Sounds like 'sawing wood': Jurong West neighbours clash over frequent cello practice

Frequent cello practice has sparked a dispute between four tenants and their upstairs neighbour in Jurong West, with the group saying the noise has affected their daily routines.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the tenants said the practice sessions take place almost daily, beginning at around 1pm and sometimes continuing until about 5pm, with occasional sessions in the evening.

Among the tenants is Wu, 31, an engineer who shares the HDB flat with three Nanyang Technological University students — Li, 24, Wang, 22, and Ruan, 23.

Wu said he had previously raised the noise issue with the neighbour, and the situation improved temporarily.

However, he said the practice sessions, along with the noise has since returned, with the sessions becoming longer.

Li, who moved into the flat last July, said the noise has disrupted both her rest and online classes.

"Even wearing headphones can't block it out," she said, adding that the noise can sometimes make it difficult for her to speak to others during online lessons.

Ruan, meanwhile, said she sometimes chooses to leave the flat when the practice starts, heading to school or the library instead.

Describing the sound as coming from all directions, the tenants likened it to "stereo surround sound". At times, they said, the continuous music sounded like "someone sawing wood".

Playing cello is neighbour's livelihood

When approached by the Shin Min Daily News, the upstairs neighbour who wished to be known only as Lin said she is a student at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and works as a music teacher.

Lin said playing the cello is part of her job and that she typically practises from around 1pm or 2pm, with each session lasting up to two hours.

Lin said she did not understand why the tenants consider afternoon practice unreasonable, describing their complaints as "making a mountain out of a molehill".

"Is it wrong to play the violin at home? If they want to study, they can go to the library," she said.

Lin added that she keeps her doors and windows closed while practising and has lived in the unit for more than a decade without receiving complaints.

Wu told Shin Min Daily News that his landlord had also sought assistance from a community mediation centre, which invited both parties to meet.

However, Wu said Lin declined to attend, to which Lin responded that she did not believe she had done anything wrong and described the tenants' approach as "aggressive".

The tenants may now consider filing a complaint with the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal, said Wu, adding that he is unable to move out as he is bound by his tenancy agreement.

Li said she and the other two tenants are enrolled in a one-year postgraduate programme, and with their lease still in place, finding alternative accommodation would be difficult.

"It's not that we don't want her to play, we just hope she doesn't play for too long at a time, or we can put a mat on the floor to improve sound insulation," said Lin.

xingying.koh@asiaone.com

裕廊西的四名租户和楼上邻居因频繁的大提琴练习而发生纠纷，租户们表示噪音影响了他们的日常生活。

租户们在接受《新明日报》采访时表示，练习几乎每天都会进行，从下午 1 点左右开始，有时会持续到下午 5 点左右，偶尔晚上也会有练习。

租户中有一位名叫吴的31岁工程师，他与三名南洋理工大学的学生——24岁的李、22岁的王和23岁的阮——合租这套组屋。

吴先生表示，他之前曾向邻居反映过噪音问题，情况一度有所改善。

然而，他表示，训练课和噪音都已恢复，而且训练课的时间也越来越长。

李女士去年七月搬进了这套公寓，她说噪音扰乱了她的休息和网课。

“即使戴上耳机也无法隔绝噪音，”她说，并补充说，这种噪音有时会让她在上网课时难以与他人交谈。

与此同时，阮女士表示，有时练习开始时她会选择离开公寓，去学校或图书馆。

租户们形容这种声音来自四面八方，就像“立体环绕声”一样。他们说，有时持续不断的音乐听起来就像“有人在锯木头”。

邻居靠拉大提琴为生。

《新明日报》记者联系到楼上的邻居林女士（她只愿透露自己姓林）时，林女士表示自己是南洋艺术学院的学生，同时也是一名音乐教师。

林表示，演奏大提琴是她工作的一部分，她通常从下午1点或2点开始练习，每次练习持续长达两个小时。

林女士表示，她不理解租户们为什么认为下午练习是不合理的，并称他们的抱怨是“小题大做”。

“在家拉小提琴有错吗？如果他们想学习，可以去图书馆，”她说。

林女士补充说，她在练习时会关好门窗，而且在这个单元住了十多年，从未收到过投诉。

吴先生告诉《新明日报》，他的房东也向社区调解中心寻求帮助，该中心邀请双方见面。

然而，吴表示林拒绝出席，林回应说她不认为自己做错了什么，并形容租户们的做法是“咄咄逼人”。

吴先生表示，租户们现在可以考虑向社区纠纷调解法庭提出申诉，他还补充说，由于他受租约约束，所以无法搬出去。

李女士表示，她和其他两位租户都在攻读为期一年的研究生课程，而且租约仍然有效，因此很难找到其他住处。

林说：“并不是我们不希望她玩，我们只是希望她不要一次玩太久，或者我们可以在地板上铺一块垫子来改善隔音效果。”

邢莹.koh@asiaone.com