Complaining Neighbours

Ron ! · Posted 20 Nov 2004 3:08 am

I started at the age of 6 on a hofner 6 string my dad gave to me.I can understand that that was not a thing you would like to hear every day when you come home from a hard days work.
After a periode of 15 years I made the step from Lapsteel to Pedal steel and the neighbours had no complaints.After moving out from my parents house and starting to live on my own the troubles began.
The people that are next to me own a private music school and they tell me that I bother them when I practise.Now these people own a private musicschool and I never bothered them whit their students.
I am a man that can play the PSG pretty well.I am not a show off though.
What should I do about it?
Any suggestions?

Ron

Nikaro SD10 4x6

Chris Forbes · From: Beltsville, MD, USA

Tell them their students bother you.

Farris Currie · From: Ona, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Hey RON,one time there was a bar that drove people crazy for years.people prayed for it to stop.one day they told a little lady about it,that night the bar burned. people said she must pray hard,she said no,sometimes you gotta put feet on your prayers.ha ha, hey torch the place man.HA HA farris

John McGann · From: Boston, Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

A decent compromise is to get something like a Genesis 3 unit to plug into, and practice with headphones. Most of these have auxilary ins so you can run a CD player for playalong stuff...I have mine hooked up to a mixing board and practice with CDs, BIAB or drum machine/metronome running from my computer. My practice room is next to my young daughter's bedroom, so this allows me to play late into the night without disturbing anyone.

The pluses are if you like stereo, you can get a nice fat true stereo sound; you can play 96 hours straight and no one can complain at 5 AM.

The drawback is you don't get to work on your amp tone, but you know, the amp tone in the practice room means nothing once you are in a performing environment anyway.

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http://www.johnmcgann.com
Info for musicians, transcribers, technique tips and fun stuff.

Joaquin Murphey solos book info and some free stuff : http://www.johnmcgann.com/joaquin.html

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

There is no arguing with a neighbor who says he is bothered by your noise (no insult intended--this applies to playing music, hammering nails, banging bed headboards). If they say it is disturbing them you can't say "no it's not". There is no solution besides reducing your sound output unless you can use diplomacy to convince them of the importance of their minor sacrifice toward your perfection of your beautiful craft.
HOWEVER---as per Chris's response, it is pretty ballsy of them to complain if they are vulnerable to a counter charge from you. Yes--I absolutely would use that leverage--tell them that you have been good enough to accept their noise for the same reasons that they should accept yours. If they cannot, then you will NOT endure theirs any longer. Cease and desist.

Andy Greatrix · From: Edmonton Alberta

Also, you run the risk of getting tinnitus, if you practice too much with earphones. Once you have it, you have it for life. My ears are ringing away right now as I am typing this messege. It's not fun, believe me.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

Andy. You are right about the headphones. I never played in a loud band but for the last 30+ years in the studio with headphones blaring I too have some ringing. Mine is not so bad that I can't just ignore it, but it is no fun. Careful with those practice phones!!

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

Get an old Panhead Harley, bore it our to 90cid or so ( 1440cc) and put straight pipes on it.

No Baffles.

That's what I did.

They weren't complaining, but I did it just in case they did. Actually they haven't complained.

Check the laws.

In my part of the world, in our city, we have NO noise laws in effect before 10pm being a high density city area. We all tend to survive.

I happen top like loud music of almost any type, and with three big peavey amps I can plug a CD player into, I can introduce any of them to what "Real Loud Music" is. So for I haven't felt the need to.

I'd think there'd be a few more things on their minds nowadays in Holland. Like getting to and from without getting their throats cut and shot.. That's just what we hear on the news however...

EJL

Gary Lee Gimble · From: Fredericksburg, VA.

Ronald, get yourself a cheap banjo and roll your windows down, open the doors too. When they think things can't get any worse, show them it will.

[This message was edited by Gary Lee Gimble on 01 December 2004 at 12:25 AM.]

Dan Sawyer · From: Studio City, California, USA

Get a small amp, put it on a chair close to your head. You'll be able to practice at a much softer volume. The problem with headphones for me is, it's much harder to hear pitch.

[This message was edited by Dan Sawyer on 20 November 2004 at 06:49 PM.]

John McGann · From: Boston, Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

I'm talking about headphones at an audible volume, not live rock concert level! I doubt tinnitus is brought on any more by headphones than regular speakers, as long as the volume remains reasonable. Tinnitus comes in many forms and can come from sources other than prolonged exposure to noise- my mother-in-law had it bad, and never willingliy listened to music in her life!

------------------
http://www.johnmcgann.com
Info for musicians, transcribers, technique tips and fun stuff.

