KIDS , CHRISTMAS and DRUMS

Well I have a 13yo son who wanted a set of drums for Christmas and for the last month I've been saying ,NO WAY .Last night i gave in and took a drive to Brisbane with my son to have a look ,well there was so many set available that i put a spending limit on what he could have .After playing 3 sets in my price range we settled on a set of Basix for $599,took them home , the next morning i set them up to make sure all was OK and we had every-think ,well then i decided to let him play to show his mum how good he was , then the daughter wanted a go ,then my 6 yo wanted to try so i went to work, 1hr30min later i get a phone call at work ,DAD THE POLICE HAVE BEEN ROUND AND I NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY FOR 12 HOURS ,well I guess the police will be busy dropping in to my place for a while .
I did ring the police to ask what i could do but there is no firm answer if you have a neighbour like mine

Any thoughts

Alan

[DivHunter]

There are dampers you know. Not allowed to play for 12 hours sounds like bollocks to me too.

[Gambit]

Guess you will get to know the coppers pretty well.

[Dark Horse]

What if you let the coppers have a go at the drums too?

[gozza]

i play drums
i used to live on a farm so noise wasn't an issue
but ive been in bris for the last 4 years
its ok as long as the drums aren't going on at unreasonable hours
like after 10 in the morn and before 7 at night
tell the police to get stuffed
and maybe talk to your neighbors but personally i don't give 2 damns about mine
they complained...and theatned this and that
if its a passion of your sons thats whats important

Where is it set up?

Is there any chance of setting it up on the other side of the house or sound deadened room?

Id try to negotiate something with your neighbour about times you can play...

Not sure they can do much. We had next doors alarm system going non-stop for 2 days whilst they were on holidays and the police weren't even allowed to enter the home to disable it.

Originally Posted by BlackLS

Where is it set up?

Is there any chance of setting it up on the other side of the house or sound deadened room?

Id try to negotiate something with your neighbour about times you can play...

All I can do is put a note in there mail box to tell them in advance when he's going to pratice ! Where's the fun in that . We don't talk never have ,there very snobby.

The drums are in his room which is as far left as he can go ,neighbour is on the right ,there is a garage between them.
We have no body on our left ,people over the road are cool.

Originally Posted by Malakai

Get a refund while you still can.

Apparently the police will come around a couple of times and then the next time they will return with a court order to confiscate the drums. At least that is what I was told after I got my home theatre speaker system and they came around 3 times over a few weeks. Now I have to keep the sub at 10% and the main volume at no more than 40% or the old bag next door calls the police.

I'm not sure how true it is about confiscating equipment, but that's what the last cops told me.

They also said that they didn't think it was too loud but if someone does and they complain then they have to act. Sucks.

I'm tempted to tell them to get the order next time and when they return there won't be a speaker in the house.

Yes they have told me after I rang the Police station that they don't even need a warrant ,they can just enter the house and take whatever they need to to silence the drums.

My son would kill me if i tryed to take them back ,he's been nagging me for so long.(KILL :No I mean Sue me in this day and age)

[pauljh74]

My friend likes his stereo up loud and had complaints, but basically he was told by the police that during the day, there's not too much they can do about it. So he was pretty much free to turn it up. But for harmony with neighbours a compromise would be the best approach. At night/early morning is another story. The dampers would be an idea. A friend lived in an apartment in inner city Melbourne and her cousin's BF who she shared with had them on his drum kit and it muffled them very well while still being able to get an idea what you're actually hitting sound wise.

[DOC]

Place some towels over the skins ( bath / hand towels or even nappies would do ), this will allow the noise to be reduced while learning.

[whiskieboy]

Just go and ASK them, take the boy, tell them it great he wants to learn and not play computer games all day or ride motor bikes etc. We did and it was all good, we also covered the drums and play between 4:00 and 7:00pm. The neighbours are cool if you talk to them, I hope, tell them its for school.

[DivHunter]

Originally Posted by pauljh74

My friend likes his stereo up loud and had complaints, but basically he was told by the police that during the day, there's not too much they can do about it.

This is what I am thinking, read up on some local law that deals with sound pollution and the like, you'll probably find that the annoying neighbours really don't have a leg to stand on unless he is drumming all night.

Originally Posted by Fairmont99

This is what I am thinking, read up on some local law that deals with sound pollution and the like, you'll probably find that the annoying neighbours really don't have a leg to stand on unless he is drumming all night.

Rang the local government and they said it's a law only to be enforced by the Police and they could not help me at all.

It's going to cost $200.00 for the silence kit ,i was always going to get it but not till i can afford it after Christmas

[vegabass]

Where are the drums set up? if there in the garage id be considering moving it to a bedroom and sticking egg cartons to the walls and to the back of the door. foam matresses work wonders as well.

My bro had drums when he was 13 and is now playing for Max Judo which have come back from a tour of japan and various events in sydney.

between him and me we had a music studio where i could belt my bass and guitars and he could practice his drums.

sounds like the people next door are going to be a hassle.

good luck

[XLS99 Ute man]

what can i say people are fu##ed

[b2tf]

Ok first up let me say that I can see their point, no offense but learners on drums at full volume can drive you insane. I was one, I was so bad I put myself off it!

Best bet is to get some brushsticks which are just like drumsticks but made up of rubber bristles all bundled together, they are quieter, they muffle the sound coming out of the drum but you can still whack them plenty hard enough to make a good doof. Should be about $30 for a pair.

Failing that, just set a regular time for him to play - say 4pm for 1hr etc, 10am for 1hr etc. Good compromise. I have noisy neighbours who some nights at 2am find it neccesary to crank up karaoke and I want to kill them - Im not a party pooper but I do like my sanity and quiet times and I think it's all about compromise to get them. I think if you approach it this way you shouldnt have a drama.

And finally if all else fails, trade it all in for an electronic drumkit or drum pad. These are great , they have about 6-8 pads which you hit with special sticks and they produce heaps of different drum tones and sounds, which you program in. Its like having 100 different drumkits in one, and the best bit is you can plug headphones in so the only person who hears it is the player.