Posted by Joe S. on February 14, 2001 at 01:21:26:
In Reply to: Practice Room posted by Long time lurker on February 13, 2001 at 13:48:39:
Sometimes (like any school night after 9:30 P.M., because I have one of those 14-year-old "womanette" daughters who gets up at 5:30 A.M. to spend over an hour in the bathroom each morning) I have to practice in our new den. It has a brick floor, thick wood walls, and a ceiling with three skylights (quite a similar situation to your basement, acoustically). I go out there with earplugs and insert them 3/4 of the way into my ear canals. I hear a blend of the acoustic sound and of the sound of my embouchure vibrating in the cup of the mouthpiece. It isn't ideal, but it kills the reverb and allows me to hear what's going on. I think someone else put up a post about practicing with earplugs.
When I'm lucky, I'm allowed to practice in the living room. The acoustics in there are "honest" and ideal for practicing.