COPS

[JeepnDrummer]

I had an old woman neighbor call the police on me a couple of times.  The police were very cool about the situation.  That was 27 years ago.  Whew, where's the time gone?  :o

[JamesC]

It's not nearly as fun, but I have a practice pad setup in the garage.  This consists of a real feel, a gibraltar bass drum practice pad (worth its weight in gold) with a double pedal hooked up to it, and a hi-hat with sound off pads.

When I was younger I was really into the whole world of drum corps.  I did lots and lots and lots of practicing on a pads.  They are so convenient, they're just unbeatable (no pun intended).

You can practice guilt-free without fear of bugging anybody, and you could have them right in your home in most living situations.  (things get slightly more tricky when you have a family, etc., but you should never be without some pads to beat on, ever!!!)

So for me, it's basically pads at home, then take my drums with me for playing with other people.

I'm also a fan of practicing on different types of surfaces.  A hi-hat feels very different from a floor tom, etc.  Practicing on different surfaces makes jumping from pads to the drumset much easier.

[xxnethelinxx]

Man all of yall have been of great help, and to the other ppl this is not a topic about grammar, so dont post comments tha dont even come to this topic, and im a senior is b.c i know how to write, so next time u dont have nothin to say about this topic, just dont post nothing.

Thanx again to the ppl that have helped me

[Mister Acrolite]

xxnethelinxx, lighten up on spanking your fellow Cafe members, please.

You'll find your posts generate a LOT more respect (and more thoughtful responses) if you make it apparent that you put more than 5 seconds into writing them.

Remember: This isn't IM - your words are going to stick around here for a while.

Put some time and thought into them, and I think you'll find the overall quality of the forums you participate in will improve.



Mr. A.
Moderator

[xxnethelinxx]

Well yea Acrolite but the point im trying to get through is that this is not a topic about grammar, and im just asking drummers for advice im not asking teachers or am I? no i dont think so. But thanx Acrolite i get your point.

[Mister Acrolite]

Well, my point is that if you expect people to go to the time and effort to respond to your posts in the thoughtful way that so many did, you may want to show that you're willing to spend more than 5 seconds writing your own posts.

I'm sorry, but this kind of stuff is just silly:

JayB u nver got a ticket or nothin how many time did cops go to ur haus?

When you look at the well-thought-out responses you got, can you really look at your own post and feel a bit silly? Are you in SUCH a hurry that you can't take ten more seconds to type entire words?

Sorry, but how you present yourself affects how much respect you'll be awarded. Right now your posts say "I don't care enough about you to try to communicate at an adult level with you, even though I'm asking a serious question about a legal matter."

Frankly, I think you got better reponses than you deserved.

If you're capable of communicating like an adult, do it. It's a great habit to get into.

[mapexdrummer1234]

If you're gonna try to bow to his wishes in the being nice sense... just speak with him. If you don't feel you need to stop... I would check the Sound ordiniance laws. if you want to play as often and as loud as you always do, make sure you can, that way the neighbor in question cannot get you in legal trouble.

[Mark W]

The same thing's happened to me quite recently. I was playing in my garage full pelt with no soundproofing whatsoever. So looking back I guess I deserved it. Well our next door neighbors came and complained to my parents (when I was out) saying it was too loud, ringing through their house, whatever. Before I had my drumkit I practiced on a small electronic kit with headphones and when they were round they complained that this had been disturbing them as well, but the real drums were the final straw. That's how sensitive they are I guess.

Well I've been forced to get a set of those silencer pads, which are OK, but aren't as fun, obviously. This sort of screws everything up for me as well, since I'd promised my band that we'd start practicing in my garage, and now we obviously can't do that. So now we can only meet up on weekends at some other place when my dad's around to drop me and the drums there separately, which is loads of effort compared to if my bandmates could have just got to my place. It just p***es me off how these neighbours can put me in such an awkward position with my band, and me actually wanting to practice more than I'm now able to do.

I gotta check out noise regulations at the council, and although we were quite friendly with them before, if we can play at certain times with these laws, screw em.

</RANT>

[xxnethelinxx]

Markdr how were the silentpads that u got?

