My dj friend(edm) had this problem and he fully sound proof his house ( which he’s renting) at his expense.
What the hell do i care about your art when i’m doing 10 hour shifts on a building site?
I sympathise with a musicians need to practice, but less than I sympathise with people who don’t want to hear it in their home.
My band used to rent a practice room.
Yeah… I can see why she’s frustrated.
But also… imagine being forced to listen to someone’s music for hours every day. It would drive you crazy.
Multiple musicians too by the sounds of things.
It’s not the kind of sound you can easily block out.
“She has started a petition calling for protection for the right to play musical instruments, signed so far by 23,000 people, and says the rules on noise are too unclear and leave too much to the discretion and judgment of environmental health officers.”
She lives in an apartment with downstairs neighbours? Obviously she needs to adjust or minimise the hours she practices at home and prioritise practicing at an appropriate location.
The ISM needs to argue for the provision of appropriate places to allow musicians to practice. Not for the right of musicians to disrupt the peace of their neighbours.
Google comes up with a relevant ruling, which the ISM support.
>The result of this is that James is allowed to practice at home five hours per day on Mondays through to Saturdays between the hours of 9am and 9pm, where only two hours may be after 5pm, and six days per year where they may be allowed to have five hours up until 10.30pm to hold “family concerts” for friends and relatives.
This seems very fair to me, although now as more people are working from home it may be harder to find this kind of compromise.
Most people I know who live somewhere where the houses aren’t detached and they make music use any of the widely available products to soundproof their home.
I have to imagine that she has ignored numerous complaints and approaches from the council or neighbours to get to the point where she’s received an order not to play her music at all under penalty of a big fine.
Compo face in the paper isn’t going to achieve anything. Get a room in your house sound proofed.
edit: *The spokesperson said the noise abatement notice was “a last resort”. “In this case, regrettably, when we tried to explore reasonable offers and solutions to find a balance, the tenant refused to engage and we received multiple further complaints.”*
Bingo.
Although I generally sympathise with her, I don’t see why she can’t rent a rehearsal space and go there to write and practise, like a band would do.
I think she mainly just expects special treatment because she is a “classical musician”
Somewhat undermined by calling her band Mediaeval Baebes
Not as classy as she thinks she is
Sofa surfing with a piano must be expensive. Probably cheaper to sort out a proper rehearsal space not in a residential environment.
Too much emphasis on “my rights”, hardly any on “my responsibilities”.
> moved out of the flat in south-east London and is sofa-surfing.
Pretty drastic response on her part imo.
Plus it’s not like she’s in an orchestra, she’s in a band. If she can afford to be living the musician life in London then surely she could get some decent soundproofing or at least eggboxes on the walls.
Your home is a home, not your fucking personal rehearsal space. I don’t give a flying one if you’re a “classical musician”, or a DJ, a death metal drummer, or just someone who really likes playing with hammers and pneumatic drills… None of that overrides the right of your neighbours not to have your noise imposed upon them.
Entitled Idiot Has A Whinge, there’s your alternative headline!
The rules on noise. What an idiot. She thinks her right to disturb her neighbours is ok. She’s wrong, and selfish.
Live in a flat and you’re a musician? Find somewhere else to practice, or live in a single occupancy dwelling away from neighbours…
Take the professional drummer and youtuber *Dankpods* for instance, he rents an industrial unit to practice/livestream his drumming.
Depends, there’s a level of tolerance expected between neighbours.
We had musicians live below us who played about 3-4 times per week, 1-1.5 hours, and never beyond 9pm.
Annoying as hell but it’s their thing, for a good reason, and we cracked on.
They played piano, flute, guitar and sang, but I think I’d have drawn the line at drums, and any excessive bass or loud amplified instruments.
​
Some people need to ask themselves whether what they hear is annoying, they just don’t like it, or if it’s a genuine nuisance preventing them having reasonable enjoyment of their living space. I suspect a vast majority fall in the former.
some people don’t realise that an unreasonable desire for silence might also be a nuisance to those who do want to practice instruments or watch telly or whatever.
​
Reading this story, the likelihood is she was being unreasonable, and that’s why she’s had the abatement notice.
I have played instruments for decades but every time I’d rented I used electric versions with headphones, even doing that sometimes caused issues but I think it’s more likely we were living in an illegally converted HMO flat as rooms had been split with a super thin peice of plaster/stud wall so you could hear someone whispering on the other side.. so even an electric guitar unplugged you could hear, it was barbaric…
Most places are not that bad so this person seems entitled, its her decision to play music, you can hire rehersal rooms very easily or as I said use electric versions of instruments (or if its electric guotsr just buy a jack to usb).
If your a singer you can by a face mask called a belt box on amazon which reduces your voice/singing by 30 dB which is amazing and I use one myself. In my current flat I know what level is not heard as the walls are really thick so it can be pretty loud if I wanted but I still use headphones half the time as its really unessisary to generate noise.
