Does anyone else have trouble practicing around people?

[Dr. Love]

I've had this problem for a while, and it's really starting to affect my playing, that I can't bring myself to practice when anyone is around. I don't know what causes it, really, I just feel like no one wants to hear me play. Has anyone else had this problem? Has anyone gotten over it?

[werkinsnake]

What other people think of my practicing has never really concerned me. I figure that I have to warm up the horn, and to keep my chops up, so practicing is unavoidable. If anyone does criticise your practicing habits, ask yourself this..."Is this person a better musician than I am?" If the answer is yes find out what they would do differently. You may just learn something that you wouldn't have learned otherwise. Never decline advice from your superiors. However if the person doesn't know the first thing about music, ignore them and keep playing. After all these are the same people who would buy a Jupiter student model over a 1960 Mark VI because it "looked shinier".
Sometimes my family will complain about me playing too loud in the house. When this happens I simply start working on my altissimo register. :lol: Another good idea is to try out that new mic and amp hooked up to those speakers that can shake half a city block. If you do this trick, it's doubtful that anyone will ever say that you play too loud ever again.

[morgan]

...I can't bring myself to practice when anyone is around. ..

Sure, I know what you mean. It can be very difficult indeed.

Are you talking about parents, roommates, your own kids, fellow students... ?

[Andres]

I hate practicing when my wife is home. Don't know why, it just bugs me..or creeps me out. I start thinking what if she doesn't like it, etc. (although she doesn't really care that much).

Strangely enough, I'm much more comfortable practicing alone (while my dogs howl :) ) or when I'm amongst other musicians. I've never had a problem when I'm at a music shop, or at a rehearsal, or in a college practice room.

[kcp]

Do I have trouble practicing when someone is around? - Not anymore.

But I remember it used to bother me when I first started playing. I was shy to make mistakes in front of my teacher and others. Well, teacher said to me : The only musicians that don't make mistakes are the ones that don't play. That sorta took care of my problem... Now I play a lot and I make LOTS of mistakes :lol:

just kidding of course 8)

[Lyle]

Dr Love

I know what you mean. Recently I went to my brothers house in Houston to help him paint etc. It would be a two week job, and I did not want to go that long without my horn (Tenor). I practiced upstairs in a bedroom while brother, and sister in law were downstairs. The first night I could hardly catch breath to blow. Apprehension!
After playing I asked if I bothered them. They said no, we could hardly hear you. Well! You know, some people have no interest in music, at all. It seem they would have at least been interested enough to listen, at least once.

Needless to say, after that first night I had no problem with breath, or apprehension. 8)

[Andres]

You know, some people have no interest in music, at all. It seem they would have at least been interested enough to listen, at least once.


Sounds like my wife. She's very into the lyrics of a song, but she could hardly care less about the music itself :?

[chayjazz]

I like to practice alone for some reason. I think it has to do with the fact that if people are in the same room I feel like I need to perform for them. I don't mind if every other room is full of people, the room I'm practicing in has to just be me and the horn.

[k-ghost]

I have that problem too. When i started, i would happily take up my sax and "play" for just about anybody who would listen.. Now it´s more like "umm no, i have practised all day.. it´s to late.. i have forgot my mouthpiece" etc etc..

but when forced to play for others, i just run of some standard pentatonic chords mixed up with a lot of nonsens.. but i play so fast and so loud that it sounds "correct" for the untrained ear... actually it´s funny how far you can get with musically nonsens, as long as it´s played with conviction..

[disgruntleddave]

yes. i am not a very confident person by nature and i hate doing it. ive been around my brother enough so that i practice when hes home, when my sister or parents are home then i dont play at all because they will start trying to give me feedback i dont really want and disrupt me. So i dont do it.

[morgan]

I hate practicing when my wife is home..

Recently I was trying out a new mouthpiece. I was kinda thinking.. I dunno.. I don't think I like it .. not sure .. After I finished practicing and went into the living room, my wife said


Are you finished strangling cats yet?


