What are our rights playing the drums?

Towser

9 year old Autistic sons received a full drum kit for Christmas and he loves them. We live in a semi detached house though.

I understand we should be quiet between the hours of 11pm and 7am but we have some neighbours who complained when my son was playing loud music at 7pm.

Of course we will be quiet between those hours but just need to know our rights when the neighbor comes knocking on our door again. We are a very musical family and play several instruments but this might be the straw that broke the camels back!

My kids are just playing, as theirs do in the garden making a terrible din screaming and fighting in the summer.

Are there any drummers out there that have the same problem. What do you do? How do you cope with the neighbors, environmental health and possibly the police?

I think being well informed is being well armed.

Person_one

https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/drum-mutes/evans-so-0244-soundoff-pack-of-practice-pads?gclid=CjwKEAiAkvmzBRDQpozmt-uluCQSJACvCd1lHB5LZJFUPYTqQ4T20oFsUhjHHmTdgHWCtk8G1H_wThoCusLw_wcB

G_M

I doubt there's much legally your neighbours can do provided the noise is day-time only.

But for the sake of long-term neighbourly relations, I'd invite them to tea. Provide a nice cake, and discuss a compromise - try to find a time when they tend to be out, or agree to put up with the noise, and in return offer to limit your son to those times.

Towser

ahh yes we have those. Thought of that in advance.

Thanks.

Arklight

You have the right to play your drums and your neighbours have the right to complain to environmental health about noise nuisance and have the council place an enforcement order against you.

I find it pretty difficult to understand how you think your neighbour's are being unreasonable because they don't want to listen to amateur drumming at 7pm in the evening.

Your son being autistic is completely immaterial. Either find somewhere to play drums where it doesnt disturb other people in their homes or work with your neighbours to find a time when they dont mind him playing.

Again, your right to be musical stops when it conflicts with your neighbour;s right not to have to listen to noise nuisance. It being for 11pm has nothing to do with anything.

PasturesNew

Drummers should buy their own private island, not less than 4 miles offshore - and then only play when the wind direction is away from the mainland.

You should at least stick them in a detached and sound proofed garage.

What if your neighbours are autistic too, the sound will upset them due to the hypersensitivity issues they have.

elsien

Picture yourself trying to watch TV of an evening, and being distracted by thumping noises next door all night.
I have noisy neighbours and having the bass noise from their music making my furniture vibrate from 3 pm all through the evening makes me want to kill someone.
The law may mention between 11 and 7 but if your household is being "musical' the rest of the time, that makes you incredibly inconsiderate in my book.
You can't compare kids playing outside in the garden to vibrating furniture and not being able to hear the TV due to noise on the other side of the sitting room wall.

goodwithsaving

I don't like this 'rights' culture that has been developing for the last few years. I wouldn't be at all happy if somebody next door was drumming at 7,8,9,10 pm. 11pm is well past my bed time as well. Young children or not; noise is noise.
Perhaps sit down and discuss, it's the most rational way.

Bella73

I am a musician too and never play my instrument in the house after 7 pm because I don't want to annoy the neighbours, I work full time but manage to fit in practice time before 7 pm easily and being only 9, your son could practice when he gets home from school. As another poster him being autistic is rather irrelevant.

Surely he should be winding down from about 7 pm not practicing his drumming??

A friend of mine who is a drummer soundproofed his garage so that might be an option.

You need to think would you be happy, long day at work, sit down with a coffee to watch your favourite programme and next door started drumming of course you wouldn't be happy...nobody would.

Owain_Moneysaver

Towser wrote: »

9 year old Autistic sons received a full drum kit for Christmas

Who on earth from???

KRB2725

I think buying a drum kit for someone who has attached neighbours is inconsiderate, there is never a good time of day to listen to a child learn to play drums. They would have been better off buying an electric drum machine that can be worn with headphones.

I would speak to your neighbour and find out when they are usually out and hopefully there will be some slots that suit you to use as practice time.