AIBU - to let my children practice the piano

[Beanmummy]

We live in a 1930's semi detached house. We have a piano and the DC have piano lessons and are grade 4 and 2. They practice for about 40 minutes tops a day and may be a bit more at the weekends.

The piano used to be out in the back room of the house, well away from our neighbour, but due to being next to 3 outside walls the piano was going out of tune and falling to bits and we were told it should be in a room with a more constant temperature.

So we have moved the piano into the front room.

I have just seen the neighbour and explained to him that we had moved the piano. He is not a happy bunny at the best of times, and started to compliant that he could hear the piano from his bedroom, when we had it in our back room (his bedroom was the furthest point away that it could be). Now he says it's like having the piano in the same room! Which I do understand, but we are never playing at unreasonable times. My DC's don't wake early - so at weekends it does tend to be mid-day or afternoon and after school.

AIBU to him, or does this seem reasonable, it's not as if they are just bashing the piano!

if you have to resort to insulting others because you run out of arguments, go for it bastardkitty, no one is stopping you.

I am just lucky I don't live near you if you are one of these people who believe it's their right not to take their neighbours in consideration and are making a nuisance of themselves. This forum is full of thread from posters out of their wit because of noise nuisance.

I am considerate to my neighbours. I have nuisance neighbours myself. It's just that I know the difference between everyday noise at reasonable times and excessive or nuisance noise. What does 'out of their wit' mean? Do you think you need a lie down?

If neighbour doesnt want to ocassionally hear neighbours he should have bought a detached house.

While the is nbu, comments like the advice aren't helpful. Most of us live where we can afford to live and no matter how much someone might prefer to live in splendid isolation and not be bothered by manmade noise, most can't afford it.

The fact that you can't afford isolation does not mean that the kids who live next to you are not allowed an musical interest!

Are you as charming in real life as you are on this forum taskmaster?

Yes. given that I've been perfectly charming in both. You're the one arguing that no-one is allowed to play an instrument in case people like you can hear it!

Hilarious to delete my post and let the accusation of sock puppetry against me stand.

I find you charming @taskmaster

It entirely depends on the building what you can hear through the walls and floor/ceiling. In our new build flat impact noise from above is very loud, but our neighbours are just doing normal stuff. It's not their fault.

Other places I've lived I could hear normal volume conversations through the walls. Should we all only ever have whispered?

Why is hoovering acceptable, but music practise isn't?

As long as it's not an extended period, upwards of an hour each and within a reasonable time (social hours) don't give it a second thought.
My dd plays a brass instrument, ndn ds plays drums. We live in a row of terraced houses and obviously we can hear practice. It's a non-issue

YANBU.

People who think YABU are basically saying that only those who can afford detached houses / a second piano / sound insulation / extra heating / etc. should be permitted to learn music. Civilizations die when children are not allowed to learn because they are poor. Don't let that sort of bullshit get to you.

Re neighbor, whenever he talks about it, just nod sympathetically and go with "I know, it can be annoying can't it? We're sure to keep to the local ordinances for noise, I hope that's enough although I appreciate you must feel driven mad at times. I know the feeling!" smile ruefully and move on.

If he gets nasty, walk away if you can. At worst, calmly invite him to write to his MP about the outrage, outrage I tell you, of children learning to play the piano.

My neighbours have decided to put their piano against the party wall directly facing my bedroom wall. It drives me mad as the kid plays it at random times all throughout the day. The parents have friends over & they all have a go at being Chaz & Dave too. They are a family of musicians & have a studio room inserted in their loft extension. Why they need a piano on the Ground floor is beyond me. I went over & asked politely for it to be moved or sound proofing to be put in, sadly things have got worse since then & I admit to having ‘lost it’ shouting to shut up through the walls. I am going around again tonight, believe me everyone when I say Piano noise through a wall is incredibly annoying & loud.

I think it's fine as long as it's not too early or too late. We had a neighbour, he's moved now, who played piano and guitar most days for an hour or so. I don't really see the problem. There's been lots of threads like this in the past, I think some people are particularly bothered by noise such as TVs, music, dogs barking, kids playing. We have a new neighbour that moans if kids play outside and call each other, laugh etc. I think a person who can't handle a 'normal level' of noise in daytime hours, needs to find a solution themselves, not complain to the people making a normal amount of noise.

Not quite the point, but we used to share a neighbourly wall with a harpist. Every time he started up we were suddenly transported into some sort of weird 1970s sitcom dreamscape...

He'd do well living next to us. music starts at 9am and finishes at 8pm.
Luckily we have good neighbours and our Piano is not on an adjoining wall.
let your children practice 80 mins is not an unusual amount of time, and if one of the dc get good they'll be expected to play for about 4 hours a day.

Noise is part of life and none of us have a right to silence during normal waking hours. As long as you're ensuring your piano is not being played early in the morning or late at night, I think your neighbour will just have to deal with it.

That sounds fine to me. For me I have a routine & being awoken on Sunday night @ 10:30 for an hour’s playing. Or the kids walking past the Piano & banging on it at anytime of the day/evening. Is frustrating. Is it ok to ask for the Piano to be moved away from my bedroom wall?

Yes noise is part of everyday life. It is a busy terraced Street in South East London. However all other neighbours are fine & respectful. I like a knees up occasionally too, & actually can’t believe I’m having this discussion. But Pianos through walls grate heavily believe me!

All sounds perfectly reasonable to me. He's fortunate he's not in a situation where the noise is something much less pleasant and short-lasting than some piano practice at perfectly reasonable times of day. I always think that people who complain about general everyday living noise like this have never actually been 'blessed' with real noisy neighbours.

I had a thread on a similar issue a while ago and was quite surprised at just how polarised opinions could be in this.

Having thought through the issue, I am now very careful about shutting all windows and doors when DD practises the piano and I have moved it away from the wall slightly to reduce reverberations. But I believe that children learning musical instruments is for the greater good of society and that society has a moral duty to support reasonable amounts of noise from practice!

So you think 2 young boys banging a Piano which backs onto your bedroom wall is reasonable? Yeah right! They’re not practicing either, they’re banging to antagonise.

I agree, children need to practice & it’s a great skill for kids to learn. These neighbours are professional musicians & have a studio room in their new loft extension. The kids & parents choose to play next to my bedroom instead of this though.

I’d like to start a Chaz & Dave jam behind your bed @ 22:30 on a Sunday night. See if you think it’s perfectly reasonable then. Or at 08:00 on a Saturday morning kids banging on Piano. I live in a 1 bed flat, & can’t move the bedroom...