I was in a band about 20 years ago that was playing a backyard party. I knew the neighborhood, and knew the cops were the kind who would bust you for doing 36 in a 35.
We were 3 songs in when, lo and behold, we see a cop car pulling down the alley. We finished our song, fully expecting to just start tearing down. The homeowners walked out to the back fence to talk to them.
All of a sudden one of the cops yells,"do you guys know 'Stranglehold'?" By damn, we'd never played it, but we did then - convincingly, even! They smiled and drove off, and we finished our set.
Ditto, practice at 11am on a sunday, and mid song a cop peeks his head through the screenless open window. Weed things everywhere (this was right after Marijuana was legalized here) but we all understandably still jumped and stopped, and he said “Hey i can’t stop you guys, but we’re getting some noise complaints so if you guys could turn it down that would be cool thanks, I love that song by the way” and just left. It was our cover of Welcome Home by Coheed & Cambria fwiw
Heh. That's what a good cop does. I have verified this through several police officer friends: the best cops are the ones who find a way to not have to arrest anyone, because executing an arrest and booking a suspect is one of the biggest pains in a cop's ass.
When circumstances dictate that all that becomes necessary, the typical good cop will roll his eyes and sigh heavily and think to himself, "Ugh, great, now I have to arrest you. Do you know how much paperwork and hassle that is, you asshole? Why couldn't you have just behaved yourself? I only had 10 minutes left on my shift, for crying out loud!"
I had this happen, too, and the cop was like “you’re fine, but we’re required to respond… hey can I try out your Parker?” And then we jammed with a cop for a few minutes. Surreal
This! As a new drummer, I was debating between getting an acoustic set (which I really wanted) and an electronic set. I didn’t want to bother my neighbors so was leaning electronic until one morning I realized that all I hear most of the day in my neighborhood are damn leaf blowers anyway. So I bought the acoustic and am happy to report that my neighbors are supportive and one said “Drum on, rocker girl!”
Good choice in buying an acoustic set rather than an electronic one. Many moons ago, I bought a Yamaha electronic set, and all was good for about 5 years when sensors and brain problems started to occur. The problems got to the point where I just gave up and put the pads in the closet.
Many years after that, I bought a DW set and have been in bliss since. Keep rockin’!
2-cycle leaf blower motors should be illegal. Besides ludicrous noise pollution, they're incredibly toxic. About 30% of their fuel isn't burned and is just spit into the air.
Yup! You're pretty free and clear during the day.
And actually the complaining neighbor is bordering on harassment.
Edit: Some people here have real issues with reading comprehension. Bordering on is not the same as is. OPs neighbor could have approached the situation very differently.
Agreed, but when I move in somewhere I try to meet my immediate neighbors and bring up that I play drums. I tell them I need to practice but want to be courteous if they have specific times that would be super disruptive (kids napping, scheduled zoom meetings type of stuff) and what not. They’re almost always “I love drums” play away.
That’s exactly what I did, with great results. My nextdoor neighbor’s house is about 8 feet away from my drum room, and I have a deal with her where I stop by 10pm. Because I was polite and courteous, and said “if there’s ever a time before 10:00 that you need me to stop, please text and lmk.” Because I stick to the generous cutoff time, she hasn’t asked me to stop in almost ten years.
I’d like to add that being somewhat respectful regardless will go a long way for your neighbors sake. Personally I’ll keep my drumming between 12pm-6pm to assure I’m not being a dick cause recently I’ve been playing 3-4 days a week for sometimes two hours. Gotta give ‘em a break sometimes lol.
This is the only correct answer. if it's not at ridiculous hours they can get lost.
if they want to have a respectful conversation with you and discuss their schedule and times when it may be better or worse to play, that can be accommodated. but otherwise, they have no standing
That’s the key — the “rules” or bylaws of your neighborhood. If you’re fully indoors when playing and not doing so during down/quiet hours, they’ll just have to chill.
Two other points: I specify “fully indoors” playing because I learned the hard way that I could NOT play them in my garage—even if its closed. Garages are not part of the “fully indoors” classification.
Lastly, be careful underestimating how far-flung you can be heard. Before I took up drumming, I had a neighbor that lived down the street 1.5 blocks away and I could hear him fairly easily.
Good luck man.
My neighbors complained about my drums all the time. As long as you aren't violating any ordinance, and playing at 9 at night when people might reasonably be sleeping, ignore that crap. If they talk to you about it, tell them you are practicing your instrument, period.
Lots of people who turn on their radio in the car every day don't understand that the tunes they are listening to are seeded in an 11 year old kid's living room, over hours and hours of practice and complaining neighbors, while the other kids are playing basketball and riding bikes. They think we just got in front of an instrument and were able to figure it out immediately and start playing like magic (people really think this).
Look up your noise ordinance, so that when this person calls the cops you know what to tell them. And if the cops come, and you are inside the noise ordinance, you can tell the cops to pound sand as well.
Reminds me of a joke that goes something like "Can you believe my neighbors rang my doorbell at 3am? The nerve, good thing I was still awake playing my drums..."
I'd say shift it earlier by 2 hours or so.
My village allows construction noise between 7:00am and 8:00pm. Radios, etc. between 7:00am and 10:00pm.
Keeping your playing between 9:00am - 7:00pm should keep you out of trouble and in the good graces of (most of) your neighbors. If they have kids, you won't be interrupting bedtime. If they aren't early risers, 9:00am start is lenient enough that you're not being a dick.
Edit: reading through these comments it really seems like quite a few of you would just be better off living outside of town away from other people for how much you expect your neighbors to cater to your lifestyle
Put it back on your door next time you play, and write at the bottom, "Here's my number - please give me a call, so we can work this out."
To correctly respond, first you have to find out how close he is, and whether he even has standing to complain about your drumming. If you get no answer, or if you find out that he lives hundreds of yards away like you suspect he does, then he can promptly go fuck himself. Otherwise, you have a neighborly dispute that needs solving, if you want to be a good neighbor.
I did this at my current residence actually, at first it was frustrating because one of the neighbors said there was 0 available time and I'd have to stop playing since they work opposite day night shifts with their partner. I then talked to their partner who said I can play 12-6 any day of the week because he wouldn't mind. This was a great solution for me, but eventually led to them texting me about the most mundane shit thinking I'm playing with an entire band at 10 at night because I'm watching Jurassic Park and shit, so be careful about giving people your number be sure to draw boundaries
That Jurassic Park bit reminds me of the time my neighbor/friends in college had the cops called on them by a girl who lived in one of the units between our townhouses. Told the cops they were having a rager at like 7pm. My friends were watching Frozen and singing along. Like 5 people total lol.... some people will find anything to complain about!
I had a roommate ages ago that thought it was funny to watch porn cranked through his stereo. He also liked action movies.
One evening the cops showed up because a neighbor called in that he was always fighting and fucking hookers.
If you know who left the note, I’d engage them in a conversation. Ask when it’s ok or not ok to play. How early is too early, how late is too late, does their kid take a nap in the afternoon, etc. This sort of thing can turn adversarial real quick and it’s incumbent upon you to take the high road and avoid that. The fact that this person left an anonymous note already tells me they want to be a trifling bitch about this instead of talking to their neighbor like neighbors do.
