My neighbor plays the same waltz on piano every night: can I gripe?
Editors' DilemmaOctober 28, 2026· Be the first to vote
A story made up by our editors to get the debate going, not a real account.
My side
My neighbor across the courtyard is learning piano. He plays every night from 7 to 8, windows wide open as soon as the weather’s nice. I have nothing against music. But for four months, he’s been working on the same waltz. Always the same one. And he always gets stuck on the same part, starts over, gets stuck again. I know it by heart. I hum it at work. I hear it as I fall asleep. I thought about leaving him a note asking him to close the window, or switch songs. My husband thinks that would be petty, since he plays at totally reasonable hours.
Their side
One day when we ran into each other in the courtyard, my neighbor told me he took up piano late in life, that it’s his big project, and that he’s preparing this waltz for a recital at his music school. He only plays early in the evening, never late. According to him, learning a piece always means repeating the same part hundreds of times.
So, who's wrong?
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