It’s not anyone else’s issue if you want to be a musician, don’t burden others. Infact you can get small sound proof easy assembled rooms online these days so there’s no excuses really. Or infact a cheaper option is move further out of a city, I have a family friend who is a successful musician and they moves further out of the city to avoid all this in the early 90s and then just commuted in or around the country for gigs.
I guess the downvotes on this are from narcissistic singers/musicians who think everyone should bow down to them… seriously get a grip, I used to earn money playing for bands but didn’t piss my neighbours off and rented rehersal rooms.
I used to live next door to a piano teacher, drove me bat shit crazy
I’m sure some church hall or community centre could rent out part of the building.
“I really had done everything I could. I didn’t know what they expected me to do.”
Maybe put up sound insulation or rent space in a non residential area. Pretty obvious.
Everytime I fire up my guitar and amp I always play with headphones connected to the output. Pretty sure not all our neighbors enjoy listening to Tornado of Souls for the nth time
>The report from this professional witness confirmed that the music […] was at an **unreasonable level**.
>
>In this case, regrettably, when we tried to explore reasonable offers and solutions to find a balance, **the tenant refused to engage** and we received multiple further complaints.
Maybe the council is being dishonest, but from their statements it seems like there’s more to the story than she describes.
I played in a band. A loud band. And lived in a flat.
We rehearsed in a rehearsal space, which are all over the place, and not expensive.
It may be her livelihood but many people wfh nowadays and their livelihood would be threatened by the disturbance. Not to mention people who are ill or have other disabilities affected by noise. I do see that it’s hard for her, but turning flats into rehearsal spaces can’t be the answer.
Imagine being the neighbour and FINALLY having a day of silence once she’s gone; it would be absolute bliss
When I set up my panel beating workshop in my living room i got the same from my neighbours, I also felt attacked!!!!
It’s my job too, what did they expect me to do….. get a workshop or do it un an appropriateplace. I never heard them complain about johns 40th bash he had last weekend or old betties book club every thrusday 6-7pm, them nans can natter.
No complete witch hunt.
She needs to rehearse, yes, but surely there are rehearsal spaces wherever it is that she is employed? Or is she a freelancer with no fixed place of work?
I’m not sure what she’s complaining about. Go to a rehearsal room to practice. Homes are for living in, or working quietly, and her neighbours are entitled to peace and quiet.
Why does the genre matter? Noise is noise, just because you think your noise is higher brow than others doesn’t mean you should get away with being a noisy neighbour
That’s why serious musicians hire practice spaces, or she could use an electric guitar with headphones. I play a lot myself but am respectful of my neighbours and don’t have this girls level of entitlement.
30 comments
My dj friend(edm) had this problem and he fully sound proof his house ( which he’s renting) at his expense.
What the hell do i care about your art when i’m doing 10 hour shifts on a building site?
I sympathise with a musicians need to practice, but less than I sympathise with people who don’t want to hear it in their home.
My band used to rent a practice room.
Yeah… I can see why she’s frustrated.
But also… imagine being forced to listen to someone’s music for hours every day. It would drive you crazy.
Multiple musicians too by the sounds of things.
It’s not the kind of sound you can easily block out.
“She has started a petition calling for protection for the right to play musical instruments, signed so far by 23,000 people, and says the rules on noise are too unclear and leave too much to the discretion and judgment of environmental health officers.”
She lives in an apartment with downstairs neighbours? Obviously she needs to adjust or minimise the hours she practices at home and prioritise practicing at an appropriate location.
The ISM needs to argue for the provision of appropriate places to allow musicians to practice. Not for the right of musicians to disrupt the peace of their neighbours.
Google comes up with a relevant ruling, which the ISM support.
>The result of this is that James is allowed to practice at home five hours per day on Mondays through to Saturdays between the hours of 9am and 9pm, where only two hours may be after 5pm, and six days per year where they may be allowed to have five hours up until 10.30pm to hold “family concerts” for friends and relatives.
This seems very fair to me, although now as more people are working from home it may be harder to find this kind of compromise.
Most people I know who live somewhere where the houses aren’t detached and they make music use any of the widely available products to soundproof their home.
I have to imagine that she has ignored numerous complaints and approaches from the council or neighbours to get to the point where she’s received an order not to play her music at all under penalty of a big fine.
Compo face in the paper isn’t going to achieve anything. Get a room in your house sound proofed.
edit: *The spokesperson said the noise abatement notice was “a last resort”. “In this case, regrettably, when we tried to explore reasonable offers and solutions to find a balance, the tenant refused to engage and we received multiple further complaints.”*
Bingo.
Although I generally sympathise with her, I don’t see why she can’t rent a rehearsal space and go there to write and practise, like a band would do.
I think she mainly just expects special treatment because she is a “classical musician”
Somewhat undermined by calling her band Mediaeval Baebes
Not as classy as she thinks she is
Sofa surfing with a piano must be expensive. Probably cheaper to sort out a proper rehearsal space not in a residential environment.
Too much emphasis on “my rights”, hardly any on “my responsibilities”.
> moved out of the flat in south-east London and is sofa-surfing.
Pretty drastic response on her part imo.
