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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To hate un neighbour!

34 replies

Mamawingingit1234 · 29/01/2018 10:32

My neighbour next door plays guitar! He plays it obscenely loud. His spare room is right next to our bedroom so I woke up to it this morning. The same tune over and over again! To top it off I was up from 3am to 6:30 with a teething toddler so I thought we'd both sleep in this morning but no! 9am he's strumming away (his other half and child have a class in the morning).
Now I know it's his house and he can pretty much do what he wants and it's not really antisocial hours but still I'm pretty f'ing annoyed and now dealing with a grumpy toddler.

I've asked before if he could turn it down as he was playing for HOURS and you could hear it throughout the house meaning DC couldn't nap and DC is a nightmare when misses out on nap time (a lot like mum)! But I actually do feel cheeky for asking.

AIBU to want to plan petty revenge like play annoying nursery rhymes on full volume???

OP posts:
MrTrebus · 29/01/2018 10:35

Just speak to him again offer to have him round to see how loud it is on your side. I expect your toddler wakes him up sometimes too so be polite, he doesn't need to have it loud so maybe just explain nap times etc and I'm sure he'll be understanding. If he's not then maybe consider moving if it bothers you that much. I recently asked my neighbour not to drill (new kitchen) for an hour whilst my baby naps and he didn't mind at all because I was polite and generally we get on well and we're all adults that have had babies so they get it. But you can't say "don't start playing til after 11am because I might want a lie in" you have to be fair 9am is not bad.

Rockandrollwithit · 29/01/2018 10:37

This is a hard one OP as I'm sure your toddler has woken him up in the past and 9am isn't unreasonable. I think you might just have to grit your teeth and ignore other.

Ghostontoast · 29/01/2018 10:44

Many years ago I went to a student house party and stayed over. One of the residents decided to plug in and play his electric guitar at 4am in the morning - cue dogs barking and babies crying for streets around and an irate neighbour banging on the door telling him to “Shut the fuck up”
This guitar player and your neighbour OP are inconsiderate twats!!

Tell him to use headphones with his amp if he’s going to play at unsocial hours.

ushuaiamonamour · 29/01/2018 10:44

MrTrebus: 'Just speak to him again offer to have him round to see how loud it is on your side.' Might be that I'm slow this morning because of caffeine deficit, but I'm puzzling over the logistics of this.

petbear · 29/01/2018 10:45

You need it tell him how loud it is. It is not acceptable if you can hear it blaring through your walls. I don't care if it's 9am! NO time is acceptable for this.

Some people are actually asleep at 9am as they work later shifts. My DH is in bed at 9am sometimes as he works nights and evenings some weeks. He would go fucking batshit if he was woken up after only 3 hours sleep by some thoughtless knob playing a musical instrument loudly in the room next to him.

Go tell your neighbour. He needs to hire a damn room like most normal musicians would. When you live in a normal domestic house (particularity a semi or terraced house or a flat,) you don't get to play musical instruments on a regular basis. Not at ANY time. Anyone who thinks it's OK to do this is an idiot, and you can bet THEY would not tolerate it!

And as for saying 'well I bet your TODDLER makes a noise sometimes that disturbs him.....' Words fail me.

etap · 29/01/2018 10:48

offer to have him round to see how loud it is on your side

Hehe... "Sounds absolutely silent from here" Grin

Ghostontoast · 29/01/2018 10:51

I should read the OP more carefully - thought he was playing during the night Confused.

He could still wear headphones or turn it down though. Not everyone one wants to hear “Stairway to Heaven” or whatever played over and over and over again, no matter how well it’s played!

idontlikealdi · 29/01/2018 10:57

Unfortunately it's not his fault you were up half the night. I think if it's within reasonable hours there's not much you can do.

paxillin · 29/01/2018 10:59

When you live in a normal domestic house (particularity a semi or terraced house or a flat,) you don't get to play musical instruments on a regular basis. Not at ANY time.

But that isn't actually true, much as you'd like it to be. People are allowed to play musical instruments in their own home, so OP would have to go with a friendly appeal or gentle pleading.

mollifly · 29/01/2018 11:01

But 9am is a perfectly reasonable time to play his guitar?

Snowysky20009 · 29/01/2018 11:02

petbear so that's every child who is learning to play an instrument and needs to practice every day screwed! 😂
Thankfully my neighbours never complained about my trumpet, saxophone and piano playing, and ours don't now about ds2 guitar playing. We must have really nice neighbours!!

