Make it a Music Room
by Jason Borisoff
The holidays are fast approaching, which means your relatives will be visiting, your friends and neighbors will be stopping by with gifts, and there will be more invitations to Christmas parties than you can possibly attend.
Why not make music a central part of the holidays? Wouldn't it be great to bring everyone together in a special room in your home to enjoy making music together? Check out these tips for putting together a music room that just begs to be jammed in.
Claim Your Spot
Which room do you choose? Ideally, it should be centrally located, whether it's your living room, great room, den, or finished basement. If you plan on entertaining friends and family at your home, you probably want the music room to be at the heart of the action.
Also, the room should be big enough for both participants and audience to comfortably hang out in. A spare bedroom or office works great for practicing, but will be too cramped when you invite your relatives and best buds in to play. If a small room is your only option, then make the most out of it by using bookshelves, cubbies, and closet space to organize your music and gear, and clear out any unnecessary furniture.
If young children are going to be coming over, they may want to participate in the music too. Though you should encourage them, keep in mind that they may lose interest quicker than the adults. Therefore, you shouldn't set up your music space in the same room as the only television in your home. Prepare a spare bedroom or den with a TV and DVD player to keep the kids amused while the adults play music.
The Science of Sound
Once you've chosen your music room, it's time to assess how it sounds. To start, clap your hands and listen to the echo, or the reverb. If you hear a lot of reverb that hangs in the air for more than a few seconds after the clap or "slaps" back at you, the room is too "live." This can cause the music to sound muddy, and lyrics to be indistinguishable.
Conversely, if there's too little reverb, that means the room is "dead" and that can make the music sound sterile. To liven it up a bit, take out or reposition the soft items in the room, such as stuffed couches and chairs, rugs, and wall hangings.
There is a science to sound treatment, but if you're not an acoustic engineer, just keep experimenting until you find the sound that works. As a general rule, soft things will absorb sound, while hard things will reflect sound. Keep in mind that bodies are great sound absorbers too, so be sure to invite lots of people over to play!
Accessibility
Another important thing to consider is comfort. You want to create a warm, inviting room for both the musicians and the audience. Make sure there's plenty of room for each musician to pull out their instruments, tune up, and play comfortably, but not so much space that people feel isolated from each other. Also, you will want plenty of armless chairs or stools.
Plan how you will want people to set up. Do you want them in a circle or in a line? Bluegrass and old-time jams are typically set up in a circle, with the audience gathered around the outside, while rock or jazz-oriented jams might be positioned more in a straight line, facing the audience. Get creative and work with the room. Keeping comfort and line of sight in mind, create a friendly and inviting music room.
Instruments to Spare
The most important idea to promote in your music room should be that anyone can participate. Make sure you have enough instruments to go around. Simple percussion instruments, like hand drums, shakers, and rattles are a great way for people to jump into the jam. Also, if you have an extra acoustic guitar, or an electric piano, set it up and invite anyone to sit down and jam along.
Everyone on the Same Page
Keep plenty of music books on-hand with various popular, folk, and holiday songs. That way, no matter who comes over to play, everyone can follow the song without wondering what the next chord is. Also, have separate sheets with lyrics so people who prefer to just sing along can join the fun.
Instead of asking each person to bring a dish to pass, ask them to bring music to pass. Tell them to choose a few songs and bring along enough chord charts and lyrics so people can join in and sing along.
Check out our special Holiday Tuned-In section for some items you may want to add to your music room.