Plus it’s not like she’s in an orchestra, she’s in a band. If she can afford to be living the musician life in London then surely she could get some decent soundproofing or at least eggboxes on the walls.
Your home is a home, not your fucking personal rehearsal space. I don’t give a flying one if you’re a “classical musician”, or a DJ, a death metal drummer, or just someone who really likes playing with hammers and pneumatic drills… None of that overrides the right of your neighbours not to have your noise imposed upon them.
Entitled Idiot Has A Whinge, there’s your alternative headline!
The rules on noise. What an idiot. She thinks her right to disturb her neighbours is ok. She’s wrong, and selfish.
Live in a flat and you’re a musician? Find somewhere else to practice, or live in a single occupancy dwelling away from neighbours…
Take the professional drummer and youtuber *Dankpods* for instance, he rents an industrial unit to practice/livestream his drumming.
Depends, there’s a level of tolerance expected between neighbours.
We had musicians live below us who played about 3-4 times per week, 1-1.5 hours, and never beyond 9pm.
Annoying as hell but it’s their thing, for a good reason, and we cracked on.
They played piano, flute, guitar and sang, but I think I’d have drawn the line at drums, and any excessive bass or loud amplified instruments.
​
Some people need to ask themselves whether what they hear is annoying, they just don’t like it, or if it’s a genuine nuisance preventing them having reasonable enjoyment of their living space. I suspect a vast majority fall in the former.
some people don’t realise that an unreasonable desire for silence might also be a nuisance to those who do want to practice instruments or watch telly or whatever.
​
Reading this story, the likelihood is she was being unreasonable, and that’s why she’s had the abatement notice.
I have played instruments for decades but every time I’d rented I used electric versions with headphones, even doing that sometimes caused issues but I think it’s more likely we were living in an illegally converted HMO flat as rooms had been split with a super thin peice of plaster/stud wall so you could hear someone whispering on the other side.. so even an electric guitar unplugged you could hear, it was barbaric…
Most places are not that bad so this person seems entitled, its her decision to play music, you can hire rehersal rooms very easily or as I said use electric versions of instruments (or if its electric guotsr just buy a jack to usb).
If your a singer you can by a face mask called a belt box on amazon which reduces your voice/singing by 30 dB which is amazing and I use one myself. In my current flat I know what level is not heard as the walls are really thick so it can be pretty loud if I wanted but I still use headphones half the time as its really unessisary to generate noise.
It’s not anyone else’s issue if you want to be a musician, don’t burden others. Infact you can get small sound proof easy assembled rooms online these days so there’s no excuses really. Or infact a cheaper option is move further out of a city, I have a family friend who is a successful musician and they moves further out of the city to avoid all this in the early 90s and then just commuted in or around the country for gigs.
I guess the downvotes on this are from narcissistic singers/musicians who think everyone should bow down to them… seriously get a grip, I used to earn money playing for bands but didn’t piss my neighbours off and rented rehersal rooms.
I used to live next door to a piano teacher, drove me bat shit crazy
I’m sure some church hall or community centre could rent out part of the building.
“I really had done everything I could. I didn’t know what they expected me to do.”
Maybe put up sound insulation or rent space in a non residential area. Pretty obvious.
Everytime I fire up my guitar and amp I always play with headphones connected to the output. Pretty sure not all our neighbors enjoy listening to Tornado of Souls for the nth time
>The report from this professional witness confirmed that the music […] was at an **unreasonable level**.
>
>In this case, regrettably, when we tried to explore reasonable offers and solutions to find a balance, **the tenant refused to engage** and we received multiple further complaints.
Maybe the council is being dishonest, but from their statements it seems like there’s more to the story than she describes.
I played in a band. A loud band. And lived in a flat.
We rehearsed in a rehearsal space, which are all over the place, and not expensive.
It may be her livelihood but many people wfh nowadays and their livelihood would be threatened by the disturbance. Not to mention people who are ill or have other disabilities affected by noise. I do see that it’s hard for her, but turning flats into rehearsal spaces can’t be the answer.
Imagine being the neighbour and FINALLY having a day of silence once she’s gone; it would be absolute bliss
When I set up my panel beating workshop in my living room i got the same from my neighbours, I also felt attacked!!!!
It’s my job too, what did they expect me to do….. get a workshop or do it un an appropriateplace. I never heard them complain about johns 40th bash he had last weekend or old betties book club every thrusday 6-7pm, them nans can natter.
No complete witch hunt.
She needs to rehearse, yes, but surely there are rehearsal spaces wherever it is that she is employed? Or is she a freelancer with no fixed place of work?
I’m not sure what she’s complaining about. Go to a rehearsal room to practice. Homes are for living in, or working quietly, and her neighbours are entitled to peace and quiet.
Why does the genre matter? Noise is noise, just because you think your noise is higher brow than others doesn’t mean you should get away with being a noisy neighbour
That’s why serious musicians hire practice spaces, or she could use an electric guitar with headphones. I play a lot myself but am respectful of my neighbours and don’t have this girls level of entitlement.