway, so the rooms where fairly sound proof. I could only faintly hear a tapping of drums and he was in the room across from me and I never heard the guitar as he was on the opposite side and the floor below.

However my flatmates on the opposite side of me could hear the guitar very late at night, especially as he had his window open. And so they would complain and be unable to sleep or concentrate.

Overall from my experience I would say it is fine to do so at reasonable hours in the day with your window closed but definitely not after at least 10pm. I would also advice telling your flatmates and making sure they are ok with you playing first. You could also run a little test with them to see how much you can hear from the next room etc.

I hope this helps and gives you some insight :smile:

-Grace (Kingston Rep)

Reply 3

CardiffUni Rep 2

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Answers from people who have been in a hall with a guitar player would be very helpful, I don't wanna annoy anyone

Hiya,

The best thing you can do is just ask your flatmates! As a singer, I'm quite loud myself, so I double check with my flatmates if its okay for me to sing around the flat and at what hours. Other friends have done a similar thing, and no complaints so far.

Depending on your accommodation, its possible that flats below or above you might hear but as other commenters have said, try not to do it late at night to avoid the noise complaints :smile:

~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep

Reply 4

WrexhamUniReps

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Answers from people who have been in a hall with a guitar player would be very helpful, I don't wanna annoy anyone

Hi

My friend in my flat last year used to play her guitar, most evenings but she would ensure that she didn't play it late at night and especially at times when people were trying to study, etc.

If you were really concerned about annoying people you could always see if you could book a room in the university to practice in.

I hope this helps,

Matt
Wrexham Uni Reps

Reply 5

De Montfort University

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Answers from people who have been in a hall with a guitar player would be very helpful, I don't wanna annoy anyone

Hi there,

I would advice to have a conversation with your flatmates and get their preferences and opinions first. Just try to agree on when you can play the guitar and not cause any distraction to anyone :smile:

Also it might be a good idea to explicitly mention to everyone that they can always simply let you know if they need some silence to concentrate on studying or something else.

Just be mindful and honest with your flatmates :smile:

Take care,
Ilya