That mpc went back to the store!

[Mike Ruhl]

Are you finished strangling cats yet?
Sounds like a good thing to me.

[SopranoSue]

Well, so much for encouragement! Sorry your wife said that.

I hate practicing if I know people are listening. I moved from 11.5 acres in my own place to a 2-tenement in the middle of the city. While I know that the other half of the house is family, I just lost the urge to practice. It's summer here, hot as hell, all the windows are open because of no air conditioning, and with other houses 20 feet away (3 tenements on three sides, plus a neighborhood hang-out in front, I just plain don't want people to hear.

I'm not a performer, so playing is just for myself anyway. But, after only having a sax for a year (at 40, nonetheless), basically, I'm comfortable when the windows are closed, but I have no desire to blow notes with all the windows open. I DO pick it up and finger it often, though.

Can't wait till summer is over. :oops:

[Vader]

I've gone through stages of caring, and not caring.
I think its normal to not want to practice around people. I never used to want to practice when my parents were home. Now, I live by myself, so that's not an issue.
Actually, neither is practicing, as I rarely get to anymore.

[larry]

For me, the fear comes when playing in front of good musicians.

I can blow all day in the same house with my wife and kids and the neighbors walking by the open windows. Even wierd altered chord stuff and altissimo and...

But get me in a lesson or a music store where I'm afraid that someone will see through my disguise and expose me for the poseur that I secretly fear I am, and I choke.

Which is a shame since (a) my teacher is very nice and encouraging and I trust him and (b) I'm paying him so you'd think I'd relax around him! But no, I'm afraid he sees through the tricks I use to fool everyone else.

Gigs aren't a problem, though. I suppose all that practice really does pay off!

[Silscio]

For me, I find that whenever the relatives come over, as much as I like it, one avoidable topic ALWAYS comes up--I have to "give them a concert." I hate it! I can easily play in front of big, unknown groups of people, but for some reason I hate playing in front of people I know. Whenever I am forced to, it is for 2 seconds playing a dexterity, Bob Mincer or Snidero book that doesn't take much effort(well, the Bob Mincer does...)

[Razzy]

I have no trouble practicing around my family, they are used to and comfortable with it. My brother is a drummer and my mother understands that this is my pursuit in life.

this week I was at my friend's beach house and explained to him that I must practice about 2 hours a day, uninterrupted. We're good friends, he knows about my musical aspirations and my need to practice, and so does his family. However, I don't feel that they understand it very much at all, as my family does. Therefore I become easily distracted because they think it's fine to play videogames, watch television, talk loudly, whatever in the room in which I'm practicing, even though I'm in the most antisocial and distant room of the house!

So it's not really about wondering what they think of my playing, I stopped caring about that long ago. I can just feel the agitated eyes on me (or ears to my sound, perhaps) and it keeps me from playing my best, because they do not understand, and they make it a point (whether they realize it or not) to distract me.

[arsenic87]

I don't usually mind if other people are around when I practice. Normally practice in the basement and the whole family can hear and I am sure some of the neighbors as well. I would prefer that non-family members not hear the practicing and only hear the finished product, it does get kind of annoying when non-musicians tell you that you sound great when you can barely read the piece of music that you are practicing, you say thanks, but you're really thinking to yourself, i really suck!

Soprano Sue, you should play, annoy the neighbors, they probably deserve it!

[Dr. Love]

Wow, it's great to know that I'm not alone. I'm wondering if we should start a support group for this :) But we haven't really heard how anyone has conquered this problem yet. Has anyone come up with any tricks, or is it simply force of will?

Anyway, I'd like to expand on my own issue. I've gotten myself to be able to play if someone walks into the house during the middle of my practice sessions, but I still can't bring myself to start practicing with someone around. Is anyone in the same boat?

Anyway, thanks to everyone who's replied so far.