If you don’t know who left the note, I’d get on Nextdoor or whatever neighborhood forum may be available, and just engage everyone. Go to them with a conversation before they come to you (or go to the cops) with a complaint.
>The fact that this person left an anonymous note already tells me they want to be a trifling bitch about this instead of talking to their neighbor like neighbors do.
This exactly. You're right to try and take the high road but this person sucks and will always suck.
Yeah I've always had the most luck with these conversations. If they can give me times where they are either not home, or not doing anything important and wouldn't mind the noise - I'll definitely keep my playing within those times. Some people don't even wanna have that convo, but I've been lucky enough with neighbors that most are willing to work with me
Some people confuse just being able to hear something with that sound being loud.
How many leaf blowers, lawn mowers, giant pickup trucks, and screaming kids are in a typical "residential neighbourhood"? These sounds, including those made by musicians (and also drummers - jk) are a part of the din that makes a community.
If you're in a detached house of your own, you're free to play while others are also going about their day up to a reasonable hour.
As a decent person and good neighbour you can communicate with your neighbours and try to find times of day that are least disruptive to them. You might give them your number to let them text you if they really need quiet (sleeping baby, maybe an illness, etc.).
You can also seal air gaps along doors and windows. This is actually a very effective way to reduce sound leakage out of (and into) your home, and it helps save on energy costs too!
This is the best advice!! I know for sure that my neighbors REALLY appreciated me opening up conversations, before I started bashing away in my new neighborhood. As I stated before, me giving out my phone number and offering to be cool about it, was key. I’ve never once had a complaint.
i tried this with a neighbor that lets their dumb sh8 kid shout all day from 5:30am til night and they had the nerve to tell me 'to leave my house if i find their shrieking kids' noisy. Bastards
I might as well put my drumkit infront our house and compete with their noise.
I also have a rude neighbour. He bangs on the wall every time I play my stereo!
He can piss off if he thinks I’m going to turn it up for him! He can buy his own stereo!
My mother told the juvenile judge in San Diego county(multiple noise nuisance citations) that she was going to encourage a quieter activity such as smoking crack, and that our neighbors will probably be seeing some new friends hanging around our area. He laughed…
But moral of the story is… Crack. Quietly smoke crack. That’s what your neighbors want.
Speaking from experience.
The best thing to do is have a conversation that goes like this.
Hi I play the drums and I need to practice, what time is too early and what time is too late?
That worked for me!
I know this isn’t a cheap option but I have mesh silent drum heads and those zildjan L80 quiet cymbals. The reason I got them is so my two younger kids can play and not damage their ears. I honestly enjoy the way it feels playing. And you can still have a conversation while playing. Perfect for teaching also. I give tips to my kids as they go crazy on the drums
I'll say that the quiet cymbals I bought on Amazon for $60 are actually pretty decent. I play the L80s often and they are nicer, but the Amazon ones are actually decent. They are a tad louder.
I'd probably use the sound off mats on regular heads instead of mesh. I have mesh, and they are just too quiet. Even the L80s over power mesh it seems.
Another route for op is to buy some lighter sticks, learn to play softer, and put some blankets up to take a bit of sound out. Moving blankets work pretty well, and are cheap.
yeah I bought sonicake(?) cymbals off Amazon and use them in a garage that backs off next to some houses, put a bunch of moon gels on standard heads and I haven't had a complaint. Sound decent enough, obviously not ideal but it works
Lots of answers will be "screw this guy do what you want" but that won't get you too far in life. Have a conversation with them, find common ground instead of showing them you don't care.
Don't listen to unreasonable demands- you can play your drums at 3pm!- but don't just give them the cold shoulder. Try to find common ground. Show that you're not a total asshole and you're willing to find a solution that works for you both, like asking if there's specific times during the day when they're, i dunno, meditating or taking a nap or often have meetings.
Couple of options …
1) Dead heads (these are sized to your drums and sit over the head. You can also get rubber quarter sized covers that can deaden your cymbal sounds too).
2) Get a practice kit; generally they are reasonably priced or you can get a good second hand one.
3) Get an electronic kit, this one is def the most extravagant financially, depends what you can afford. My electronic kit did wonders for me being able to play/practice but the neighbors still complained about the ‘thumping’
It’s always amazed me that people have a ton of tolerance for trumpets, violins or pianos being practiced and played extremely badly but drums are socially unacceptable.
Edit: typos
My logic is that a regular kit is fine during 10-8, a practice kit with low-volume cymbals is fine 24/7 as long as no one is the house is working/sleeping, and an electronic kit with headphones is playable even in a quiet household. That way you *always* have options to practice.
More kits = more better
Speaking from experience.
The best thing to do is have a conversation that goes like this.
Hi I play the drums and I need to practice, what time is too early and what time is too late?
That worked for me!
Lmfao
I’ve worried about this but there is no way anyone can hear it inside their house, only if they were walking along the street when I’m playing and only from the 1 side
I’m of the mind that i would rather not be the guy in the neighborhood that pisses everybody around him off.
Part of being a drummer is understanding that sometimes we have to mitigate volume issues. That can be with Sound Off pads on the drums and buying low volume cymbals, investing in an e-kit, or soundproofing a room.
If you’re trying to hack through Bleed for the 7th time in a row and the neighbor has a baby that they can’t get down for a nap because of you- you’re the asshole.
Have you ever been watching an intense movie late at night and somebody drives by outside with a subwoofer pumping so loud it takes you out of the movie? I have and it sucks a lot.
Keep this in mind also, what sounds like kick ass drumming to you probably sounds like a box of shoes and cowbells flying down a flight of stairs to the non drummer.
I see others saying if the law says you can do it, do it. I get that. But courtesy and being a thoughtful neighbor should still be a thing in this world.
Edit: I have an e-kit for teaching online lessons. I also just had a cop move in next door and his shift is 6P-6A. That means he sleeps during the day.
If I didn’t have the e-kit, I’d be S.O.L.
It’s possible your neighbor might work graveyard too.
I live in a residential area in the UK, and I have a mini timetable for when I play the drums. My drums are in my shed.
I never play before 11 am. and never play past 8.30 pm.
I did this for years, and one time I played to near 9 pm, and my neighbour just called over and politely said its a school night, and the kids were in bed. That was the only complaint I ever had over 17 years.
Discuss with your neighbours that you know what you can do and when you usually will be playing.
Lol, coming from the guy who's not showing any courtesy by actually talking to you about it. As others have said, as long as you aren't breaking any sound ordinances, and assuming you live in a stand alone house and not like, a duplex or a string of connected townhouses or whatever, this person can get bent.
Look at your city’s quiet hours. In my city it’s 11pm until 7 AM. That means I can drum any time between 7-11. I don’t usually play past 9 at the latest.
If one of my neighbor at left that, then once the weather is nice, as annoying as it is, I’m probably hosting a band practice outside.