Joaquin Murphey solos book info and some free stuff : http://www.johnmcgann.com/joaquin.html

Farris Currie · From: Ona, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

yea that bango,and take up drum lessons,also base hell that travels for miles,learn to play lead guitar on the bass!
also crash a cymbal along the way.practice makes perfect!!!! more more more,mabe they move!!!! ever time some one comes to look at the house crank her up!!!!!!!!!!farris

Peter · Posted 20 Nov 2004 11:18 am

Ron, can you set up in another room? It might make a big difference.

In Holland we were brought up with the understanding that if you take certain "liberties", you automatically deprive others of their liberty.

I remember when I started on lapsteel, our neighbours had a terminally ill daughter. We agreed that if the sound bothered her, she would knock on the wall and I would stop, or switch to headphones.
Simple.

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Peter den Hartogh
1978 Emmons S10 P/P; 1977 Sho-Bud D10 ProIII Custom;
1975 Fender Artist S10; Remington U12; 1947 Gibson BR4;
Internationally Accredited 3D Animation Academy

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

Ron ! · Posted 20 Nov 2004 2:52 pm

The big problem is that I never complain about them.Not even if it is very hot outside and these people practise with those students and the windows are wide open.

Like I said before.I am not a bad player.
But I can't understand people that are complaining about other people that are trying to improve their skills on such a beautiful instrument.
I can understand that there are people that don't like this kind of music.
Also I am on low volume when I practise.So I don't see any problem.

Ron

Nikaro SD10 4x6

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I practice with a Genesis 3 and open ear headphones. The unit has a volume control - it doesn't have to be loud.

Sometimes, though, I need to get loud to test my amp setup. I usually do that on Saturday afternoon, when people can't really complain about noise. I mean, when you have neighbors using table saws with their garage door open, a 40 watt Boogie in the back yard is hardly noticable.

Farris Currie · From: Ona, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

RON, i live in the woods thank GOD,don't got no answers for you.i can crank her up any time i want to, and usually draw a crowd of listeners.I couldn't handle it if some one told me to hush!!!this is why i say what i do,i better stay in the woods huh.closes neighbor about one mile,mabe you need to move over here with me. come on man, we givem hell man.no city dood here.
can't take the pressure,get the hell out of town!!!!!!!!!!!!!! farris

Peter · Posted 20 Nov 2004 8:02 pm

Farris, the trees will get you eventually.

Andy Greatrix · From: Edmonton Alberta

Farris, may the forest be with you!

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

erik, ain't it fun to have watts?

I live so far out in the woods that we never have to go camping, we're already there. After living in Orange County, Ca. for a year, I learned to appreciate home in the woods. Play as loud as I want whenever I want most of the time. Tonite I gave the neighbors 1/4 mile down the road a taste of Bobbe Seymour and Jeff Newman

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

I mostly use a EQ/mixer setup to practice through headphones, at a moderate and I believe safe volume.
"But I can't understand people that are complaining about other people that are trying to improve their skills on such a beautiful instrument." - I can see both sides of this. Sometimes, I surreptitiously tape myself to try to help with intonation problems - I sometimes get "pitch drift" when I'm not concentrating, and I'm trying to rectify that. One result of my taping is that I realize how easily I will get fixated on trying to get one little section or lick just exactly perfect, by playing it over and over and over. There's nothing wrong with this, it's how you have to do it sometimes, but I could potentially understand how a non-steel barbarian might not share my intense affection for the same five notes.

Ron ! · Posted 20 Nov 2004 11:59 pm

Ray.

I don't want to use that much Watts although I have it.
Got a nice JBL PA system that will blow there coffeecups right of the table.But I will not lower my standards for those people.Always been a nice guy.Like to stay that way.
Don't want to get in a fight with the rest of the neighbourhood ey?

Ron

Nikaro SD10 4x6

[This message was edited by Ronald Steenwijk on 21 November 2004 at 12:00 AM.]

Frank McBride · From: Clendenin, West Virginia, USA

NV 112 it has CD IN and HEADPHONE out,Use a head set with LEFT and RIGHT volume. This is my set up.Guitar-RV3-Hilton Pedal-NV 112-CD or tracks-to CD in-Head set to-Headphone out.Works great for Seminars to. You can ajust amp settings,effects, and volume. Works fine for me. [2 cents]

Cor Muizer Jr · From: The Netherlands/europe

yes that should be a nice option practically at home, and your neighbours won't hear you playing.
but it isn't a issue that sounding in a room anywhere at home is much more preferable than playing over and over with a headphone on.

cor

Archie Nicol R.I.P. · From: Ayrshire, Scotland

Why don't you get together with your neighbours and their students?
You never know, you might end up making sweet music together.
Cheers, Arch.

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