[pepper]

when i first started this was a real hang-up for me. i lived in a shared house, and my room was overlooking the neighbours garden. the neighbour was a complete t*ssser, a fat tatoo-ed slob that used to come out in his garden and cough loudly, and even flashed his outside light on and off rapidly when i started playing.

i felt that ever note i played was being scrutinised and laughed at, which made me tense up physically and mentally - not good for my playing at all. on the plus side i spent a lot of time on just fingering, moved out into my own flat, and dont have any real problems with the neighbours now. i'm sure there are times when it might p*ss them off, but they seem pretty tolerant and no-one has said anything.

even if they did i'm a lot more confident in my playing now, and if they didnt like it then i honestly couldnt care less.

[Razzy]

Yea, you'll run into those instigators who want to mess up your practicing and get on your nerves because they have nothing better to do, but envy what you can do and they can't. That is why it's easier to practice around a thousand other musicians also practicing, as opposed to around one person making faces, singing notes along with you to annoy you, etc. The other musicians understand, they try to learn from eachother, they may copy your warmup but it's only for their own gain, their own growth as musicians. Whereas the annoying s.o.b. is just there to annoy... well my friends the only way to combat this is to ignore it. Do things as you always do, phase that idiot out and focus on what you were doing. He'll see you mean business and eventually give up once he gets nothing out of you...

[synchro]

My family is used to my practicing. They go about their own business. I try to practice in a room no ones in at the time. If my teenaged kids have company I try not to practice. When I really have to because its the only time available my kids understand. Their friends always tell me I'm good and usually want a performance though.

[DavidH]

I live in a College Apartment-style dorm, and it's sometimes tough to practice. With guitar, it's easier as I can just strum softly. With sax, it's really hard to practice well when I can't really belt it out. It could be due to that I don't want to mess up their studies (it's an extremely tough school), or due to the fact that I'm not as good as I used to be. In High School, I'd have no problem playing around people, because I was always in All-State and all that junk, so I knew people respected me enough to listen without criticism (unless it was constructive). However, I played less than once per month in my freshman year here, and that caused me to start sucking very quickly.

Now, I'm not as good, so I tend to fear what other people may think. I figure that if I'm going to disturb anyone, it should at least sound good. And perhaps it does sound good, but it's just not up to my own standards. However, my roommates have moved out this weekend, and I've already picked it up for about 4 hours per day now that no one is listening to it. This is actually good, since I'm regaining my embouchure strength very easily, and my technical skills haven't suffered much, but I still face some very weak lungs... :(

I also have the problem in music stores. Usually, people of higher caliber than I are there (especially in a larger city like Atlanta), and I feel that they are always watching me. I know this isn't the case, because I'd never criticize someone worse off than I, but it's still in the back of my mind.

I guess the main thing is to keep practicing as much as possible until you feel confident playing in front of people. I never did mind large crowds (soloed at many a football show), but for some reason playing in front of a few people just freaked me out, unless it was a judge. It's weird, really...

[Razzy]

Well, I know what you mean. When you perform, you're playing things that you know stonecold and are very on top of. When you practice, you're more vulnerable to criticism, even if it's imagined, because you're playing what you're not good at, and even great players can sound terrible in practice because they're attempting things well beyond the scope of normal saxophonists! 8)

[hannibal]

Been digging the conversation thus far... found many comments about nerves and annoying neighbours spot on with my own experiences.

A quick story about how practicing sax can be a good thing for your neighbours:

Several years ago I was teaching English in a small fishing village in Thailand, in a place called Surat Thani. The English school paid my rent in a local house while I was there- an odd kinda two up-two down apartment with neighbours on both sides. I had just started playing my horn, and would work through the Parker Omnibook or play along to cassettes for several hours (no friends there + not speaking Thai = loads of practice time).

A few nights after I first arrived, a horrific domestic broke out next door. I mean you could hear the slapping and cursing. At one point the the thin wall between us actually shook. So I put my horn together and started to blow- loudly- just to drown out the racket. Amazingly, as soon as I started to play, the fighting next door stopped.

This repeated itself once or twice a week for several months. Every time they started fighting I would start practicing, and out of polite respect or whatever, they stopped.

