About elderly neighbours and my daughter’s piano

[user1499173618]

My DD is practising for her Grade 4 piano exam, which is due to take in June. We live on the second floor of a very nice apartment building of six apartments. We are the only occupants with a school aged child living at home. DD is very quiet and polite.

Our neighbours on the fourth and fifth floors have complained about DD’s piano playing and asked whether she could wear a headset and use the electronic keyboard. While I understand that they would prefer not to hear the piano at all, DD only plays for 30’ or so a day, apart from on Friday afternoons when her piano teacher gives her an hour’s lesson.

TBH I am quite hurt! DD is beautifully behaved and we work hard to keep her usefully occupied. I would have appreciated a more supportive set of neighbours! AIBU?

Ferrier and Whosafraid

She had a digital piano but DD doesn’t want to wear headphones and OP doesn’t think it’s loud so won’t turn down the volume

*has not had

Just keep on doing what you are doing they are being unreasonable. A child practicing a musical instrument in the early evening and middle of the day at weekends is not unreasonable noise. It is crap like this that is killing musical instrument take up.

Your DD likes to play to you. You like to hear your DD play.

Your neighbours do not like to hear it.

Can’t your DD play to you for 15 mi utes, and spend 15 minutes with the headphones on?

You do seem completely inflexible, tbh.

I live in a semi detached house I can hear the neighbours children playing their instruments. It's what they do, DS1 played drums so we bought digital with headphones but TBH he found the sound through headphones was never the same without. Luckily he could practice at school or he would of given up. DD plays flute but always straight after school. It quite sad how few children have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument without making it even harder by putting up restrictions.

Why have you bothered posting when you are so convinced you are not being unreasonable. You are.

You are disturbing your neighbours and don't seem prepared to do anything to mitigate the nuisance you are causing. You may like to hear your daughter playing but no one else does. Tell her to wear headphones and stop being so selfish.

You've checked the Lease and are doing nothing wrong.

Hearing noise from neighbours is part of living in a flat so to put it bluntly your neighbours will just have to put up with it.

Lessons may not be permitted though - have you checked for this specifically within the Lease?

I would be interested to know what the lease says about pets though... in my experience most Leases forbid pets being kept (and if they do allow pets it is usually subject from permission being granted from the management company).

The piano isn't even right up against the wall, let alone right up against the chimney breast. It was placed, from the outset, in such a way as to reduce the chance of sound travelling. It's in the dining room and near an outside wall, to the front/on the road, and one, very thick and completely sound proof, wall adjoining another property. Nowhere else is more suitable. It would be unsuitable to put the piano to the back of the property as sound of all types definitely reverberates in the back courtyard and there are no other appropriate places to put it in the other three reception rooms to the front.

It a noise issue - your first post stated it was only 30 minutes a day and a lesson on Friday afternoons
Your next post stated 'DD plays after school - around 5pm or 6pm. And on Saturday and Sunday late morning.
So in total your DD (from your posts) plays at least 30 minutes every day + 1 hour lesson on Friday and then Sat and Sunday late morning practise - it would appear to be everyday from your own posts.
I would complain about that to be honest

Instrumental lessons are allowed, as are dogs and cats.

YABVU

I love music and play several instruments, but I certainly don't want to listen to a child's piano practice every day. Practice is not at all the same as just listening to someone play.

A digital piano (Clavinova or similar) would be more than adequate for a grade 4 student to practice on. If she gets more serious then you will need to think about a proper rehearsal space.

Regarding the dirty windows - check your Lease and see if it's the responsibility of the Leaseholder or the Management Company.

If Leaseholder, the Management Company can insist they clean them or if they refuse arrange for them to be cleaned and recharge to the Leaseholder.

Communal areas - speak to your Management Company, I assume you're paying service change. If they have not been maintained within the specified time as per the Lease then the Management Company are in breach of Lease.

YANBU

I'm sorry but noise just comes with the territory of living in flats; your daughter is Grade 4-hardly like a 5 year old playing a violin for the first time!
It's just not an intrusive noise-they need to get over it

Classic older people hating kids and wanting to live in a noise vacuum syndrome

I've just seen that you already have a digital piano. Use the headphones for god's sake.

As for this:
She likes to play for people, and to be appreciated.

I'm starting to get a better picture of what you and your daughter are actually like.
She is supposed to be practicing, not putting on a performance.

Cliffdiver

Surely raiding the dirty windows issue now would come across as vindictive and just make life more difficult for OP?

Grade 4 is reasonable pleasant piano playing. Actually, having lived in a French apartment block where every one had their Windows open, including during trumpet practice/sex/arguments/tv I'd say the older neighbours are BU. Life happens.
Perhaps you could ask them to say which times are a no no but you have no actual reason to be more quiet. Music in a limited sense is not antisocial noise.

chocolatesun perhaps, I'm not suggesting the OP does or doesn't raise the issue - just letting her know what the options are regarding an issue that is seemingly bothering her.

We had a neighbour at our old house who played guitar and sang, I quite enjoyed listening to him and it was only for half an hour (not every day).

Maybe just talk to your neighbour and ask what the best time would be for her to play? Don’t stop her from playing it.

They should try living with / near my two daughters. they tap dance. Enough said. Get rid of the piano and start her on the violin. That will give them something to complain about!

I was in my twenties and the upstairs neighbour played the piano. Nothing to do with age. Just bloody annoying. Every fucking day! Sorry YABU
Older now and my next door neighbour - terraced house now not flat - has a child who plays. She is dreadful, always gets stuck on the same note. Painful!!

30mins isn’t bad but 30 mins every day at roughly the same time is a bit of an intrusion, especially when you could compromise. What about wearing the headphones every other day?
I live in a flat and regular sustained noise is very irritating, even if it’s not particularly antisocial.
Bit of tolerance on both sides is what’s needed here OP.