Hi all, but particularly someone like John Willetts the sound engineer (if he's reading this and I hope I've spelt his name right!):

We are having our front (dining, music, library and computer) room "sorted": New windows, lights, decorations, flooring, furniture and curtains. The room is 5m x 7m and 3.5 m high (this is a big old Victorian house), the floor is wood planks on joists over an underfloor space, the walls are solid plastered brick. The new plan will involve fewer bookshelves (none of them open) and one wall that is currently occupied by the desk I'm sitting at is due to be a bare wall with a large framed & glazed poster on it. Furthermore, another wall currently occupied by the upright piano will be open to the air.

In the plan is a new grand piano (or at least new to us). I had my eye on a Schimmel 189 but it is way outside the budget and, now that we've got some of the old stuff out and we're able to check it for real with a brown paper outline, it turns out it's slightly too big as well! What we we probably be getting, then, is something the size of a Yamaha C2, possibly actually a C2. We will be putting it towards one end of the room.

The problem is that now we've taken some of the old furniture out there is noticeable resonance, if not an actual echo. I assume it will be worse when the room is completely empty.

We had planned for a board floor (light oak boards) BUT overall it seems at least possible that the "echo" will remain if we put the boards down (on the existing boards). Putting a grand piano in a room with an echo seems like a recipe for acoustic disaster but if someone who knows what they're talking about can give me some reassurance we will go ahead. Otherwise we will have to do it with carpet and live with it!

Expert advice needed please.

TYVM

Rob

Hi Robodoc,

I am interested in your question because it is almost identical to a problem I've got to solve in my OU TA212 course. I'm not an expert (yet! ) but I might be able to give you a few pointers which you might be able to look up on the internet.

You need to know about reverberation time and the effect of absorbency of curtains, carpets, wooden floors etc.

There is a mathematical formula called the Sabine Formula* which you might be able to find out about. There is a book I managed to get second hand by Backus called 'The Acoustical Foundations of Music'. It might still be in print - not sure. I have my course blocks but I can't put too much on here or I might end up plagiarising!

There is a public website for TA212 which might have some more info. I'll have a look and come back with a link if there is anything of use. You've helped me revise now anyway

Here is the address: ta212.open.ac.uk
You need Block 2 Chapter 4.
* Just googled Sabine Formula - looks like some good links there.

You might be able to view course blocks at a local OU Regional Centre. Just a thought.

Hope you manage to sort it all out

BB

Edited - post too long!

What else is going to be in the room, Robodoc? If the size of the room is too resonant for the piano, experiment with a few soft furnishings - a rug, thick curtains and a pile of cushions will help absorb some of the sound.

That's what I was going to say! Even thicker wallpaper might make a difference. I had a similar problem in my last house (an upright, not a grand, mind you) and a rug under the piano helped a lot. We had a wooden floor, painted walls (no paper) and leather settees, so there was really nothing there at all to absorb the sound. Having said that, the piano sounded fantastic from upstairs, once the sound had bounced round the hall first!

Our next door neighbour has a tiled floor. She put a rug under the piano and has some light curtains over the windows which seems to have done the trick.The piano sounded a bit harsh before then.