(Back in England) I also know now that the local kid who delivered our newspapers started playing horn because he could hear me practicing- I didn't even know the lad until he worked up the courage to talk to me one day.

Practice loud and proud- you may be doing a public service without even knowing it!

[Dr. Love]

Great post hannibal! That's definately some inspiration to keep playin'!

[GizmoSax]

I hate practicing when my wife is home. Don't know why, it just bugs me..or creeps me out. I start thinking what if she doesn't like it, etc. (although she doesn't really care that much).

Strangely enough, I'm much more comfortable practicing alone (while my dogs howl :) ) or when I'm amongst other musicians. I've never had a problem when I'm at a music shop, or at a rehearsal, or in a college practice room.

I got a Rottie and a Bullmastiff that howl as well. Wanna start a K-9 Blues Band?

[Perfect Pitch]

Over twenty years of practice and different environs have taught me
1 I love to play
2 Sometimes I love to play loud
3 Some people don't like me playing loud
Basically if people are around I will try to appeal to their musicality with music, if there's no one then it's honking time :twisted:

[soulsax]

I have put my practice time into two groups. (1, practice in seclution. I work at this or that. (2 Practice with other ears present. That keeps me in check so I practice as if I was on stage.(songs) Theres always exceptions to the rule but this works well for me :wink:

[Gandalfe]

Hmm, I never thought about it. With four siblings, there was always someone around. Now everyone in the house is a musician. (Wife, son, daughter, grandson, etc.) It would be hard to practice without someone hearing you.

[jp3]

Soprano Sue,

Interesting to hear your reference to tenements- a term I haven't heard much since I was a kid - I grew up in Manchester and know all about the tenements, no a/c, open windows and neighborhood hangouts. Somehow, when I was 15 or 16, honking near an open window never bothered me much. Now, after a 30+ year hiatus, I'm playing with the windows closed. Guess maybe I feel the neighbors expect a guy in his 50's to play like a pro.... and that's not happening at the moment.

Anyway, its good to know I'm not the only saxophobic.

[buescherbabe]

Only if I'm trying to improvise.....

[SopranoSue]

jp3, we're on the same wavelength...

I'm in close quarters, with no room to play. Basically, the floor I'm on has hardwood floors, no rugs, no heavy drapes, 10 ft. ceilings -- nothing to catch the sound. Nevermind that the upstairs inhabitants (ok, relatives, but still, you get the idea...) work at night and sleep from like 6pm to 11pm so they can be at work by 1am (graveyard shift).

Playing is difficult at best. I've relinquished myself to playing in the closet -- which makes me feel like a total FOOL, to playing in the basement, which is still loud because there aren't any sound barriers and the rest of the neighborhood can hear as well.

Result? I'm at a place where I WANT to practice, but feel guilty about my schedule, because I just happen to be a night owl and have my "good" thoughts at 11pm or later. It's very unlikely that I go to bed before 2am and am up before 10am. Good thing I work from home... :lol:

Anyway -- I haven't come to grips with this yet. I can practice VERY quietly, but I feel stifled. I took my horn for a 2 hour drive last weekend, and we spent a lot of time together -- alone in the woods. Best thing I ever did. Gotta get out of the rat race, or at least, away from the rats...

Yes, because you're older, everyone has such high expectations of you. I thought my own were high, but then playing in front of (or out the window) to others -- nevermind relatives -- the pressure is on. I've found that if I think about it, I almost incapacitate myself to not picking up the horn. If I give myself an attitude, then I can do it, but it's a compromise, because I typically don't have an attitude. I'm very relaxed and calm. I'm the Sade/Enya of sax... 8)

The funny thing is, though, is that the dog behind my house will WAIL and HOWL when the police sirens go by, but won't squeek a peep when I play. I guess that's a compliment... :roll:

Other than driving out to the country, I haven't found a good solution yet... Sorry... :oops:

[jp3]

Sop Sue,

Dogs don't lie - accept the compliment.