Mookatron · 29/01/2018 11:06

You know you're being unreasonable really but if you went round and explained and appealed to his better nature he would probably oblige - if he can. He might not be able to.

Of course he might tell you to fuck off but I cling to the idea that most people are all right really.

ShastaTrinity · 29/01/2018 11:09

You can only have a friendly word with him and hope for the best.

Some neighbours are lovely, and try to minimise noise as much as possible. Others are rude entitled twats who believe that if it's legal, it's fine to be anti social.

I am sure you could complain to the council for someone playing loud guitar all day long, keep a diary of the noise and contact them, but it takes forever for anything to happen. if you own your property, you will have to report any dispute with neighbours when you sell.

Original poster
Mamawingingit1234 · 29/01/2018 11:10

Haha I can imagine it unfolding- your guitar playing is really loud, pop over and listen! Nope you're being ridiculous I don't hear anything!

They have a toddler just month apart from ours and I never hear him so I highly doubt ours wakes him up. Also their bedroom is at the other side of the house from ours and even further away from DC (it's a strange layout).

OP posts:
Original poster
Mamawingingit1234 · 29/01/2018 11:11

Oh he's just posted a selfie on FB calling himself a Rock Star!

OP posts:
Mammasmitten · 29/01/2018 11:13

If he's playing an electric guitar he can turn it down/wear headphones. If it's an acoustic guitar ask him if he could play it in another room that's not adjoining to your unit. I play the guitar and if my neighbors told me it was disturbing them I'd try to make a suitable compromise. However, I wouldn't appreciate being told I couldn't play at home like a pp suggested. Hiring a studio is expensive and musicians only hire them to record not practice. Maybe see if he is willing to create soundproofing. There might be ways you can soundproof on your side too. It's ridiculous how units and flats have been built with virtually no sound proofing. No wonder people are getting stressed out by their neighbors.

QueenDramaLlama · 29/01/2018 11:29

We had our wall sound proofed. Literally haven't heard anything from our neighbours apart from drilling once.
It's well worth it.

JacquesHammer · 29/01/2018 11:30

9am isn't an unreasonable time to be playing a musical instrument, especially on a weekday.

Aki99 · 29/01/2018 11:36

You might have to grit your teeth and bear it. If its sociable hours. He might have to deal with your baby crying all night (we have the same situation with yappy dog and drilling)

Original poster
Mamawingingit1234 · 29/01/2018 11:41

Oh I know it would be completely unreasonable to actually complain and dictate hope he behaves in his home as it's never ridiculously early or late (mainly just when the wife and toddler is out the house and he can play rock star)

We do actually get on really well with them and all our other neighbours it's quite close knit. But I reserved the right to be passive aggressive and moan about it online and take take joy from people's responses 😂

OP posts:
Foxyloxy1plus1 · 29/01/2018 11:43

Buy him headphones.

TheOrigRightsofwomen · 29/01/2018 11:44

What did he say when you asked him before?

Yeah...it's true he can do what he likes within normal waking hours, bla bla bla, but come on...what about some common courtesy?

My son is in a band and plays his guitar a lot. We live in a terrace house and I've always been very aware of the noise, and taught him the same manners.

I check periodically with my neighbours. I couldn't rest in my home if I knew we were disturbing others.

Regarding the same thing being played over and over, my son would have ear phones on to listen to the main tune or whatever and then rehearse his part over and over and over again. Prob sounded great to him, but I just wanted to do damage to the guitar!

He (and his guitar and amp) have gone to uni now!

StormTreader · 29/01/2018 11:48

Comment on his selfie "real rock stars smash their guitars up after playing, just a suggestion ;) I might ask Santa for some headphones for you for early morning rehearsals!"

Original poster
Mamawingingit1234 · 29/01/2018 11:48

He was really nice about it when I asked before and checked with me the following week if DC was napping before he started playing again! He's not a bad guy at all. I'm being grumpy and wanted to vent without consequences Blush Joys of a teething 2year old and being 8 months pregnant

OP posts:
AuntFidgetWonkhamStrongNajork · 29/01/2018 11:49

Oh he's just posted a selfie on FB calling himself a Rock Star!

Just comment "Doesn't sound like it from next door, mate"

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