WIBU to play the guitar and sing in my back garden?

[sadpapercourtesan]

Reading the multitude of threads over recent weeks about people enraging each other with their garden behaviours - barbecues, bonfires, even bagpipes

I was thinking about getting my guitar outside this afternoon and playing a bit of music in my garden. It's a large garden but we do have neighbours on both sides who would certainly hear it if they were outside. I am not dreadful (I used to get paid to do it) but of course that doesn't mean it's to everyone's taste! It's folk music, mostly. My neighbours do have parties (when not in lockdown), have noisy children, play their own pop music in the garden and one of them is a welder so it's not always quiet.

WIBU?

Can we all get the nice and friendly people together who enjoy real musicians and meaningful music together and send all the miserable sods to an estate somewhere to listen to take that or whatever generic pap is popular right now?

I’d much rather listen to you OP than other people’s ex trophies running around and doing ear piercing screaming because their parents can’t be arsed to control them.

Fucking hippies.

Why can't you understand that most people don't want anybody else's musical taste imposed on them when they're outside enjoying their garden, Haddaway?
Real musicians my arse.
You have no idea what op sounds like. Even if (big if) she sounds as good as she thinks she does, you don't get to commandeer an audience against their will like that unless you're a self absorbed dick.

Oh please don't, just the thought makes me cringe no matter how good you are

My neighbour is an amazing pianist and I love to hear him play when he occasionally opens his windows a bit. Even the kid across the road doing terrible drum practice is quite sweet. I am not a music-hating grinch.

However someone playing folk music and singing in their garden of an evening would annoy me beyond belief, you can play indoors and it's such a confident statement that your neighbours will all enjoy your concert (or otherwise be stuck inside with closed windows). We used to do this kind of thing as clueless, selfish students, but now I look back and cringe.

Yes do it. But 'to yourself', not as if you're broadcasting to the neighbourhood. And not for too long, an hour tops.

DH often plays guitar quietly in the garden, nobody's complained yet. And we haven't complained about other neighbours' noise either.

I was thinking about getting my guitar outside this afternoon and playing a bit of music in my garden. It's a large garden but we do have neighbours on both sides who would certainly hear it if they were outside. I am not dreadful (I used to get paid to do it) but of course that doesn't mean it's to everyone's taste! It's folk music, mostly

YABU

Don't be a SCWAG: Some Cunt With A Guitar.

Is there any reason why you can't play and sing inside? That's more considerate of your neighbours. I like folk music but that doesn't mean I'd appreciate the amateur efforts of an enthusiast. Sorry!

If I'm honest, I'd hate you if I lived next door, but you wouldn't be doing anything wrong. It's your space and you're entitled to make noise in it (as long as it's not really loud, in daytime hours etc).

Are you Paul McCartney OP?

Please don’t.

It wouldn't bother me at all if you can play properly.

Someone near me practices the saxophone with their window open, and I love hearing it, even though they're not the greatest musician ever.

Better than kids shrieking, dogs barking, swearing etc. (Not that those particularly bother me either, I don't expect people to be silent in their own gardens, as long as it's not excessive/in the middle of the night)

Folk music is up there with Morris Dancing.
Please do not do this

I think that so long as you're not belting it out it would be fine. Folk isn't to everyone's taste. But I'd love if you were my neighbour! My local pubs used to regularly have live performers, can't beat a beer garden and an acoustic set.

We have a neighbour that does it. I don't complain but it pisses me off (they're arses in general) - she tries to belt out like she's auditioning for the bloody X Factor and is clearly hoping she's going to be showered with compliments so I try to ignore the shit out of it in the hope of not encouraging it and it going out of existence.

It's intrusive, obnoxious and right now when we're all crammed in on top of each other with less ability to escape than normal - just don't.

If she does it again this summer (they've settled for getting pissed loudly in the garden lately and cheering and making fart noises everytime someone in the houses that back onto theirs goes to the loo) - then I'm sending the kids out with recorders in retaliation and I'll even make sure DD2 is playing hers the right way up so sound comes out for once!

I think quietly for max 20 mins is ok even if I hated your musical choice/not very tuneful. You have the right to use your garden and part of living with neighbours is a bit of noise. If they are outside you could shout over that you’ll be that time do they can go in/know it is ending.

If it's not all day or late at night just do it.

Being irritated for an hour is something most people can put up with. Maybe irritated is the new offended in the COVID world.

theres a massive difference between someone frequently belting out tunes through a mic like they think theyre a popstar, and someone playing a bit of acoustic guitar in their garden on a warm day

No, cringe!

You're forcing your music onto a captive audience.

I would be quite irritated.

We wouldn't like it as we are professional musicians ourselves and only play indoors.
When teaching on Skype background noise does comes through and folk doesn't exactly gel with Jazz.
But I suppose ours is a different case to if we weren't working.
Can you drive and go and sit in a field somewhere, or what is wrong with playing inside?

I’d let your neighbours know mostly to let them know it’s not going to be going on for too long etc.
I’m really in two minds about this - are they friends? Have you played before for them? - it could be lovely but unwanted noise from others can also be intrusive and unwelcome and enraging !

No. Please don't. You're dictating what they listen to; you may as well go into their house and change their tv channel to what you prefer. It might be lovely to you but they may hate it and you aren't giving them a choice.

YABU. Folk music is awful. I would absolutely hate this.

Why do you have to go outside to do it?

Sounds like you're attention-seeking.

As you can see from PP, everyone has different tastes, and even if you play beautifully not everyone appreciates your type of music.

Is no one working at the moment? People are working at home and the afternoon is the middle of the working day. I would not appreciate an inmprompu concert as I’m taking my eleventy billionth team calls of the day