Practice noise complaints...

[thepurpleblob]

[quote name='Pentode' post='464961' date='Apr 17 2009, 01:14 PM']So....... Is a Pentode a Kinky Tetrode? [/quote]

If there was any justice in the world it would be!!

[Pentode]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='464963' date='Apr 17 2009, 01:15 PM']If there was any justice in the world it would be!![/quote]


Hey!! I'm a Kinky Tetrode!!! Result!

[thebeat]

While i love listening to music and playing it, i have to say that i would never dream of having a band practice in my house and am amazed at some of the comments coming from people about how the neighbour should have approached you before going to the council and how they're some sort of anti-noise extremists with no lives because they want some peace and quiet when they're in their home...why should the complainer have to approach the noise maker? It should be bloody obvious to the poster that someone was gonna get pissed off eventually...i mean a whole band in an unsoundproofed living room? c'mon! no wonder they didn't bother approaching you, did you bother approaching any of them before you decided to have practice sessions in your house?

Everyone should be entitled to live in peace and quiet in their own home without some selfish person making their life hell...

[Twigman]

[quote name='Huggy and the Bears' post='464835' date='Apr 17 2009, 11:28 AM']Any ideas???[/quote]
Hire proper rehearsal facilities.




My next door neighbour used to let a local kids' band rehearse in his huge shed but although I applauded him supporting a local kids' band, it was most annoying living next door.

[HeavyJay]

[quote name='Balcro' post='464959' date='Apr 17 2009, 01:12 PM']Drummers and vocalists are often the worst parts of a band noise.[/quote]

True dat.

I think an addition to the Famous Quotes Thread is in order.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

we have two types of rehearsals:

1. Amplified in a rehearsal room with everything as it will be for a gig
2. Acoustic in a band member's front room

For the acoustic rehearsal the vocals & harmonica are unamplified, the drummer uses a snare with brushes, the guitarist uses his acoustic and I play an ashbory bass through a tiny 12W practice amp. Overall the volume level is no louder than having the TV on.

[99ster]

[quote name='thebeat' post='464973' date='Apr 17 2009, 01:20 PM']While i love listening to music and playing it, i have to say that i would never dream of having a band practice in my house and am amazed at some of the comments coming from people about how the neighbour should have approached you before going to the council and how they're some sort of anti-noise extremists with no lives because they want some peace and quiet when they're in their home...why should the complainer have to approach the noise maker? It should be bloody obvious to the poster that someone was gonna get pissed off eventually...i mean a whole band in an unsoundproofed living room? c'mon! no wonder they didn't bother approaching you, did you bother approaching any of them before you decided to have practice sessions in your house?

Everyone should be entitled to live in peace and quiet in their own home without some selfish person making their life hell...[/quote]


I've got to say....
+1 to this post
I'm incredulous that you would think it was OK to have a full band rehearsing in your living room.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Balcro' post='464959' date='Apr 17 2009, 01:12 PM']Drummers and vocalists are often the worst parts of a band noise.[/quote]
Too true.
There was a kid practising drums in a garage across the way, and they sounded awful!
He had the garage door up, and began to shrink on his stool as I approached
"It's okay, mister, I'll stop!
"No, don't stop. Keep practising. But tune the damn kit!"
(throws drum key to Emo drum kid)

But on a more practical level;
We did a full-on electric gig in someone's front room (just a regular semi!) for their wedding party. He'd invited them all round..
For writing work, we'd use the singer's front room- but with 2 acoustics, unamplified vocals, me playing through an 80w 1x12 combo at a sensible level. The drummer would use a snare & hats with "hot rods" or brushes.
No, not full-on rock (we saved that for rehearsal rooms), but a good way to explore/write material until everyone's acquianted with the song structure/s.
That way, we'd save on rehearsal room time spent writing/arranging/arguing.

[thepurpleblob]

I think you're lucky it was just the council they contacted. They didn't call the old bill.

[guyl]

Sell tickets for your rehearsal - proceeds for local charity.

Surely no-one would complain about your fundraising efforts?

[MB1]

MB1.
I remember coming round for the ABM 210T and thinking what pleasant neighbours you had!.... putting up with Ocean Colour Scene playing in the Garage!

[MB1]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='465055' date='Apr 17 2009, 02:30 PM']I think you're lucky it was just the council they contacted. They didn't call the old bill.[/quote]

MB1.
Trust Me!...You dont want William Roach round your house!

