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Really bad musician. — Brooklynian

Really bad musician.

jbob
jbob
edited November -1 in Park Slope
How do you handle a really bad musician who constantly practices with his window open? Usually around 9PM when I am putting the kids to bed and just want to relax. A few doors up from 5th on Third Street, but can not isolate the building or apartment. It constantly amazes me that people refuse to show any consideration for their neighbors. Could be that they do not know how loud / bad they are. Any ideas?
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Comments

  • daver
    daver
    If it is loud enough for a noise complaint, then lodge one. If it isn't, then suck it up to life in close quarters.

    In the Blues Brothers they go back to Elwood's apartment which is right next to the train. While lying down to go to sleep, Jake asks him how often the train comes past. "So often you won't even notice it."
  • veets
    veets
    I wish I could be on your side on this one. 9PM is late for mothers and kids but it is not late according to the City of NY and noise restrictions.
  • vanilla
    vanilla
    practice makes perfect?
  • raw
    raw
    If you know who the person is and how to contact them try telling them how you feel. A neighbor once told me they heard me sing and that I sounded out of tune and that shut me the hell up.
  • raw
    raw
    veets wrote: I wish I could be on your side on this one. 9PM is late for mothers and kids but it is not late according to the City of NY and noise restrictions.
    I'm never going to be a mother and I disagree. Hearing other people when you don't want to sucks.

    If ear plugs and a humming fan don't block out the neighbor's noise, the neighbor should be dealt with.

    And Mom, since I defended you, please keep your kids from chirping out on the sidewalk at 8 AM. It's a two way street.
  • jbob
    jbob
    raw wrote: [quote=veets]I wish I could be on your side on this one. 9PM is late for mothers and kids but it is not late according to the City of NY and noise restrictions.
    I'm never going to be a mother and I disagree. Hearing other people when you don't want to sucks.

    If ear plugs and a humming fan don't block out the neighbor's noise, the neighbor should be dealt with.

    And Mom, since I defended you, please keep your kids from chirping out on the sidewalk at 8 AM. It's a two way street.

    Thanks raw, we have two kids, and realizing that we do "live in close quarters" we are have been fanatical about teaching them them to respect their neighbors, and I believe that we have suceeded.

    As for the musician, we cannot tell what building they in live, but maybe if focus during next session we can narrow it down.

    As for earlier repsonses, this does not rise to the level of making a noise complaint. It is just a music student, and that is part of the problem - they have been playing the same scales on some sort of horn for three years now! Furthermore, it does not seem as if practice is going to make perfect.

    I realize that we all live on top of each other, but I should be able to enjoy my home in relative peace once in a while!
  • duffyssis
    duffyssis
    Is heckling out of the question?
  • daver
    daver
    Duffy'sSis wrote: Is heckling out of the question?
    Heckling seems _very_ appropriate. Three years? Good grief! Is this just the end of your rope, or has something changed recently that was made it more annoying than usual?
  • possibly_maybe
    possibly_maybe
    THREE years?

    This story just got a lot sadder, and now I'm no longer sure who I should feel more sorry for. :(
  • stutter
    stutter
    jbob, it is time you grew a pair. Knock on the door or call the cops. Go see the movie Noise with Tim Robbins, he knew how to handle noise problems.
  • bergenites
    bergenites
    jbob stated several times that he/she does not know what building or apartment the "music" is coming from... so how can he knock on their door?

    Calling the cops won't do any good, one horn is unlikely to be loud enough for a noise violation, no matter how poorly it is played, and 9pm, while late for young children, isn't the cutoff for noise ordinances.

    jbob - good luck - maybe try asking around to see if any of your neighbors know where the noise is coming from, or if they have any ideas of how to stop it. Does "combatting" the music with music of your own (perhaps GOOD horn playing) help at all?
  • stutter
    stutter
    grow a pair.
  • daver
    daver
    stutter wrote: grow a pair.
    Here, just fer you...
    image
  • stutter
    stutter
    Nice!
  • carmen
    carmen
    deleted, dont need to get off topic :)
  • boogieknight
    boogieknight
    Chiming in - the OP admits that the noise is nowhere near illegalcall the cops levels. Its just annoying. So you know, unless you find out who/where the noise is coming from - suck it up.

    And even if you find out who it is and ask them to keep it down - I believe that you'd be a little out of line in doing so - even of you ask really nicely.

    Musician would be within their rights to tell you - No. Hopefully they'd be nice about it.

    This def. sounds like a textbook example of we live in a city and we gotta deal with stuff we don't like sometimes.

