Klarinet Archive - Posting 001006.txt from 1998/07

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] MAHLER WAS A BIG CONDUCTOR ALSO!
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 23:21:14 -0400

On Fri, 24 Jul 1998 Maestro645@-----.com wrote:

> I sat with trumpeters behind me, and their bells were no more than 7
> inches from my head. When we performed "March to Scaffold", the trumpet
> fanfare was so loud, my ears were ringing. And at one rehearsal, the
> first trumpeter didn't have any lip, so when he hit the high notes, he
> pushed and strained. Well, we all know what that sounds like. There
> were a few cracked tones. And boy, did that give me a headache!
> Chris Hoffman
> (who will probably need a hearing aid before he is 25)

You must not allow trumpet players, timpanists or other brass players, or
conductors to do that to you. If the brass are too loud and too close to
your ears, you must stand up for yourself and your future as a musician.
Insist that the orchestra will have to be reseated, or insist on
plexiglass shields, or demand that the orchestra provide ear plugs. In
the latter case, make sure that the conductor knows that you won't be able
to play very well with ear plugs, and you regret that, but that you can't
endanger your hearing. Don't wait until this has been going on for a long
time. At the first too-loud note, interrupt the rehearsal to voice your
concern. Be sure to mention words like "OSHA" (Occupational and Safety
Health Administration) and "legally-allowable noise levels." Mention that
you will be willing to provide a sound pressure level (SPL) meter at the
next rehearsal, and that you will be happy to save the orchestra the
trouble of providing the data on loudness to OSHA by sending it to them
yourself.

I'm not kidding about any of this. I am dead serious. The kind of noise
level we are often subjected to in an orchestra happens not to be allowed
by government laws and regulations. If we don't stand up for ourselves,
who will? Brass players invariably think it is funny that someone else is
made uncomfortable by their playing, or that they have been able to draw
attention to themselves by their incredibly insensitive playing. They
regard it as a badge of honor. One of the worst things you can do is turn
around and ask them to play a little less disgustingly, or to direct their
bells elsewhere. That always results in their playing louder and more
obnoxiously. Instead, direct your comments to the conductor, and be as
disruptive as you can. Don't let the rehearsal go on until some
corrective action is taken. Remember, the law is on your side. You don't
have to subject yourself to dangerous noise levels.

Conductors don't think about this sort of thing. (I'm not sure what it is
that most of them think about.) Most of the time, the stage or rehearsal
room will have been set up by a stage hand, who is even less likely to
have the vaguest idea as to what the problem is. We have to take action
in our own hands. If you are playing in a professional orchestra, there
should be a player's committee with whom you can take up your complaint.

Don't suffer in silence. If you do, silence may soon be all that you
hear.

Ed Lacy
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Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
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