[Noisyjon]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='465055' date='Apr 17 2009, 02:30 PM']I think you're lucky it was just the council they contacted. They didn't call the old bill.[/quote]

+1
I had the Police round once when there was a drum kit and guitar amp up and running one night.
Not so nice I can tell you.

As said before, I would just use a rehearsal room/Pub/Church Hall, etc.

JTB

[Paul S]

I believe there is also an issue about confiscation of the noise making equipment to be considered, should it get to the point of letters etc being ignored.

Rehearsal studios are so cheap and annoyed neighbours so potentially troublesome I see no choices, myself. I am just glad I don't live in your road

[BigBeefChief]

[quote name='Paul S' post='465189' date='Apr 17 2009, 04:14 PM']Rehearsal studios are so cheap[/quote]


I dunno, costs me £18 every rehearsal.

[Twigman]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='465194' date='Apr 17 2009, 04:17 PM']I dunno, costs me £18 every rehearsal.[/quote]

Yep not cheap - we pay £13 per hour for ours (including backline).

[Paul S]

Well, the place we use is cheaper at £11 an hour but it is split between 5 of us. Thought of getting a brass section? A dedicated guiro player?

Mind you, we are fortunate enough to normally use a place for nowt - one of our guys (selfish b@stard is on holiday for two weeks so we have to shell out!) works at a large company with their own lecture theatre that is 'bookable' out of hours, so as long as the annual marbles competition isn't running we are fine.

[casapete]

[quote name='thebeat' post='464973' date='Apr 17 2009, 01:20 PM']While i love listening to music and playing it, i have to say that i would never dream of having a band practice in my house and am amazed at some of the comments coming from people about how the neighbour should have approached you before going to the council and how they're some sort of anti-noise extremists with no lives because they want some peace and quiet when they're in their home...why should the complainer have to approach the noise maker? It should be bloody obvious to the poster that someone was gonna get pissed off eventually...i mean a whole band in an unsoundproofed living room? c'mon! no wonder they didn't bother approaching you, did you bother approaching any of them before you decided to have practice sessions in your house?

Everyone should be entitled to live in peace and quiet in their own home without some selfish person making their life hell...[/quote]

+1 to the above.

I live in a Victorian terraced house, and the lad next door used to rehearse with a full acoustic drum kit every night just when my
girlfriend just got in from work/early evening. I think his parents thought I would be tolerant knowing I was a pro musician,
but as I tried to explain to them it was like coming in from a noisy factory and still hearing it in your home! We could hear every part
of his playing, was just like being in the room with him, no kidding!

Despite many friendly attempts in person to compromise with them over this, I eventually rang my local council who were very helpful - gave me
a basis on which to attempt to get it stopped. After writing a polite letter to the neighbours stating the next step was to involve the council, the drumming
ceased. Unfortunately the whole family have since blanked us, which is really sad but thats the outcome. Think the parents bought the lad an electric kit with headphones - pity they had n't shown this consideration sooner really.

I try to adopt a 'live and let live' policy regarding noise. Occasional birthday party celebrations/house warmings etc are all part of our lives.
Do think though that regularly making neighbours lives a misery however you do it is pretty selfish behaviour, and does cause a lot of trouble.
Like the previous post, I also believe we should all be entitled to a peaceful home environment.

( God-hope this does n't sound like the Daily Mail/Express readers posting on here!!!!)

[BigBeefChief]

[quote name='casapete' post='465303' date='Apr 17 2009, 05:55 PM']+1 to the above.

I live in a Victorian terraced house, and the lad next door used to rehearse with a full acoustic drum kit every night just when my
girlfriend just got in from work/early evening. I think his parents thought I would be tolerant knowing I was a pro musician,
but as I tried to explain to them it was like coming in from a noisy factory and still hearing it in your home! We could hear every part
of his playing, was just like being in the room with him, no kidding!

Despite many friendly attempts in person to compromise with them over this, I eventually rang my local council who were very helpful - gave me
a basis on which to attempt to get it stopped. After writing a polite letter to the neighbours stating the next step was to involve the council, the drumming
ceased. Unfortunately the whole family have since blanked us, which is really sad but thats the outcome. Think the parents bought the lad an electric kit with headphones - pity they had n't shown this consideration sooner really.

I try to adopt a 'live and let live' policy regarding noise. Occasional birthday party celebrations/house warmings etc are all part of our lives.
Do think though that regularly making neighbours lives a misery however you do it is pretty selfish behaviour, and does cause a lot of trouble.
Like the previous post, I also believe we should all be entitled to a peaceful home environment.