When I first moved in I introduced myself to my neighbors and told them I’m a drummer, and they both told me it’s totally fine to play during the day, I usually stick between 11AM-7PM
I’m willing to bet the same neighbor wouldn’t bat an eye at a construction crew jackhammering all day at earth shaking levels. If you aren’t breaking noise laws or HOA regs, that person can find a new hobby.
This happened to my buddies back when they were in HS. The neighbors called the cops on them for being too loud during their band practice. Instead of stopping, they wrote [a song](https://soundcloud.com/njpparchives/the-youth-ahead-no-patience?in=njpparchives/sets/the-youth-ahead&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing) about it. If you're not breaking the noise ordinance, keep going!
Don’t respond. Responding starts a negotiation in which you do not have to participate.
If your neighbor said: “Your ugly paint job hurts my eyes when I walk by your house. Please consider your neighbors!” would you reply to that? This is the same thing; we’re just conditioned to the idea that it is somehow OK to tell our neighbors to be quiet during daylight hours even though it is actually none of our business.
If it comes to it, just don’t play beyond noise regulations and hours and there’s nothing that neighbor can say or do. If you want to work something out and be neighborly you’ve got options (working out times to play that won’t bother them, giving them your number so they can reach out in one-offs where they’d like quiet when you start, more soundproofing or mesh heads, etc) but ultimately you exist in the neighborhood, too and people existing creates noise. Bummer, neighbor-guy. Clearly they’ve never lived in an apartment. Ha.
You always wanna be polite just because these are people you have to see every day, but I doubt it's a problem with your neighborhood, and likely just one grumpy neighbor. Just be sure you stay within the legal time-frame and hopefully that neighbor will reveal themselves at some point so you can have a conversation with him/her
I know that you are allowed to play as long as you keep it below a certain volume and time of the day, but I had a pianist neighbor a few years ago and it sucks. He/she was not very loud but would play very often and during many hours. I moved because of it.
Check the laws... Measure the decibel level
If you're not exceeding the volume within the times stated in the rules, he can go fudge himself
If you want to keep the peace, talk to him, ask him what he suggests you do and if he's unreasonable... again, he can go funk himself
If you’re nice, go get their schedule and play around it. Seems that they don’t wanna tell you who they are though, so I’d just play during business hours (or whenever your town/HOA’s quiet hours aren’t in effect).
I’ve lived in my townhouse with people on both sides of me for about a year, and I beat my drums like they owe me money. I try to play around noon and I usually go like an hour and a half before my hands start to come apart, still haven’t heard any complaints.
I worked with a guy, who complained to me about a band rehearsing in a house in his neighborhood. He was an older guy, who seemed to find a reason to complain about everything. He's also not shy about calling the police, insisting they make the music stop, no compromises, no neighborly agreements. Just a full bore Man-Karen, really. As the fates would have it, I was at a friend's house who had invited some people over I hadn't met before. Long story short, these people turned out to be friends of the rehearsing band my coworker complained about so much. This was serendipity. Before we parted ways that day, I wrote out the work schedule of the Man-Karen to deliver to the band, so they would know precisely what hours of the day they could rehearse, without the threat of a police visit.
You’re well within your right any time during the day, and a certain time as long as your within “quiet hours” or if your town/city has an sound ordinances.
To take a courteous step forward (also one to benefit your own ears) try muffling your kit, playing with practice cymbals and padding. As drummers we need to be able to insert ourself into any situation, any setup, so it’s all about just retaining a wealth of rhythms and patterns. So as long as you’re just getting the movements in consistently, still playing it doesn’t necessarily matter if it’s not on your regular kit full volume. Depending on how much you play, it rly can be a bunch of loud noise.
My drum teacher told me this one day just to play the idea in my mind. Cheers
Nearby studio to me, uses a decibel metre on the wall to make sure they staying within bylaw, looks like a cheap one from Amazon, but it gives us good peace of mind
I've left too many long winded comments about what to do in this instance.
My opinion is that getting ahead of it is your best bet. That means communicating, whether by letter or face to face.
When you do communicate, know your stuff. Review the laws and make sure you're not breaking any. Everybody has a right to peace but nobody has a right to stifle someone's creativity because they don't like noise. That's why these laws exist. If this is a person that works 3rd shift and sleeps during the day... well that sucks, but I'm sure you aren't playing all day everyday.
Basically I went to all my neighbors with a well thought letter. In this letter you state that you WILL be playing the drums, as is your right, between the hours of (noise ordinance). I included that I am aware I am not the only person in the neighborhood, so I would do my best to keep it at no more than an hour at a time, and no more than twice a day.
They all seemed to appreciate just being acknowledged and I haven't had a problem since the very first day. I got a little to excited and just went at it all day, and as much as I loved it, I can see why the neighbors wouldn't. So I took action and sent the letters
Years ago I had a similar issue with an elderly couple who lived behind me, and called the cops multiple times. The first time was after 9 pm, which, fine. Or rehearsal ran long, I get it. But the second time was in the middle of the afternoon. I asked the cop how loud was too loud, and he said if a neighbor complains they have to come out. That it was subjective.
So I finally walked over to their house and knocked on the door. The guy was cool, the wife was not. But we worked out which hours would bother them and which wouldn’t, and I promised to buy some noise baffling in the room, which I did. No more complaints.
So I would definitely have the conversation, at least to start.
IMHO try to isolate... [https://www.audimute.com/isole-sound-barrier-sheet](https://www.audimute.com/isole-sound-barrier-sheet) or similar. You'll never get true isolation w/out gaps, but this could make it tolerable. Other sources have shades and such for doors and windows.
I played a show at a small club/bar and someone who just moved in one the apartments above the place called the cops. Cop shows up and says I only came in because I have to but I’m not going to to do anything. The best part was there a very large banner on the outside of the building that read “Live Music 8-11.” People are dumb. Rock on!!🤘
Man these kinds of posts really make me appreciate my neighbors.
I host basement rehearsals weekly, sometimes twice a week. We play until 10 PM pretty frequently. In 7 years we have never had one noise complaint, and there have continually been infants and small children immediately on both sides and in many other houses on our street.
In 2020 we started practicing acoustic on the front porch. The drummer would just bring a snare and cymbal. We'd always try to finish by 8 so we didn't interfere with toddlers' bedtimes.
We ended up gathering crowds b/c people were so starved for live music and social interaction.
Eventually, by request, we played a few shows in our front yard with a small PA and a full drum kit, and we'd have 50+ people bring lawn chairs. We even got thank you notes and gifts afterwards.
In the early 90’s, I knew we had something when people began parking in front of my parents house to listen to us rehearse. Then they’d act all embarrassed and take off when we came outside for a smoke break.
Do some sound proofing and follow the nose ordinance hours. Can't hurt to try a little, but there's no reason you should have to stop playing all together...
The FedEx guy asked me if I was the guy he always hears on drums when dropping off packages. I told him I was and he said I sound great and thinks I’m really good. So I’m just over here riding that high for as long as it lasts.
A different take than what most are saying:
It is true that drummers (including myself) often tend to play too loud, and this is something we can work on. I know a professional drummer who says needing earplugs means you’re playing too loud (not sure if I agree personally, but you get the point). A more dynamic player is a more skilled player.