    My neighbors sometimes hang out on their stoop and talk and laugh and smoke and have a good time. And they're nowhere near offensivle loud about it - but sometimes its damn annoying to me. But I got to suck it up.
  • garfunky
    garfunky
    To give you the working musicians perspective on this,

    if i am considerate enough to ONLY practice with amp on
    (or play stereo at party like levels)
    between the hours of 11 am and 6 pm on WEEKDAYS
    and rarely if ever on the weekend
    (because i had 3 3 set gigs to do every weekend)
    and
    as i am not actually using up ALL of those weekday hours,
    and
    plenty of others around me are significantly less considerate in general
    not too mention MUCH LOUDER at hours i NEVER practice

    then

    NO. :evil: (not AT you just state of mind )

    the schedule i had set pleased my landlord , the neighbors ive known for years , the 9 to 5 ers rarely hear me , the kiddies are off to school, i keep the windows closed , i am not blasting the majorities ears off especially on their days off .

    NO. :evil:

    someone from a neighboring building once left a semi nasty note on my buildings front door. supposedly i was knocking her fine china off the wall.
    :evil:
    gimme a break. i left her a note on her building door
    :twisted: :P
    telling her where to put said china and to call the cops and have em bring a db meter.
    funny how the people above below and next door never complained. indeed guy across the hall once told me i was his hero.
    (now im just a sellout, but thats a different story)
    so

    NO :evil:

    :idea: then again,

    if one of my immediate neighbors whom ive known for awhile were to politely say something along the lines of "dude ive really got a huge day, ive never asked you b4, but is there any way you could maybe chill for a little while ? i will be going wherever at whenever, so you can turn it up to 11 without worrying"

    well then

    YES.
    i certainly dont HAVE to practice arpeggiated neopolitan 6th chord inversions thru my stack.

    horn players are kinda screwed there though huh ?

    anyways
    that was longer than i intended. :shock:
    hope it helps ya somehow :?:
  • garfunky
    garfunky
    oh and there were a number of times nearby construction and barking dogs, and screamy mimi kiddies really disturbed my practicin',

    not too mention all the times those things woke me at 730 am on a saturday when i got just got home 2 hours before.... :wink:
  • daver
    daver
    One time.
    At band camp.
    Garfunky turned it up to 11.314.
    And played it.
    All.
    Night.
    Long.
  • garfunky
    garfunky
    LOL

    my amp only goes to 11 ;)
  • caaahyoko
    caaahyoko
    Nicely put Garfunky. Oh, and now I'm totally curious what gear you have/what your sound is--are you in a band/playing with someone?

    Even well-paid, working musicians can't always get to their sound-proofed rehearsal studio all the time to play. Believe me, this happens at every level of talent, from young student to iconoclast. Even my employer, who you would think would NEVER get a complaint, has a little old lady who lives below his apartment's studio and complains when it gets loud.

    And practice is not a performance, people. Its when you try things that sometimes sound bad, and when you do repetitive things to keep up your skills.
  • garfunky
    garfunky
    thx, caaahyoko
    (especially since there are no more rehearsal rooms :) )

    As much i luv to talk about how great i am (laugh now) :)
    i dont wish to be too overly detailed about myself publicly.

    if you know someone or are in need of bassist yourself hit the pm thingy.
    ive only done oh 1500 shows or so..
  • superjonbot
    superjonbot
    ask him to only play rock-a-bye baby after 9pm, then its a win win for both.
  • garfunky
    garfunky
    hmmm on a tremolo'd bass with a cry baby wah
    and a boss odb3 or a big muff that could almost sound good ..
    especially with artificial harmonics HMMM
  • rtraindweller
    rtraindweller
    In all the apartments I've lived in, nobody has complained about me playing guitar or harmonica ever at any time of the day or not. I must be awesome 8)
  • jane_birkin
    jane_birkin
    i must say i've been REALLY lucky. a drummer lives in our basement and a horn player right below me, but because our building is really solidly built we never hear a thing. and the horn player begins practicing very early in the morning so you can be sure i'd be politely requesting a scheduling change if i was being woken up by scales.
  • 1st_streeter
    1st_streeter
    Air conditioners, fans, white noise machines help to drown out the noise.
  • kenesha edwards
    kenesha edwards
    rtraindweller wrote: In all the apartments I've lived in, nobody has complained about me playing guitar or harmonica ever at any time of the day or not. I must be awesome 8)
    maybe they just don't know which apartment you live in :lol:
  • raw
    raw
    Flexichick wrote: [quote=rtraindweller]In all the apartments I've lived in, nobody has complained about me playing guitar or harmonica ever at any time of the day or not. I must be awesome 8)
    maybe they just don't know which apartment you live in :lol:

    Maybe they think you so damn good they wish you would play much LOUDER. :lol::lol:
  • caaahyoko
    caaahyoko
    rtraindweller wrote: In all the apartments I've lived in, nobody has complained about me playing guitar or harmonica ever at any time of the day or not. I must be awesome 8)
    Who doesn't love harmonica? :D
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