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Upright Sound reduction panels

  • 1.  Upright Sound reduction panels

    Posted 21 days ago

    Hi gang:

    I need to install some sound reduction panels between the back post of an upright piano (Boston 118). 

    Different sound panels are used for different things… Some are used for absorbing certain frequencies, but do not offer much in the way of soundproofing, others are soundproofing, but I'm not sure which one would be best in this situation.

    It's in a small office. Let's call it 15' x 15', it's used for voice training, and part of the problem was the sound going through the wall to the Neighboring office.

    I rotated the piano away from the wall, so it was facing the student, which was ergonomically better for the instructor, and now need to put something in there to reduce the sound further because it's still too loud for the vocalists.

    What materials have you used to do this? 



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    Vincent Chambers

    Apollo Piano | Stanford
    San Francisco, Chico CA
    (530) 924-4469 Mobile; 732-642-1100
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  • 2.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 21 days ago
    I don’t think there is much you can do to keep the sound from going to the next room. I’ve heard you can 3” thick styrofoam and the cut it to fit between the post. You also try a thick of some sort and nail it to the back of the piano. Or maybe a combined of both.

    But to reduce the sound the most will require the piano player to play softer.

    Wim.
    Sent from my iPhone




  • 3.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 21 days ago

    Depending on their level of investment and how long they plan to stay, there are several sound dampening drywall products. One is called QuietRock. One upside to that is that it won't affect the timbre of the piano.



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    Steven Rosenthal RPT
    Honolulu HI
    (808) 521-7129
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  • 4.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Posted 20 days ago
    Hi, Vince,

    If this is an institutional piano that can be moved around (at least somewhat) within the room, then there is actually a huge range of possible (if partial) solutions to this problem.

    I think that I might start with making sure that the wall between the rooms does not have any acoustic holes or leakage. This would include things like wall plates for electrical or comms links, light switches, places where the floor is not completely sealed; and/or there is nothing above the wall except “crawl space” for air ducts, wiring and the like. This is all before touching the piano, adding wall, ceiling, or floor treatments.

    In what now seems like a previous lifetime, I took an acoustics class with a former director of the acoustics department of Bell Labs. On of our projects was to come up with how to analyze the acoustics in a nominally 12’ square room. Everything was fine, and definitely reasonably predictable as long as we didn’t open a door or a window. However, if a 1” hole were cut in the wall or in the window, all bets were off. The point is that even very “small” leaks can lead to exactly what you are describing.

    I hope that this is of some help.

    Kind regards.

    Horace




  • 5.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Posted 20 days ago

    I love this. It's one of those simple yet profound ideas like the first time I noticed easing a key can change voicing (which still blows my mind). 

    This hole plugging could help the entire department; I think moving this particular piano will save the teachers neck and her wall-mates sanity. 

    And something simple  covering the back + a pretty cover will give us the result I'm looking for here. 

    Nice to hear from you, Horace. 



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    Vincent Chambers

    Apollo Piano | Stanford
    San Francisco, Chico CA
    (530) 924-4469 Mobile; 732-642-1100
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  • 6.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 20 days ago
    The easiest and quickest way to stop some of the sound is to nail very thick cardboard (like piano shipping crate material) to the back which would cover all of the area with exposed soundboard panels. One big piece (and not as big as you might think) to cover that whole area. Use nails about 1" long with a good head-not finishing nails. You can even finish off the edges with postal tape and paint it to make very professional looking job.

    It’s not a complete fix because you still have those hollow walls to contend with, but it’s will definitely help.




  • 7.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Posted 20 days ago

    Super simple. I like it. 



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    Vincent Chambers

    Apollo Piano | Stanford
    San Francisco, Chico CA
    (530) 924-4469 Mobile; 732-642-1100
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  • 8.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Posted 20 days ago

    It is  also possible to reduce the sound output by judicious use of muting strips in every other space between unisons, thus reducing trichord unisons to bi-chords and bichords unisons to singles. Insert them by the bridge to avoid getting knocked out by the hammers and dampers. A thin strip can be placed between the low bass singles and the bridge cap.

    It's quick and easy to try and costs a few old muting strips. Don't forget about it when tuning later.



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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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  • 9.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 20 days ago

    I have several customers that have uprights that by necessity have the back facing the listener. In other words, the player is looking at the listener. I have found that simply draping a heavy blanket over the back helps tremendously in reducing the loudness of the piano to the room. Pick a blanket that looks nice and is large enough that it can be held in place by simply draping it over the top and holding it in place by sticking the end of it under the lid. Also protects the top of the piano. This has worked well for me in both small practice rooms as well as small churches. 

    Keeping the sound from leaking into the next room, however, can be a challenge. Acoustics are complicated. Best cheap way to help is to hang decorative packing blankets on the wall. Not flat against the wall but with ripples like you would see in curtains, and far enough away from the wall to prevent as much contact from the packing blanket and the wall as possible. You don't want to use the packing blankets like wallpaper. They need to be draped. 



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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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  • 10.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Posted 20 days ago
    I rebuilt a piano that is very loud for the room. It drowned out a powerful vocalist who sat and played for us. We went to the yoga room and got blankets to bury the piano. That sort of worked.
    So I found an old thick yoga mat and stapled it to the inside of the knee board. Then I made a wood frame for the back. I can't remember if I used an old yoga blanket or a moving pad,, I think it was the moving pad,, and put it on the frame. It worked but it didn't look good so I went to one of the hobby stores and got a yard or so of a generic brown cloth for about $10. That was all it needed.
    Basically the frame was out of some 1x wood, probably fir, 
    It fit the piano like it was part of it. It is removable also. 4 screws
    It didn't cost much





  • 11.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 20 days ago

    The best material to block sound from the back of the piano is mass-loaded vinyl.  Car stereo installers use this to deaden sound inside of cars.  It's very heavy, which is what you need.  But of course that's only going to cover the back, and sound is coming out from the front too.  I have some of this which I purchased locally, about 1/2" thick, with rubber on one side.  It works best if it seals the entire surface, no leaks.



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    Paul McCloud, RPT
    Accutone Piano Service
    www.AccutonePianoService.com
    pavadasa@gmail.com
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  • 12.  RE: Upright Sound reduction panels

    Posted 20 days ago

    I had some success (and suggest to clients when they want a softer piano) finding a heavy rubber-backed rug, like those for bathrooms. I installed with the rubber side facing the soundboard and then used thin strips of wood to try to seal to the back. I suppose some on the inside of the knee board might also help? This is a similar, possibly cheaper approach to Paul's suggestion of the mass-loaded material for cars.

    Ron Koval



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    Ron Koval
    CHICAGO IL
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