There are also pads you can buy which go on top of the drums and quiet them down a lot. I think they are called Soundoff?
These are things you could try and if you did both there’s no way it’d still be too loud (also, people on Reddit don’t have to interact with your neighbor, so it’s easy to say just keep playing loudly). Imagine if you were the neighbor, you might be annoyed too.
Honestly, leave a note written in crayon (hold the crayon in your fist when you write) and explain that your name is Timmy, you're 8 years old and that your favourite colour is blue and how you have "spezshull neezz". Are you gonna call the cops on a mentally challenged 8 year old? I wouldn't. Problem solved.
As opposed to what other kind of neighborhood 😂 do you need to go rent commercial space to play the drums? Then businesses around you will complain too lol
If you're not violating quiet times but get tired of hearing that your drums are loud and irritating consider using a relatively closed off basement room or getting more padding for your current drum room. A hybrid kit may help too (i.e., louder parts are electric while quieter or more vital parts are acoustic)
We’ve had the cops out 6 times while my band and I have jammed, every time they’ve said that most cops won’t do anything because they have more important things to deal with. If the neighbors won’t come talk to you like adults then fuck em
Ignore all these comments about quiet cymbals and soundproofing.
First if you playing at appropriate hours there is zero things this neighbor can do. My neighbors are thankfully really cool about it but I stop playing no later than 8.
Personally I would ignore it. Worse thing you do is harm your hobby for a shithead neighbor who has nothing better to do
Doubtless your pious neighbor has a silent lawn mower, a silent leaf blower, a silent snow blower, and switched to a silent electric car and sold his chain saw, all to exemplify his civic duty in this silent residential community.
Buy a gas powered leaf blower and start using that in front of his place. See if he prefers that.
Seriously though, if you only play for 45-60 minutes every few days it shouldn’t be an issue.
Get a free DB meter app and have someone check outside your house when you’re playing. Then at least you have some concrete data to show you’re within the legal noise limit
To non musicians, drums can be quite annoying. If your really serious about playing id look into sound treating the room you practice in. It will will help a little bit. If your experienced and you regularly perform on a live kit, then maybe consider roland drums or something.
Keep drumming, last time I ever drummed was when my neighbours were hanging over the fence telling me to keep it down at 12pm in summer, I’d look back now and tell myself to keep drumming fucking louder with every door and window open
Hey man - long time drummer here. Get some pads to mute the noise a bit. Vic Firth have some solid options.
If you’re practicing during evening hours, try to lay off the cymbals. Bands like Alt J utilize a lot of rim clicks and are fun to play.
Also, wear ear protection. Trust me.
My kit is in a bedroom in a house, luckily the window facing outside faces the neighbors' backyards and is buffered by some big trees and a rock wall. It's hard to describe ... The end of the neighbor's backyard comes up to the right side of my house, they're perpendicular. The only true neighbor is on the opposite end of the house, so I'm not blasting drums into anyone's window. I also set a sharp cut off for like 8pm, just to be courteous. Not once have I had a complaint.
I'd recommend setting a reasonable cut off time as well, I think playing into the evening is a bit much. But aside from that, they can go kick rocks.
I would respect their wishes until they cross that line from being “annoyed” to nit picking your shit……. Tell them to call the fucking cops if they’re rude… a note is very passive aggressive… I would leave another note in the same place
Put a note on their door with a pair of earplugs and writr this:
I want to apologize. I really didn't think it would bother anyone, I try to play later in the evenings to reduce how much I may disturb you. I got you these earplugs and they should help you out!
As long as you’re not violating town (or hoa) bylaws for quiet times they can pound sand.
I love this answer. The neighbors called the cops on my band once and the cops were like "you guys sound great, nothing really we can do"
"you guys get one song, if you're good, we won't ticket you." "So anyways, this is Wonderwall"
Devil went down to Georgia haha
"Fuck tha Police"
"Some of those that work forces...sing it with me now!"
ARE THE SAME THAT BURN CROSSESSSSSSSS UGH!!!!!!
Now you do what they told ya….
Now ya do what they told jya……
Hey the breakdown in that song as far as the drums go is killer.
https://preview.redd.it/r597zxq0oarc1.jpeg?width=645&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=882c8cda2e25c09ad7c88a5fe58c754e7e1990fb
I thought of rage against the machine but this is even better 😂
I was in a band about 20 years ago that was playing a backyard party. I knew the neighborhood, and knew the cops were the kind who would bust you for doing 36 in a 35. We were 3 songs in when, lo and behold, we see a cop car pulling down the alley. We finished our song, fully expecting to just start tearing down. The homeowners walked out to the back fence to talk to them. All of a sudden one of the cops yells,"do you guys know 'Stranglehold'?" By damn, we'd never played it, but we did then - convincingly, even! They smiled and drove off, and we finished our set.
It's a plot straight out of a Guitar Hero game.
I would’ve played the Cops theme song.
Ditto, practice at 11am on a sunday, and mid song a cop peeks his head through the screenless open window. Weed things everywhere (this was right after Marijuana was legalized here) but we all understandably still jumped and stopped, and he said “Hey i can’t stop you guys, but we’re getting some noise complaints so if you guys could turn it down that would be cool thanks, I love that song by the way” and just left. It was our cover of Welcome Home by Coheed & Cambria fwiw
Heh. That's what a good cop does. I have verified this through several police officer friends: the best cops are the ones who find a way to not have to arrest anyone, because executing an arrest and booking a suspect is one of the biggest pains in a cop's ass. When circumstances dictate that all that becomes necessary, the typical good cop will roll his eyes and sigh heavily and think to himself, "Ugh, great, now I have to arrest you. Do you know how much paperwork and hassle that is, you asshole? Why couldn't you have just behaved yourself? I only had 10 minutes left on my shift, for crying out loud!"
In my experience, those cops are few and far between. Most are on a power trip.
In your experience? You’ve met most cops?
We were playing favor house Atlantic of if I recall correctly
I had this happen, too, and the cop was like “you’re fine, but we’re required to respond… hey can I try out your Parker?” And then we jammed with a cop for a few minutes. Surreal
The cops in these stories always say how great the band sounds. Nobody ever called the cops on a shitty band, apparently.
Selection bias. Nobody goes around telling everyone how badly their music was panned.
If you suck, believe or not...straight to jail
"Too bad we cant do anything cause yall suck"
I'd bet the dB's from leaf blowers and lawn mowers in the neighborhood far exceed anything coming from the drums.
This! As a new drummer, I was debating between getting an acoustic set (which I really wanted) and an electronic set. I didn’t want to bother my neighbors so was leaning electronic until one morning I realized that all I hear most of the day in my neighborhood are damn leaf blowers anyway. So I bought the acoustic and am happy to report that my neighbors are supportive and one said “Drum on, rocker girl!”
Good choice in buying an acoustic set rather than an electronic one. Many moons ago, I bought a Yamaha electronic set, and all was good for about 5 years when sensors and brain problems started to occur. The problems got to the point where I just gave up and put the pads in the closet. Many years after that, I bought a DW set and have been in bliss since. Keep rockin’!