[Perfect Pitch]

A handkerchief/napkin dropped in the bell of alto/tenor will make muted playing easier for some

[captorquewrench]

I hate practicing when my wife is home. Don't know why, it just bugs me..or creeps me out. I start thinking what if she doesn't like it, etc. (although she doesn't really care that much).



i thought it was just me who didn't like practicing/playing in front of the spouse! it's not so bad anymore.

sometimes if the kids are home I have to lock myself in the master bath to practice. It never fails, they can be just fine, but I swear they have SAX RADAR, i get set up and put the mouthpiece in my mouth, take a deep breath, and


WHACKWHACKWHACK on the door.
"Mooooooooooooooo-ooooooom!!! She's touching me!"

[Wailin']

I gat nailed this past weekend...The apartment complex in which I live called me and said neighbors complained I was playing too loud on Saturday morning. The good thing about it was that the neighbors said it was ok to play later on in the afternoons...just dont play on Saturday mornings when they're more than likely sleeping in. This is the first time of the 5 years that I've lived in apartments that I've been called out :)
Well, at least they haven't shut me down:)

[pete1234]

i have that problem the whole time. the only person i dont mind playing to is my teacher. otherwise im abit uncomfortable. im doint music GCSE at the momen and my teacher asked me to improvise a blues pattern so she could write it down. there were all the other students in the room and i couldent bring myself to do it. she got realy cross in the end :O

[Sax_Kitten]

Its really important to me to practice somewhere where I am comfortable, so I hate going into the practice rooms. Even if I like one, I can never get that one twice, and sometimes they are all full and I search the entire music building but there is nothing, which is eternally frustrating.

So I like practicing in my room, but right now I live in the dorms and I'm petrified people will get pissed off. Last year no one said anything to me, but my roommate heard things which just makes me so much more insecure.

I especially wish I didn't have to deal with this when I have other issues with my practicing, when I feel like I suck so I'm afraid to practice (I know its ironic but it happens). I don't need any more issues, you know? I need as little as possible preventing me from practicing.

[SactoPete]

These kinds of issues contributed to me not playing for just under 20 YEARS. I can say in retrospect, don't be so sensitive - you'll regret it. The more you practice, the better you get, the less you'll intrude on other people. You might even make fans out of them.

I still fight for practice time, with a small house, a baby daughter sleeping in the room next to where I practice, and a wife that doesn't particularly care for music. But I do it... and have learned to enjoy it more and more. I work out something tolerable with my wife so she doesn't go nuts, but make it clear that I NEED to play. I also tell her that all the money I spend on saxes, music, reeds, mouthpieces, etc., is much cheaper than marriage counseling. :D That usually gets the urgency across.

I actually even have a CD that I made mixing classic sax playing from the greats with a few of my tracks that I play quietly in my daughter's room every night while she sleeps.... music is supposed to be good for young children's brain development. And, she's so used to the music, my practicing never bothers her at all. I can play full-blast, and I don't think she ever wakes up (if she does, she never cries or complains).

Cheers,

Pete

[Saxproof]

I'm scared practicing in front of people, mostly because I'm only practicing not finished product, and sometimes people hate my style of playing (mostly because they are more used to Kenny G) But in performances I'm confident because I've practiced the song many times. Got a band behind so at least the audience has something else to listen to.

[Dog Pants]

