Renting music studios can get pretty expensive, and they might not always be available when you want to practice music. Your home is your next best bet, but not everyone in the house will appreciate you jamming on your guitar when they’re trying to take a nap. There are no spare rooms to turn into a music room either. So what do you do?
You still have one option: your bedroom! If you want to practice music whenever you want without disturbing anyone around, here’s how you can turn your bedroom into your very own music room:
Remove as much stuff as you can
The more spacious the room is, the better your music will sound. Moreover, less stuff means more space for your musical instruments and equipment. So before you do anything else, clear the room of any unnecessary furniture and decor, particularly large items and things hanging from the walls. If you’re taking vocal lessons, having more space in the room will also allow your voice to sound better instead of singing in a cramped room.
Soundproof the room
This is an essential part of turning your bedroom into a music room, especially if you live with other people. You can deaden the sound coming in and out of your room by:
- Installing soundproof tiles. Attach soundproof tiles to the ceiling, walls, the door, and inside window frames. Soundproof tiles come in wedge or egg crate designs. Both are relatively inexpensive, but they effectively trap noises inside the room and prevent outside noises from coming in. If you don’t want your bedroom to look dark, choose tiles that come in light colors, such as white or beige.
- Hanging thick drapes. Noises from the outside can disrupt you when you are practicing or recording music. Prevent outdoor noises from coming into your room by hanging thick drapes on the windows. This also helps prevent your music from being heard by the neighbors, thus reducing the risk of getting noise complaints.
- Putting soundproof flooring. Lay soundproof material on the floor to deaden the noise coming from your room, especially if you are on a higher floor. You can also cover it with carpet or rugs to further deaden the sound and keep the soundproof material from getting dirty.
- Placing heavy furniture against the walls. It also helps to push heavy furniture, such as dressers and bookcases, against the wall to prevent sound from escaping the room.
- Installing a door sweep. Noise can leak from the gaps underneath your door, so don’t forget to install a door sweep.
Set up your workstation
Your bedroom should double as a music room, not the other way around. It is still your space to rest and do other activities not related to music, such as homework or non-musical hobbies, so it’s best to keep your workstation separate from your main work area.
If you record your music, set up your recording equipment in one corner of the room, preferably the farthest away from your bed so that you don’t associate your resting place with work. If you only practice your music for now, set up your instruments and equipment in a similar area.
Plan for storage
Where are you going to store your equipment when you’re not using them? Unless you want your amps, wires, and instruments strewn about, you ought to plan for storage. For example, you can use part of your closet to store some of your musical equipment. Clear out your closet of unnecessary items and push your clothes to the side to make room for your equipment. Alternatively, you can buy a separate wardrobe to use as storage so that you don’t have to sacrifice closet space.
Inform household members
You might not be able to block 100% of the sound coming from your bedroom-turned-music-room, so you should give other people in the house a heads-up. Set up reasonable practice times, like between 9 AM to 5 PM, and tell everyone to inform you if they will be doing something that needs absolute silence. Even if you are a good musician, not everyone will appreciate the noise, so it’s better to compromise than wait for conflict to arise.
Turning your bedroom into a music room is relatively cheap and easy. Apart from that, it can also save you money since you don’t have to rent music studios anymore. Nevertheless, it all boils down to being considerate of other people in the house, as well as your neighbors.