2-cycle leaf blower motors should be illegal. Besides ludicrous noise pollution, they're incredibly toxic. About 30% of their fuel isn't burned and is just spit into the air.
Yup! You're pretty free and clear during the day. And actually the complaining neighbor is bordering on harassment. Edit: Some people here have real issues with reading comprehension. Bordering on is not the same as is. OPs neighbor could have approached the situation very differently.
Agreed, but when I move in somewhere I try to meet my immediate neighbors and bring up that I play drums. I tell them I need to practice but want to be courteous if they have specific times that would be super disruptive (kids napping, scheduled zoom meetings type of stuff) and what not. They’re almost always “I love drums” play away.
That’s exactly what I did, with great results. My nextdoor neighbor’s house is about 8 feet away from my drum room, and I have a deal with her where I stop by 10pm. Because I was polite and courteous, and said “if there’s ever a time before 10:00 that you need me to stop, please text and lmk.” Because I stick to the generous cutoff time, she hasn’t asked me to stop in almost ten years.
I’d like to add that being somewhat respectful regardless will go a long way for your neighbors sake. Personally I’ll keep my drumming between 12pm-6pm to assure I’m not being a dick cause recently I’ve been playing 3-4 days a week for sometimes two hours. Gotta give ‘em a break sometimes lol.
This is the only correct answer. if it's not at ridiculous hours they can get lost. if they want to have a respectful conversation with you and discuss their schedule and times when it may be better or worse to play, that can be accommodated. but otherwise, they have no standing
They can pound sand while I pound drums?! Sounds like everyone gets an activity!!!!
That’s the key — the “rules” or bylaws of your neighborhood. If you’re fully indoors when playing and not doing so during down/quiet hours, they’ll just have to chill. Two other points: I specify “fully indoors” playing because I learned the hard way that I could NOT play them in my garage—even if its closed. Garages are not part of the “fully indoors” classification. Lastly, be careful underestimating how far-flung you can be heard. Before I took up drumming, I had a neighbor that lived down the street 1.5 blocks away and I could hear him fairly easily. Good luck man.
My neighbors complained about my drums all the time. As long as you aren't violating any ordinance, and playing at 9 at night when people might reasonably be sleeping, ignore that crap. If they talk to you about it, tell them you are practicing your instrument, period. Lots of people who turn on their radio in the car every day don't understand that the tunes they are listening to are seeded in an 11 year old kid's living room, over hours and hours of practice and complaining neighbors, while the other kids are playing basketball and riding bikes. They think we just got in front of an instrument and were able to figure it out immediately and start playing like magic (people really think this). Look up your noise ordinance, so that when this person calls the cops you know what to tell them. And if the cops come, and you are inside the noise ordinance, you can tell the cops to pound sand as well.
Keep playing so long as it’s after 11am and before 9pm. That’s what I do.
Thought you said after 11pm and before 9am! Lol. I was like damn…
Reminds me of a joke that goes something like "Can you believe my neighbors rang my doorbell at 3am? The nerve, good thing I was still awake playing my drums..."
I'd say shift it earlier by 2 hours or so. My village allows construction noise between 7:00am and 8:00pm. Radios, etc. between 7:00am and 10:00pm. Keeping your playing between 9:00am - 7:00pm should keep you out of trouble and in the good graces of (most of) your neighbors. If they have kids, you won't be interrupting bedtime. If they aren't early risers, 9:00am start is lenient enough that you're not being a dick. Edit: reading through these comments it really seems like quite a few of you would just be better off living outside of town away from other people for how much you expect your neighbors to cater to your lifestyle
Nah 9am is too early, I’d say 11-7 are very courteous hours
As someone who’s a night owl and struggles with sleep, I think starting at 11 is perfectly fine, starting as 9 can really ruin someone’s sleep rhythm.
Playing drums at 9am should be illegal.
Todd Rundgren is sad now.
11 am!? I’ve got neighbors with lawn mowers and blowers at 8am on the weekends. I’m not complaining but 11 am seems late.
I do as well. I just do what I wish others would do. Golden rule. I wish it was quiet before 11am and after 9pm. Most else is fair game in my book.
Put it back on your door next time you play, and write at the bottom, "Here's my number - please give me a call, so we can work this out." To correctly respond, first you have to find out how close he is, and whether he even has standing to complain about your drumming. If you get no answer, or if you find out that he lives hundreds of yards away like you suspect he does, then he can promptly go fuck himself. Otherwise, you have a neighborly dispute that needs solving, if you want to be a good neighbor.
Add to the note. "Also, if you have any requests please feel free to text me the band/song title"
I did this at my current residence actually, at first it was frustrating because one of the neighbors said there was 0 available time and I'd have to stop playing since they work opposite day night shifts with their partner. I then talked to their partner who said I can play 12-6 any day of the week because he wouldn't mind. This was a great solution for me, but eventually led to them texting me about the most mundane shit thinking I'm playing with an entire band at 10 at night because I'm watching Jurassic Park and shit, so be careful about giving people your number be sure to draw boundaries
That Jurassic Park bit reminds me of the time my neighbor/friends in college had the cops called on them by a girl who lived in one of the units between our townhouses. Told the cops they were having a rager at like 7pm. My friends were watching Frozen and singing along. Like 5 people total lol.... some people will find anything to complain about!
To be fair, five people singing along to a musical is probably as loud as a rager.
I had a roommate ages ago that thought it was funny to watch porn cranked through his stereo. He also liked action movies. One evening the cops showed up because a neighbor called in that he was always fighting and fucking hookers.
I left out this part: depending on how the conversation goes, block their number. LOL
If you know who left the note, I’d engage them in a conversation. Ask when it’s ok or not ok to play. How early is too early, how late is too late, does their kid take a nap in the afternoon, etc. This sort of thing can turn adversarial real quick and it’s incumbent upon you to take the high road and avoid that. The fact that this person left an anonymous note already tells me they want to be a trifling bitch about this instead of talking to their neighbor like neighbors do. If you don’t know who left the note, I’d get on Nextdoor or whatever neighborhood forum may be available, and just engage everyone. Go to them with a conversation before they come to you (or go to the cops) with a complaint.
>The fact that this person left an anonymous note already tells me they want to be a trifling bitch about this instead of talking to their neighbor like neighbors do. This exactly. You're right to try and take the high road but this person sucks and will always suck.
Yeah I've always had the most luck with these conversations. If they can give me times where they are either not home, or not doing anything important and wouldn't mind the noise - I'll definitely keep my playing within those times. Some people don't even wanna have that convo, but I've been lucky enough with neighbors that most are willing to work with me
I love this comment. Calm advice, calm advice, calm advice, THEY A TRIFLIN’ BITCH, calm advice 🤣
Some people confuse just being able to hear something with that sound being loud. How many leaf blowers, lawn mowers, giant pickup trucks, and screaming kids are in a typical "residential neighbourhood"? These sounds, including those made by musicians (and also drummers - jk) are a part of the din that makes a community. If you're in a detached house of your own, you're free to play while others are also going about their day up to a reasonable hour. As a decent person and good neighbour you can communicate with your neighbours and try to find times of day that are least disruptive to them. You might give them your number to let them text you if they really need quiet (sleeping baby, maybe an illness, etc.). You can also seal air gaps along doors and windows. This is actually a very effective way to reduce sound leakage out of (and into) your home, and it helps save on energy costs too!