G'day,
Some wonderful posts here. It's something we all go through and almost everyone seems to sweat on it at first.
When I first picked up the horn again, after a long lay off, I was living in a house with my brother, his girlfriend and a mate. At various times, our house would have visitors who stayed for days, weeks, and in some cases, months.
I used to come home from work and practice for at least 3 hours every day. I went through the usual "Oh I suck, they must be laughing at every mistake I make." I just kept at it. Scales, Chords, Intervals, Overtones and Tunes. Our neighbours at the time were a single mum and a piano playing, teenage daughter.
Once everyone realised this was not a "passing phase," it just became a normal part of the nightly routine. The piano playing daughter would start practicing about 10 minutes after I started. I used to hear what she was playing, (legit) and play it back at her sometimes, but with a swing feel. Great kid!
I don't believe in stuffing things down the bell of the horn. Yes, I've done it, I've tried the just practice sofly thing too. My advice to all is: DON'T DO IT!!!
As a beginner or intermediate player, learning to put enough air through the horn is a MUST!!! Many problems with sound, intonation, control etc...can be directly traced to not putting enough air through the horn.
It won't take long before your family, flatmates, neighbours, notice an improvement in your playing. Now, the only comments I get from family are, "that sounded cool." or, "I know that song."
My single mum neighbour used to give me "set lists" when she was having friends over for dinner parties. I kid you not. I was happy to oblige, (wallpaper gig). I ended up coaching the piano playing daughter in improvisation and my brother and our house mate, both started playing instruments.
Now I practice at work, (night shift) and the residents living around where I work, all know I'm the one playing the saxophone. Not one has complained, or mentioned it to my boss and one of the young fellas is now begging his mum to get a saxophone.
Keep at it. It'll all come good in the end.

[JL]

Now I practice at work, (night shift) and the residents living around where I work, all know I'm the one playing the saxophone. Not one has complained, or mentioned it to my boss and one of the young fellas is now begging his mum to get a saxophone.
Keep at it. It'll all come good in the end.

IVe been practicing at home for several years where I live now and the neighbors are all used to it, for sure. I only practice during the day, so those who have to get up early and go to work don't hear me much but quite a few neighbors are around during the day. I've asked them many times if they care and they say they enjoy it. Which blows me away because when I practice I'm ususally trying to work new things out or just running various exercises. Anyway, both the kids next door (the girl is around 10 and the boy is a couple years older) have taken up saxophone in the past couple of years. Until dogpants said this, it never occurred to me that I had anything to do with it, but who knows? They definitely grew up hearing me wailing away.....

To answer the original question, once I start practicing, I forget everything else and everybody around me.

[saxamaphonegirl]

I used to hate practicing around people. I had a huge confidence issue with a bit of paranoia in the mix. I, like many others, didn't want people to hear unless it was the finished product. I was kind of neurotic actually, now that I think about it. I couldn't let anyone hear me make a mistake.
But living in an apartment in L.A. desensitized me to just about anything and oh yeah, having lessons in a big glass walled room at the local music shop helped too.
You really have to tell yourself it's ok to have flubs and make mistakes. You're human. If there's ANYONE listening to you and they make any negative comment, ask them to play what you're practicing. One of the, "If you're so smart, why don't you give it a try" notions. 9 times out of 10, the person that says something negative, can't play an instrument themselves.

[JL]

But living in an apartment in L.A. desensitized me to just about anything ....

ROTFLOL!

[sopranofreak]

I think this is a very widespread phenomenon... Both me and my flatmate play sax - I've just about managed to force myself to practise when she's in, but she hasn't picked up her alto in ages: a tragic waste.
Funnily enough, the neighbours being in doesn't seem to bother me, but for a long time I found it really hard to play when my flatmate was around... I found it helped to ask her to put on some loud music then retreat to my room so she couldn't hear what I was doing! I still have more fun playing when she's out, but at least I can do my scales every day.

Still, I work in a music shop and I still haven't worked up the courage to play in front of my colleagues! One day, one day...

[Keith Ridenhour]

I like it when people can hear me practice. It forces me to concentrate and not just noodle around wasting my time. I slow down whatever I'm doing and really do it right. I used to run jazz workshops for a friend in Berkeley (back when I had jazz chops) and I would have the students play a game called recording studio, anything goes. First, we'd go through a tune and I'd tell them to do anything they wanted, deliberately make any mistakes or experiment with anything they wanted, it didn't count, no pressure, play, enjoy , etc. That was the anything goes part, then later we'd do the tune again and do recording session style where the intro to the solo was thought about, contour of the solo thought about, staying within the ability/playing level of the player, in other words, as careful and thought out as possible, no mistakes. It wasn't about doing either activity right but the thinking process involved in soloing/ playing. The students liked it and I think benefited from it . K

[www.mradlai.com]

I prefer to practice alone, outdoors and far away from people. Right now I am mainly concerned with long tones and I will always do these (on every note on the horn) first as a warmup and last as well. I use the long tones as a form of meditation and just focus on music and how sacred it is. I meditate on peace, or love, or justice while doing long tones to impart that consciousness into the sound.