( God-hope this does n't sound like the Daily Mail/Express readers posting on here!!!!)[/quote]


But the difference is you went round and had a polite word.

The OP lives in a detached house, and I've credited him with a degree of common sense regarding the distance his house is from others and the level that they are playing at.

A local shop were using an alley leading to my flat to dump their rubbish, so the first thjing I did was have a quick word. To me, its the first step and its easier than phoning the council. As it happens, the polite word didn't work, so I just started posting their litter through their letterbox each night.

[Count Bassy]

We've had a very similar letter from the council. It was particularly annoying because according to the complainant there was 'regular loud music coming from our house late at night', which is rubbish - our practises always ended by 9.30, and were, at most, every three weeks or so. As far as I'm concerned thay have lost my respect because they have blatently exagerated the situation.

Anyway, on contacting the council they wouldn't give us any guidance as to what was reasonable. However they did say that they'd have to have more that one complainant before that took it seriously. Also it is only considered a problem if the complainant has their windows closed.

I take the point that some you should consider your neighbours, (and our practises generally end up around 9pm, or sometimes 9.30pm) but people living in a community cannot expect to live in total silence - they'll have plenty of that when they're dead. To my mind them insisting on total silence
24/7 is as much an imposition on me as it would be on them if we practised every week and late at night. It all needs a bit of give and take, which I'm happy to do, but the complainers generally want it all their own way.

We think we know who it is who complained and it is not an immediate neighbour, all of whom we have asked and have said that its not been a problem. The old woman in question is the one who, on the day we moved in (10 years ago), came over to complain that the removal men had left the radio on in their lorry!. Some of these people haven't got enough to do with their lives.

On a more practical note, for some early evening practises, we have sometimes resorted to leaving the lawn mower running in the garden, so taht it masks the practise noise.

[3V17C]

i've lived in my house for about 10 years and never make any noise, keeping myself to myself. If i play bass at home its either acoustic or with headphones and always has been. One time though i'd got a new bass amp and as i had a gig coming up i thought i'd best just set it up and quickly give it a try. Literally within about 2 minutes I had a neighbour from the road behind my house banging on the door telling me to turn it down. Its like they were waiting for an opportunity to complain! Some people have nothing better to do i guess.

peace


c

[AM1]

Just crank it up and live your life!

You're in a detached house and you're not playing at anti-social hours, tell the neighbours to come over for a sing a-long!

Where I used to live, my neighbours came over one day to apologise about their teenage son playing loud music and didn't mention me having my own house shaking with music! Obviously I told them I had no issues whatsoever with loud music, day or night! There were two garages between my front room and theirs so they obviously couldnt hear the racket I was making. I did point out that Slipknot weren't cool though and directed their son towards System of a Down. Mehe.

Same goes in a flat, I've had my bass amp cranked to maximum volume and gain, the whole place was shaking...no one has ever complained!! But..it's a two way street...when they make noise, I've never complained...even at 4AM.

Live and let live! If people in Britain were a bit more laid back and less grumpy, it would be a happier place. Miserable fools.

[JJTee]

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='465330' date='Apr 17 2009, 06:09 PM']However they did say that they'd have to have more that one complainant before that took it seriously. Also it is only considered a problem if the complainant has their windows closed.[/quote]

Not true I'm afraid on either count. Action can be taken under nuisance even if there is only one complainant - however, they probably won't take a single [b][u]complaint[/u][/b] too seriously.

Regarding the windows, an assessment is likely to be carried out with both the windows open and closed - after all, people are perfectly entitled to have their windows open for fresh air and ventilation, particularly in the summer.

It's all a question of what is "reasonable", and it's not always clear-cut - there are always borderline cases.

Edited April 17, 2009 by JJTee

[thebeat]

[quote name='AM1' post='465349' date='Apr 17 2009, 06:27 PM']Just crank it up and live your life![/quote]


What a wonderfully mature attitude.

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='JJTee' post='465350' date='Apr 17 2009, 06:27 PM']Not true I'm afraid on either count. Action can be taken under nuisance even if there is only one complainant - however, they probably won't take a single [b][u]complaint[/u][/b] too seriously.

Regarding the windows, an assessment is likely to be carried out with both the windows open and closed - after all, people are perfectly entitled to have their windows open for fresh air and ventilation, particularly in the summer.

It's all a question of what is "reasonable", and it's not always clear-cut - there are always borderline cases.[/quote]

I'll bow to your knowledge on that, but that's what they told us on the phone.

Re the open window: Does this mean that we are entitled to practise with the windows open? - practices can get a bit hot and sweaty?