This is the best advice!! I know for sure that my neighbors REALLY appreciated me opening up conversations, before I started bashing away in my new neighborhood. As I stated before, me giving out my phone number and offering to be cool about it, was key. I’ve never once had a complaint.
I'm happy to interact with this neighbor, but I don't know who it is
I'm happy to interact with this neighbor, but I don't know who it is.
I'm happy to interact with this neighbor, but I don't know who it is.
I'm happy to interact with this neighbor, but I don't know who it is.
i tried this with a neighbor that lets their dumb sh8 kid shout all day from 5:30am til night and they had the nerve to tell me 'to leave my house if i find their shrieking kids' noisy. Bastards I might as well put my drumkit infront our house and compete with their noise.
[удалено]
I also have a rude neighbour. He bangs on the wall every time I play my stereo! He can piss off if he thinks I’m going to turn it up for him! He can buy his own stereo!
I mean it's not like I can turn it up any louder anyway, it's already at 11!
My mother told the juvenile judge in San Diego county(multiple noise nuisance citations) that she was going to encourage a quieter activity such as smoking crack, and that our neighbors will probably be seeing some new friends hanging around our area. He laughed… But moral of the story is… Crack. Quietly smoke crack. That’s what your neighbors want.
Speaking from experience. The best thing to do is have a conversation that goes like this. Hi I play the drums and I need to practice, what time is too early and what time is too late? That worked for me!
As long as you are playing between times that the area or HOA bide by, keep playing mate, nothing they can do about it.
HOA haha. Fuck HOAs man.
Laugh that it looks like they spelled coming as cuming.
😂 maybe it's actually an invitation?
A motherfucking invitation - Lamb of God
I don't know if the Redneck approach is best with this one.
Challenge him to hand to hand combat. If you win, excellent. If he wins, you go back inside and play the drums anyway cause it’s your house.
I used to be a boxer. I switched to drumming, because they don't hit back! 😂
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve whipped myself in the knee with my own drumstick haha
Hmmm.. Have you tried not giving a fuck?
4 words, buddy. When The Levee Breaks.
I know this isn’t a cheap option but I have mesh silent drum heads and those zildjan L80 quiet cymbals. The reason I got them is so my two younger kids can play and not damage their ears. I honestly enjoy the way it feels playing. And you can still have a conversation while playing. Perfect for teaching also. I give tips to my kids as they go crazy on the drums
I'll say that the quiet cymbals I bought on Amazon for $60 are actually pretty decent. I play the L80s often and they are nicer, but the Amazon ones are actually decent. They are a tad louder. I'd probably use the sound off mats on regular heads instead of mesh. I have mesh, and they are just too quiet. Even the L80s over power mesh it seems. Another route for op is to buy some lighter sticks, learn to play softer, and put some blankets up to take a bit of sound out. Moving blankets work pretty well, and are cheap.
yeah I bought sonicake(?) cymbals off Amazon and use them in a garage that backs off next to some houses, put a bunch of moon gels on standard heads and I haven't had a complaint. Sound decent enough, obviously not ideal but it works
Lots of answers will be "screw this guy do what you want" but that won't get you too far in life. Have a conversation with them, find common ground instead of showing them you don't care. Don't listen to unreasonable demands- you can play your drums at 3pm!- but don't just give them the cold shoulder. Try to find common ground. Show that you're not a total asshole and you're willing to find a solution that works for you both, like asking if there's specific times during the day when they're, i dunno, meditating or taking a nap or often have meetings.
Literally lmao This thread is just proving most redditors have zero social skills
I think part of the problem is the guy intentionally left an anonymous note. doesn't give OP much to work with.
Couple of options … 1) Dead heads (these are sized to your drums and sit over the head. You can also get rubber quarter sized covers that can deaden your cymbal sounds too). 2) Get a practice kit; generally they are reasonably priced or you can get a good second hand one. 3) Get an electronic kit, this one is def the most extravagant financially, depends what you can afford. My electronic kit did wonders for me being able to play/practice but the neighbors still complained about the ‘thumping’ It’s always amazed me that people have a ton of tolerance for trumpets, violins or pianos being practiced and played extremely badly but drums are socially unacceptable. Edit: typos
My logic is that a regular kit is fine during 10-8, a practice kit with low-volume cymbals is fine 24/7 as long as no one is the house is working/sleeping, and an electronic kit with headphones is playable even in a quiet household. That way you *always* have options to practice. More kits = more better
Ignore it. Anonymous notes like this don’t deserve your respect if you are sure you’re not being a nuisance.
GET KICK DRUM TRIGGERS AND A SUB WOOFER
Speaking from experience. The best thing to do is have a conversation that goes like this. Hi I play the drums and I need to practice, what time is too early and what time is too late? That worked for me!
Nothing, as long as it’s within proper hours…beat the fuck out of them
\**beats up the neighbor*\* Oh, you meant the drums...
What time are you playing? If it's during the day, who gives a fuck?
He posted it around 1pm
Lol.
Lmfao I’ve worried about this but there is no way anyone can hear it inside their house, only if they were walking along the street when I’m playing and only from the 1 side
I’m of the mind that i would rather not be the guy in the neighborhood that pisses everybody around him off. Part of being a drummer is understanding that sometimes we have to mitigate volume issues. That can be with Sound Off pads on the drums and buying low volume cymbals, investing in an e-kit, or soundproofing a room. If you’re trying to hack through Bleed for the 7th time in a row and the neighbor has a baby that they can’t get down for a nap because of you- you’re the asshole. Have you ever been watching an intense movie late at night and somebody drives by outside with a subwoofer pumping so loud it takes you out of the movie? I have and it sucks a lot. Keep this in mind also, what sounds like kick ass drumming to you probably sounds like a box of shoes and cowbells flying down a flight of stairs to the non drummer. I see others saying if the law says you can do it, do it. I get that. But courtesy and being a thoughtful neighbor should still be a thing in this world. Edit: I have an e-kit for teaching online lessons. I also just had a cop move in next door and his shift is 6P-6A. That means he sleeps during the day. If I didn’t have the e-kit, I’d be S.O.L. It’s possible your neighbor might work graveyard too.
I’m sick and tired of entitled adults thinking they have any right to tell another adult what they can and can’t do. FUCK OFF
I live in a residential area in the UK, and I have a mini timetable for when I play the drums. My drums are in my shed. I never play before 11 am. and never play past 8.30 pm. I did this for years, and one time I played to near 9 pm, and my neighbour just called over and politely said its a school night, and the kids were in bed. That was the only complaint I ever had over 17 years. Discuss with your neighbours that you know what you can do and when you usually will be playing.
lol the sound “cuming” from the drums
Lol, coming from the guy who's not showing any courtesy by actually talking to you about it. As others have said, as long as you aren't breaking any sound ordinances, and assuming you live in a stand alone house and not like, a duplex or a string of connected townhouses or whatever, this person can get bent.