Music starts with sound, and for a sax player, nothing is more important than a unique, vibrant, inspiring TONE. Needless to say, if you are practicing meditation, you need NO disturbances real or imagined. Whatever I do in life, I like to maximize the time spent... whether it be by using a metronome / tuner in practice, practicing alone, or just focusing short and hard instead of trying to practice for hours without breaking.

[bubblegirlsax]

I used to get nervous, but then I got over it. You have to practice practicing in front of people. Once I was shy to let my mother hear me - now I love her to listen. It comes from finding someone who will be positive and tell you you sound good. Like any skill, we get shy if we have no confidence in our abilities.

Me singing . . . still remains private. I'm not public about that yet. Yes, I know my webpage has a clip . . . and I cringe every time someone tells me they heard it :S


S.

[Jazzy saxxer 4]

I never used to dislike playing in front of people. Or maybe it's that I feel weird because I know how much other people (my family) dislike hearing me practice. I guess my family didn't mind the violin or oboe, but the sax is a whole different story. I know my family hates my sax with a passion. How I deal with it may not be the best idea, but it's gotten to the point where they complain=I try harder to annoy them.:twisted:
When I was first learning, they'd put on headphones, go in their rooms and shut the doors, and one time my mom even went outside (we live in the country) because she said it was the only place she couldn't hear the sax. So I opened up my window and continued playing. She told me to shut the window, so I did...but then I took the sax (don't worry, it was a crummy student horn) outside to practice my playing and marching skills.:D
Another time I was in my room practicing and she and my little sister (who my parents LOVE to listen to practicing the piano) got sick of hearing me that they thought it would be funny to stuff dirty dish towels down the bell of my sax. IT was a Mark VI for pete's sake!!! :x They had to put up with me carrying on forever that you don't treat a VI that way, and fortunately, the VI is fine and they havent' tried that since.
And when my dad complained that I was being to loud (even though I was using my concert C*), I returned to my room and traded it in for the Jumbo Java. Now that's loud. You might think that I'm not helping the situation, but by now my family has finally gotten the message: that no matter how much they complain about it, the sax isn't gonna go away. (or that if they complain, I can always do something else to irritate them more!!!)
Good luck, guys8-) -SG

[BlueNote]

As long I am not practicing around another musician (especially one around my level or better), I usually never have a problem with it. People who don't play an instrument don't really know what you're doing anyway... it's forgein to them, so why worry. Just do your thing and ignore them. If they don't know music, you will always know more them.

[briwood]

Develop a healthy attitude.

Be compassionate toward yourself. Give yourself permission to sound bad as you work toward sounding great. Realize that the stories you're telling yourself about what other people think are YOUR stories. They are created in your head. You are cutting yourself down. Notice this and gently refocus on the task at hand: practicing. I.E. getting better. Each time you catch yourself and refocus, you are strenghtening your concentration muscles and your constructive attitude muscles.

When you catch yourself for the 100th time, don't get mad - that just perpetuates negativity. Gently refocus.

[Doghouse Riley]

What I find irritating is that as I also play a "leccy piano", I often record stuff on it to play along with my sax. This is quite useful as I can modulate the key of the recording to whichever one in which I want to play along.
I'm fine when I run through the tune I've chosen, but as soon as I start playing it again after hitting those "record" buttons, I occasionally make mistakes or lose my place in the music (If I'm not "winging" it). It can take me a dozen goes with some tunes and they don't need to be that hard to play.