[Eskil Sæter]

Man all of yall have been of great help, and to the other ppl this is not a topic about grammar, so dont post comments tha dont even come to this topic, and im a senior is b.c i know how to write, so next time u dont have nothin to say about this topic, just dont post nothing.

Thanx again to the ppl that have helped me

The whole point about learning grammar and spelling is so that you can use it to make other people understand what you're trying to communicate. So please, write complete words and sentences, for the sake of others.

[Louis Russell]

I was playing in my garage full pelt with no soundproofing whatsoever. So looking back I guess I deserved it.

You are 100% correct!  Full pelt with no soundproofing is not a good thing.  Being a good neighbor is a lot of work and requires compromises.  I play drums at home a lot and have been in the same house since 1983.  I have never had a complaint from any of my neighbors.  

At one time the complete band was practicing at my house two nights a week.  We were careful of the hours we made our noise and kept the volume way down.  I also talk to my neighbors several times a week and become friends rather than trying to live by the letter of the law.  It is amazing how your friends will tolerate more from you than strangers.  

[Mark W]

Markdr how were the silentpads that u got?

Yeah, they're OK. They really do take the noise off, but my family say they can still hear a thumping noise. We're pretty sure the neighbours can't though.

The two weaknesses are the cymbals and the bass drum - they can be pretty loud even with the pads so I try and play lighter overall.

This is what they are:

[scottboundy]

ahhh yes...the life we've chosen

:)

[DougB]

I don't have that problem anymore since I live in an apartment. But when I had a house my neighbors put up with my drumming and band practice.

wouldn't that make it worse?

[xxnethelinxx]

I want to thank all of you again for the tips in soundproofing and in grammar too (im serious)

KEEP ON POSTING ALL YOUR ADVICES

--XXNETHELINXX

[greg]

  I tried fighting it, but cops would still repeatedly come and knock on our door, embarrass and inconvience my parents and be a real dick about it all.  We wouldn't play for more than an hour, at reasonable times, and cops would still show up.  

Being a "cop" myself, I will tell you that police officers don't necessarily like having to go to your house and tell you to turn it down.  They don't randomly pick a house and embarrass and inconvenience the homeowner for no reason.  I have been to hundreds of these types of calls before and only showed up because someone in the neighborhood had a problem.  I can always sympathize with the drummer, guitarist or band because I've been on both sides.  I hope you don't think police officers would rather harass you than chase a "real bad guy".  I guarantee you he would chose the other.  He's probably a "real d**k" because he's having to deal with you and not a real criminal somewhere else.  Believe me, these kind of calls can be annoying.

[Mister Acrolite]

Being a "cop" myself, I will tell you that police officers don't necessarily like having to go to your house and tell you to turn it down.  They don't randomly pick a house and embarrass and inconvenience the homeowner for no reason.  I have been to hundreds of these types of calls before and only showed up because someone in the neighborhood had a problem.  I can always sympathize with the drummer, guitarist or band because I've been on both sides.  I hope you don't think police officers would rather harass you than chase a "real bad guy".  I guarantee you he would chose the other.  He's probably a "real d**k" because he's having to deal with you and not a real criminal somewhere else.  Believe me, these kind of calls can be annoying.

Ditto what he said. I used to get the cops called on me all the time as a kid when I was practicing. My parents or I would greet them at the door, and they'd usually say, "Hey, it sounds good to me, but we're getting calls from your neighbors." We had one set of neighbors who just hated us - they were the jerks, not the police.

But you should do everything you can to soundproof your practice area. It's not smart to constantly piss off your neighbors...

[greg]

Thanks for the backup Mr. A...Sometimes people have a misconception about police officers based on a bad experience.  

[KEW]

If your city has noise ordinances that have actual decibel levels, buy a meter at Radio Shack and measure just how loud you are outside.  If your within the dB and time
restrictions youââ,¬â,,¢ll have a defense.

This is a true story.  I had just got a new guitar and was banging away when the landlady knocked and told me a neighbor complained.  I said Iââ,¬â,,¢d turn it down and she said the volume was fine the neighbor just didnââ,¬â,,¢t like the song I was playing. ???

[xxnethelinxx]

it has been a week since they called and so far no one has complained
thanx