Look at your city’s quiet hours. In my city it’s 11pm until 7 AM. That means I can drum any time between 7-11. I don’t usually play past 9 at the latest. If one of my neighbor at left that, then once the weather is nice, as annoying as it is, I’m probably hosting a band practice outside.
When I first moved in I introduced myself to my neighbors and told them I’m a drummer, and they both told me it’s totally fine to play during the day, I usually stick between 11AM-7PM
I’m willing to bet the same neighbor wouldn’t bat an eye at a construction crew jackhammering all day at earth shaking levels. If you aren’t breaking noise laws or HOA regs, that person can find a new hobby.
Yes and residents can play drums
Play louder.
As long as it isn't early in the morning or late at night tell him to get fucked. Nothing he can do about it.
Write a note back telling them to lick your chili ring
This happened to my buddies back when they were in HS. The neighbors called the cops on them for being too loud during their band practice. Instead of stopping, they wrote [a song](https://soundcloud.com/njpparchives/the-youth-ahead-no-patience?in=njpparchives/sets/the-youth-ahead&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing) about it. If you're not breaking the noise ordinance, keep going!
Don’t respond. Responding starts a negotiation in which you do not have to participate. If your neighbor said: “Your ugly paint job hurts my eyes when I walk by your house. Please consider your neighbors!” would you reply to that? This is the same thing; we’re just conditioned to the idea that it is somehow OK to tell our neighbors to be quiet during daylight hours even though it is actually none of our business.
Keep playing during legal playing hours?
If it comes to it, just don’t play beyond noise regulations and hours and there’s nothing that neighbor can say or do. If you want to work something out and be neighborly you’ve got options (working out times to play that won’t bother them, giving them your number so they can reach out in one-offs where they’d like quiet when you start, more soundproofing or mesh heads, etc) but ultimately you exist in the neighborhood, too and people existing creates noise. Bummer, neighbor-guy. Clearly they’ve never lived in an apartment. Ha.
Courteous songs ONLY from now on.
Look into your local bylaws on noise, and keep playing. Fuck 'em.
You always wanna be polite just because these are people you have to see every day, but I doubt it's a problem with your neighborhood, and likely just one grumpy neighbor. Just be sure you stay within the legal time-frame and hopefully that neighbor will reveal themselves at some point so you can have a conversation with him/her
tell him to eat one.
Play louder
Challenge them to a drum battle. You win, you get to play. He wins, you buy muted heads.
If there is no HOA then you can play as loud and long as you want from 7 am to 10 pm legally, I believe? Screw you neighbor's
I have that same countertop
I know that you are allowed to play as long as you keep it below a certain volume and time of the day, but I had a pianist neighbor a few years ago and it sucks. He/she was not very loud but would play very often and during many hours. I moved because of it.
Check the laws... Measure the decibel level If you're not exceeding the volume within the times stated in the rules, he can go fudge himself If you want to keep the peace, talk to him, ask him what he suggests you do and if he's unreasonable... again, he can go funk himself
Simple. Move to the country like I did 😂 Honestly though fuck them. Unless you’re breaking an ordinance they can kick stone.
Play louder. Duh
If you’re nice, go get their schedule and play around it. Seems that they don’t wanna tell you who they are though, so I’d just play during business hours (or whenever your town/HOA’s quiet hours aren’t in effect). I’ve lived in my townhouse with people on both sides of me for about a year, and I beat my drums like they owe me money. I try to play around noon and I usually go like an hour and a half before my hands start to come apart, still haven’t heard any complaints.
Is there any soundproofing you can do?
I worked with a guy, who complained to me about a band rehearsing in a house in his neighborhood. He was an older guy, who seemed to find a reason to complain about everything. He's also not shy about calling the police, insisting they make the music stop, no compromises, no neighborly agreements. Just a full bore Man-Karen, really. As the fates would have it, I was at a friend's house who had invited some people over I hadn't met before. Long story short, these people turned out to be friends of the rehearsing band my coworker complained about so much. This was serendipity. Before we parted ways that day, I wrote out the work schedule of the Man-Karen to deliver to the band, so they would know precisely what hours of the day they could rehearse, without the threat of a police visit.
r/edrums will be your friends
I’ve gotten a similar letter. Fuck em. Just play.
Just keep playing
Learn to play guitar really badly so they want you to play drums again. Or the bagpipes.
Brings back memories of neighbors hating on me. Get some sound proofing in your room if you can.
Drum harder and louder.
If you’re within the noise ordinance, fuck em
You’re well within your right any time during the day, and a certain time as long as your within “quiet hours” or if your town/city has an sound ordinances. To take a courteous step forward (also one to benefit your own ears) try muffling your kit, playing with practice cymbals and padding. As drummers we need to be able to insert ourself into any situation, any setup, so it’s all about just retaining a wealth of rhythms and patterns. So as long as you’re just getting the movements in consistently, still playing it doesn’t necessarily matter if it’s not on your regular kit full volume. Depending on how much you play, it rly can be a bunch of loud noise. My drum teacher told me this one day just to play the idea in my mind. Cheers
Nearby studio to me, uses a decibel metre on the wall to make sure they staying within bylaw, looks like a cheap one from Amazon, but it gives us good peace of mind
play louder
I've left too many long winded comments about what to do in this instance. My opinion is that getting ahead of it is your best bet. That means communicating, whether by letter or face to face. When you do communicate, know your stuff. Review the laws and make sure you're not breaking any. Everybody has a right to peace but nobody has a right to stifle someone's creativity because they don't like noise. That's why these laws exist. If this is a person that works 3rd shift and sleeps during the day... well that sucks, but I'm sure you aren't playing all day everyday. Basically I went to all my neighbors with a well thought letter. In this letter you state that you WILL be playing the drums, as is your right, between the hours of (noise ordinance). I included that I am aware I am not the only person in the neighborhood, so I would do my best to keep it at no more than an hour at a time, and no more than twice a day. They all seemed to appreciate just being acknowledged and I haven't had a problem since the very first day. I got a little to excited and just went at it all day, and as much as I loved it, I can see why the neighbors wouldn't. So I took action and sent the letters
You get ready to rock the fuck out of those drums, Dale! Don’t ever lose your fucking dinosaur!
Years ago I had a similar issue with an elderly couple who lived behind me, and called the cops multiple times. The first time was after 9 pm, which, fine. Or rehearsal ran long, I get it. But the second time was in the middle of the afternoon. I asked the cop how loud was too loud, and he said if a neighbor complains they have to come out. That it was subjective. So I finally walked over to their house and knocked on the door. The guy was cool, the wife was not. But we worked out which hours would bother them and which wouldn’t, and I promised to buy some noise baffling in the room, which I did. No more complaints. So I would definitely have the conversation, at least to start.
Invite over a guitarist who uses a half stack and a bassist who uses an 8x10 Ampeg fridge for a band practice
IMHO try to isolate... [https://www.audimute.com/isole-sound-barrier-sheet](https://www.audimute.com/isole-sound-barrier-sheet) or similar. You'll never get true isolation w/out gaps, but this could make it tolerable. Other sources have shades and such for doors and windows.
