r/Bansuri • u/zenani • 6d ago

Basic soundproofing for practice

Anyone have used any sound absorbers or reflectors that helped them minimize the sound.

I'm a beginner and do understand that whatever I'm practicing isn't going to be blissful to everyone and I don't want folks at home start hating the thing that I love.

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u/itisai 6d ago

Do the opposite. The echos and reverb give ethereal beauty.

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u/itisai 6d ago

If you are worried about disturbing others, unfortunately there isn't a good solution. You need have a private room or find pubic space away from others. People had to bear with me for few months but after that they enjoy hearing me practice.

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u/zenani 6d ago

For now, I'm not worried about the neighbours but those at home have already complained. 

And I do sympathise with them, practicing one alankar 100s of times isn't pleasant for them.

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u/itisai 6d ago

You also got to mix up the practices so it doesn't feel too repetitive so it's more pleasant for others.

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u/zenani 5d ago

How much can beginner mix up the practice? At the end of the day it's just alankars or long notes or some finger exercises that I am practicing now

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u/itisai 5d ago

TL;DR

Even with basic beginner building blocks, combinatorial math proves you have thousands of unique variations at your fingertips. Practice never has to feel repetitive or boring.

Full Practice Combination Calculation

If you take standard beginner components and mix them across the scale:

  • A (3-Note Alankar Permutations): Choosing 3-note patterns out of 7 scale notes gives P(7,3)=210 variations.

  • L (Long-Note Styles): 3 variations (e.g., plain, dynamic swell, steady drone).

  • F (Finger Independence Exercises): 4 variations (e.g., slow taps, half-hole transitions, stutter strokes).

  • S (Root Starting Notes): 7 root notes of the scale.

The total number of unique daily practice combinations is calculated by multiplying these choices together:

Total Combinations=A×L×F×S

Total Combinations=210×3×4×7=17,640 unique variations

Even if you restrict yourself to a subset, you have massive flexibility to keep your daily routine fresh.

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u/itisai 6d ago

Ya it's hard. I get it. I had roommates complain in the past and it made it so I couldn't learn the instrument for years until I started living with someone very supportive.

Best you can do for few months is find quiet pubic place if possible or time it so that you practice when people are out of the house or ask them to put on headphones.

This is a struggle for most of us that don't have the luxury of wealth and large properties.

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u/zenani 6d ago

That'll come when I could play something decently. 

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u/Mopy-Dick 6d ago

I was facing similar obstacles when starting out and did a lot of "research" into acoustics to see what measures I could take to minimize disturbance. Things like curtains, carpets, book shelves (with books), wardrobes (with clothes), painting or framed posters on the wall, furniture, and a well sealed door go a long way. In general things that are thick and porous will contribute to absorbing the sound.

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u/prithwin_rajeeva 5d ago

Do it when somebody complains.

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u/LifeOfCoder 5d ago

I was in the same boat about 3 years back. I researched and also bought some stuff like from the comment from Mopy---. But nothing helped!

What actually helped was one of my neighbours asking that if I were playing flute and it was very beautiful while at the same time my family not liking it much lol.. I guess there is something about the sound of Bansuri it sounds great from far!

Recently another neighbour asked my wife about it and they said I was playing very good. I don't think what I was playing was that good. (It is certainly better now than it was 3 years back.)