Aaaaarrrghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
My next door neighbours are one of those thoroughly modern families, where the man about the house is married to the lady, but not father to the two children who live with them. He has a daughter of his own, from a previous marriage, and she comes to stay most weekends. This is, I am told, the future. No more the nuclear family of mother, father, two point four children and four grandparents to help with the child rearing. Now there are step brothers and sisters, multiple sets of grandparents who may or may not be talking to each other, cousins who are actually no relation at all, and strange-smelling uncles.
Actually there were probably always strange-smelling uncles. That's just the way of things.
But why, you ask, am I worrying about this? Well next door, most of the time, consists of two adults and two young girls. Recently the younger of the two girls was given an electronic keyboard for her birthday. This wonder of modern science can play eighteen backing tracks,* and has a microphone input so that you can sing along. And it has, of course, a keyboard.
A diligent student of music would take tuition from a qualified teacher. They would practise their scales and work hard until they could play Fur Elise with their eyes closed.** Mindful of the rest of their family, and their neighbours, they would do all this whilst wearing headphones.
Neither of the two young girls next door is a diligent student of music.
Instead, at random times during the evening, one or other of them will pound up the stairs, switch on some electronic backing track that makes motorway service station arcade games sound like chart-topping indie hits, and then strike a few random keys in the hope of stumbling accidentally upon a tune.
So far that hasn't happened.
The youngest of the two girls usually gets back from school just before 4pm, her sister about half an hour later. Any time from then onwards until around half eight or nine, the ersatz music can start. The keyboard lives in the room that is just a party wall away from this study where I type my words.
Ahh, there it goes again. Joy.
The school holidays begin on Friday. Then they'll be able to play all day.
Please forgive me if my posts stop making any sense.
*that I've heard so far. I suspect there are many, many more.
** I know this because it's what my sister did when I was younger. I hate that tune now.
Actually there were probably always strange-smelling uncles. That's just the way of things.
But why, you ask, am I worrying about this? Well next door, most of the time, consists of two adults and two young girls. Recently the younger of the two girls was given an electronic keyboard for her birthday. This wonder of modern science can play eighteen backing tracks,* and has a microphone input so that you can sing along. And it has, of course, a keyboard.
A diligent student of music would take tuition from a qualified teacher. They would practise their scales and work hard until they could play Fur Elise with their eyes closed.** Mindful of the rest of their family, and their neighbours, they would do all this whilst wearing headphones.
Neither of the two young girls next door is a diligent student of music.
Instead, at random times during the evening, one or other of them will pound up the stairs, switch on some electronic backing track that makes motorway service station arcade games sound like chart-topping indie hits, and then strike a few random keys in the hope of stumbling accidentally upon a tune.
So far that hasn't happened.
The youngest of the two girls usually gets back from school just before 4pm, her sister about half an hour later. Any time from then onwards until around half eight or nine, the ersatz music can start. The keyboard lives in the room that is just a party wall away from this study where I type my words.
Ahh, there it goes again. Joy.
The school holidays begin on Friday. Then they'll be able to play all day.
Please forgive me if my posts stop making any sense.
*that I've heard so far. I suspect there are many, many more.
** I know this because it's what my sister did when I was younger. I hate that tune now.
Comments
As long as they remember their kind neighbour when they're rich and famous