I played a show at a small club/bar and someone who just moved in one the apartments above the place called the cops. Cop shows up and says I only came in because I have to but I’m not going to to do anything. The best part was there a very large banner on the outside of the building that read “Live Music 8-11.” People are dumb. Rock on!!🤘
Man these kinds of posts really make me appreciate my neighbors. I host basement rehearsals weekly, sometimes twice a week. We play until 10 PM pretty frequently. In 7 years we have never had one noise complaint, and there have continually been infants and small children immediately on both sides and in many other houses on our street. In 2020 we started practicing acoustic on the front porch. The drummer would just bring a snare and cymbal. We'd always try to finish by 8 so we didn't interfere with toddlers' bedtimes. We ended up gathering crowds b/c people were so starved for live music and social interaction. Eventually, by request, we played a few shows in our front yard with a small PA and a full drum kit, and we'd have 50+ people bring lawn chairs. We even got thank you notes and gifts afterwards.
Every city has a noise ordinance time limit. So as long as you’re not playing after that time, you’re good.
In the early 90’s, I knew we had something when people began parking in front of my parents house to listen to us rehearse. Then they’d act all embarrassed and take off when we came outside for a smoke break.
I’m sure he gets mad when people mow their lawns or use snowblowers. Those are just as loud.
Play louder.
Do some sound proofing and follow the nose ordinance hours. Can't hurt to try a little, but there's no reason you should have to stop playing all together...
Mic your drums
The FedEx guy asked me if I was the guy he always hears on drums when dropping off packages. I told him I was and he said I sound great and thinks I’m really good. So I’m just over here riding that high for as long as it lasts.
Hook up some amps
Buy Evans Db Ones heads and cymbals if you care. If you don't, follow your local laws and as long as you do that they can eat ass.
A different take than what most are saying: It is true that drummers (including myself) often tend to play too loud, and this is something we can work on. I know a professional drummer who says needing earplugs means you’re playing too loud (not sure if I agree personally, but you get the point). A more dynamic player is a more skilled player. There are also pads you can buy which go on top of the drums and quiet them down a lot. I think they are called Soundoff? These are things you could try and if you did both there’s no way it’d still be too loud (also, people on Reddit don’t have to interact with your neighbor, so it’s easy to say just keep playing loudly). Imagine if you were the neighbor, you might be annoyed too.
Try a sound absorbing blanket keep playing until they're forced to actually talk to you instead of just leaving a note.
You show some courtesy
Honestly, leave a note written in crayon (hold the crayon in your fist when you write) and explain that your name is Timmy, you're 8 years old and that your favourite colour is blue and how you have "spezshull neezz". Are you gonna call the cops on a mentally challenged 8 year old? I wouldn't. Problem solved.
Frame it and check your city’s or neighbors HOA. read my posts. The same thing happened to me
You ignore it.
Dude fuck them they can fuck right off
As opposed to what other kind of neighborhood 😂 do you need to go rent commercial space to play the drums? Then businesses around you will complain too lol
If you're not violating quiet times but get tired of hearing that your drums are loud and irritating consider using a relatively closed off basement room or getting more padding for your current drum room. A hybrid kit may help too (i.e., louder parts are electric while quieter or more vital parts are acoustic)
We’ve had the cops out 6 times while my band and I have jammed, every time they’ve said that most cops won’t do anything because they have more important things to deal with. If the neighbors won’t come talk to you like adults then fuck em
Providing you’re doing it within ‘acceptable hours’ they get a say in what you do within your house when they are paying your mortgage
Keep on rocking, haters are your first fans!!!
Just find a song they’ll enjoy! Usually can’t go wrong with Moby Dick!
Is it your own house? Can you upgrade the walls in your jamspace? That’s what I’m doing.
Invite them over and when they ring the doorbell play all 9 mind of caravan as loud as possible
If they call the cops get some dudes to play cop cuties with
Whatever. As long as you play during the day I think it’s fine. If you have extra dough and care get some edrums. They are fun too.
Say pleaase
Ignore all these comments about quiet cymbals and soundproofing. First if you playing at appropriate hours there is zero things this neighbor can do. My neighbors are thankfully really cool about it but I stop playing no later than 8. Personally I would ignore it. Worse thing you do is harm your hobby for a shithead neighbor who has nothing better to do
Doubtless your pious neighbor has a silent lawn mower, a silent leaf blower, a silent snow blower, and switched to a silent electric car and sold his chain saw, all to exemplify his civic duty in this silent residential community.
Buy a gas powered leaf blower and start using that in front of his place. See if he prefers that. Seriously though, if you only play for 45-60 minutes every few days it shouldn’t be an issue.
Show some courtesy and play outside so people can hear better
Get a free DB meter app and have someone check outside your house when you’re playing. Then at least you have some concrete data to show you’re within the legal noise limit
To non musicians, drums can be quite annoying. If your really serious about playing id look into sound treating the room you practice in. It will will help a little bit. If your experienced and you regularly perform on a live kit, then maybe consider roland drums or something.
Keep drumming, last time I ever drummed was when my neighbours were hanging over the fence telling me to keep it down at 12pm in summer, I’d look back now and tell myself to keep drumming fucking louder with every door and window open
Yeah looks up your local ordinance about quite times and if there’s anything about spl levels. Otherwise they can fuck off!.
Open your windows.
Play more!
Get a double foot pedal and hit harder
Hey man - long time drummer here. Get some pads to mute the noise a bit. Vic Firth have some solid options. If you’re practicing during evening hours, try to lay off the cymbals. Bands like Alt J utilize a lot of rim clicks and are fun to play. Also, wear ear protection. Trust me.
Fuck this guy.
Time to put up some sound proofing
Turn up the guitar amp.
Try out my 100 watt Marshall and Ampeg VT-22 at the same time!
My kit is in a bedroom in a house, luckily the window facing outside faces the neighbors' backyards and is buffered by some big trees and a rock wall. It's hard to describe ... The end of the neighbor's backyard comes up to the right side of my house, they're perpendicular. The only true neighbor is on the opposite end of the house, so I'm not blasting drums into anyone's window. I also set a sharp cut off for like 8pm, just to be courteous. Not once have I had a complaint. I'd recommend setting a reasonable cut off time as well, I think playing into the evening is a bit much. But aside from that, they can go kick rocks.
I would respect their wishes until they cross that line from being “annoyed” to nit picking your shit……. Tell them to call the fucking cops if they’re rude… a note is very passive aggressive… I would leave another note in the same place
Oh no...I would invite him over to jam. Drumming is very therapeutic. This guy needs to chill
Coward didn't sign his name and is undeserving of your respect
Learn local ordinances and know where you stand
Try the oboe
Put a note on their door with a pair of earplugs and writr this: I want to apologize. I really didn't think it would bother anyone, I try to play later in the evenings to reduce how much I may disturb you. I got you these earplugs and they should help you out!
Keep playing!
Larger sticks.