Musicians

rainbow_carnage · July 2009

Unaesthetic got a drum kit today. He's very excited. It's a Roland td-9kx. He can put his headphones on, close the door and not bother anyone.

This got me thinking: where do musicians live, and how do they keep from annoying the neighbours?

There used to be a guy living on our street with a full acoustic drum kit. We could hear it from six or seven doors down. I can't imagine how his neighbours coped. Even if you only play during the day, you're bound to annoy people. He didn't last very long. I guess the neighbours didn't want to cope...

Ian · July 2009

My drum kit has been sitting in various rooms of my flat for 3 years unused, I keep thinking i will get the chance to play a gig again and so keep it for the faint hope. Electric drum kit sounds like the right answer. Or buying a place with a basement.

I have an electric guitar that i also don't play for the same reason, although i could put headphones in it just doesn't feel the same, and a classical that gets the odd outing although with noise guilt.

I used to hear half a band practice every Saturday across the road from me but I think they must have moved on.

David · July 2009

I'd say most with full drum kits, unless packed away long term, actively play in bands which in general means a suitable studio/shed/field is already sorted. Like Ian says, headphones. I play all my stuff through them as the neighbours would come down on me within minutes. Only my classical guitar doesn't get the headphone treatment but I don't consider that any more offensive to neighbours than turning your TV on, they're just not that loud or abrasive. It's not the same but you work with what you've got don't you. Strings, brass and skin you can't jack into a sockets so a cellist probably has a hard time practising, piano's oddly seem more acceptable neighbourly wise? Or is that just me and my upbringing?

staplejack · July 2009

I gave my kit away to a family who live near my mum - just not practical in a top floor flat! Have idly thought about getting an electric one, would be interested to hear how you get on, Unaesthetic.

Still have a variety of latin perc plus vibraphone set up, and the neighbours (generously) say they enjoy it when I play, but that seems all-too-rare these days...

What does half a band practicing sound like?

Marquis · July 2009

I used to practice the piano for two hours on a daily basis for thirteen years in my parent's flat in a condominium. The neighbours would either threaten to sue or sue (without success), in any case the communication broke down. The solution for me in SG is to not have a piano! I think I read somewhere that music has no evolutionary significance so we could/can well live without it.

David · July 2009

Probably like one of those pub singer backing systems where they turn the vocal and guitar off, and maybe the bass or keyboard if their mate turns up.

staplejack · July 2009

<a href="http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12795510">The Economist</a> ran a feature last Christmas about this. Basically:

1. Music = mating
2. Music = solidarity / community / survival
3. Music = accidental fortune

Marquis · July 2009

That's really interesting, staplejack, I think the article I read was about what would happen if there wasn't any music. Will have to go into the basement and rework my world view now.

Marquis · July 2009

Found it: "This is what Steven Pinker, a language theorist at Harvard, thinks. He once described music as auditory cheesecake and suggested that if it vanished from the species little else would change." It was in the Economist article. Of course it goes on with "it's not quite as simple as that ..." Will have to get a piano after all!

staplejack · July 2009

I certainly concur that if cheesecake were to disappear the world would not be worse off!

David · July 2009

I recently had an artisan cheesecake in Barcelona that turns that theory on its head.

unaesthetic · July 2009

a) cheesecake is ace
b) music is *the most primal form of art* and cannot and will not disappear
c) i'm so excited about having a drumkit i can barely sit still. it does still make a bit of noise, mainly a dull thudding which i'm sure does go through the floor. and since we live in a top-floor flat, i'm going to go and talk to the downstairs people and find out if there's a particular time they're all out or something so i can practice.
d) steven pinker is clearly a tool, and i'm sure i know the name from somewhere... a-level linguistics perhaps, although that was over a decade ago...

Reg · July 2009

And what exactly is "artisan" cheesecake? Is it from the same stable as a "Farmhouse" loaf? And whilst I'm on the subject; Walkers "Grab Bags" - wtf is a grab bag? Being that much bigger it's easier to 'grab' as you lie on the sofa watching TV? Because those regular, annoying little un-grab-able, bags have a nasty tendency to slip through your fingers?

tosscat · July 2009

You remembered it - it worked.

Steddy · July 2009

I'm really disappointed to hear Steven Pinker said that. So yeah we wouldn't die out if there was no music but we wouldn't die out if we didn't have neuroscientists either. I'd be so surprised if there wasn't something psychological about music. There was a lovely book by Oliver Sacks about it two years ago, and him and Pinker must operate in the same circles.

Pinker is a linguist, of sorts. Although he's more a psychologist these days, as is Sacks. He used to work on verbs (although his theoretical work's not so relevant now I'd say). He is very good at writing about other people's theories though, and arguing for nature over nurture. But wait - you can do an A-level in linguistics? How interesting.

PS - other disappointments: David Mitchell saying if Gaellic died out it wouldn't be that bad

Steddy · July 2009

PPS - http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=5

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