MacMac
Member
So, 6 years ago at Christmas I got bought a drum kit, a 5 piece pearl forum kit. Not too shabby. Here I am 6 years later, same kit, just slightly bigger and better at using it. Prior to buying this kit my parents asked the surrounding housing estate if they had any problems with this, no one did. Sweet. So here I am. Still 6 years later, nearly 17, unemployed (I plan on changing this real soon.) with no cash income, my kit has been built purely on birthday and Christmas presents/money. During my first year of high school I met two guys who were 3 years older than me, a guitarist and a bassist, (see where this is going?), we jammed a lot and eventually they had to leave school, we got by and they would come back to the school after they had finished their jobs and we'd practise. Skip forward, now, it's late 2012, my dad had just finished 25 years of service in the British Army, he got a lump sum of cash and decided that since my drum kit had started to not fit in the kitchen (previously in my bedroom which it also outgrew.) anymore tha he'd pay for a custom build shed/garage just for me and the band, and he did. I'm ridiculously grateful for it and it's amazing. I've practiced nearly everyday for 6 years, on strict time restrains, 1pm-6pm. I've never gone past these limits. After approaching my old friends roughly 9 weeks ago I ask if they'd still like to jam, they said yes. Awesome. Tey turn up at my house, gear in car. We set up the shed for a band practice. Before starting, I walk around and ask every neighbour within our housing area if they mind the band playing, giving fair warnings that it will be loud. I've had no complaints in 6 years. At this point we started practising every Saturday from 2:30pm-4:30pm, we have done 8 times. Why not 9 you may ask? 9 week and all. Because this Saturday, 29th June '13, was different, the guys turn up, out guitarist pulls out his guitar rack, 4 guitars. An amp and a mic set with its own amp, our bassist with his bass and amp. Let's go. We start like any other practice, it's about 3pm, we've just finished warming up and stuff. We start to play our next song (we had started performing at a bar local to us and we had a set list to practice) my dad walks up to the shed and signals to stop playing, so we do.
Turns out someone has rang up the police and reported us for being too loud, my parents were issued a verbal warning and told by the officer stood outside our shed that it has not been the first time we have been reported. He was told that if it happens again that all our equipment can be taken away from us and confiscated, not something that any of us want, especially considering our guitarists guitars were all £1000+ in value and we've all spent a lot of money on gear. The officer told me that even if I practise on my own and someone calls that they can still take my stuff, so, what do I do? I can't practise on my own as it will be too loud, the band can't practice so we're gonna have to call off any gigs we had planned. What really bugs me is that whoever reported me didn't have the balls to actually come to me and ask us to be quietter, at least then we could have spoke and figured something out, I guess some people need to grow a pair. *Sigh* The obvious answer would be soundproofing but, my family has just busted their asses saving for a new bathroom and after spending a bit too much we're now in a tight financial situation and soundproofing is expensive (I saw stuff in the Internet and boy, it was NOT cheap.)
TL;DR: Drumming for 6 years, neighbours didn't mind, asked them all if the band could play in expensive, custom built drum shed, all said okay, after 8 weeks of band practice, got reported to the police and told by the police that all our stuff will be taken away if we're ever loud again and that, that goes for me practicing solo, how does one drum without upsetting neighbours too much? Can't afford soundproofing.
Thanks. Mac.
Turns out someone has rang up the police and reported us for being too loud, my parents were issued a verbal warning and told by the officer stood outside our shed that it has not been the first time we have been reported. He was told that if it happens again that all our equipment can be taken away from us and confiscated, not something that any of us want, especially considering our guitarists guitars were all £1000+ in value and we've all spent a lot of money on gear. The officer told me that even if I practise on my own and someone calls that they can still take my stuff, so, what do I do? I can't practise on my own as it will be too loud, the band can't practice so we're gonna have to call off any gigs we had planned. What really bugs me is that whoever reported me didn't have the balls to actually come to me and ask us to be quietter, at least then we could have spoke and figured something out, I guess some people need to grow a pair. *Sigh* The obvious answer would be soundproofing but, my family has just busted their asses saving for a new bathroom and after spending a bit too much we're now in a tight financial situation and soundproofing is expensive (I saw stuff in the Internet and boy, it was NOT cheap.)
TL;DR: Drumming for 6 years, neighbours didn't mind, asked them all if the band could play in expensive, custom built drum shed, all said okay, after 8 weeks of band practice, got reported to the police and told by the police that all our stuff will be taken away if we're ever loud again and that, that goes for me practicing solo, how does one drum without upsetting neighbours too much? Can't afford soundproofing.
Thanks. Mac.