Klarinet Archive - Posting 000261.txt from 1999/12

From: "Dodgshun family" <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: [kl] Orchestral deafness II
Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1999 22:23:57 -0500

> > I experience problems playing in the orchestra when I
> > cannot hear myself. In other words, my playing skill (embouchure,
> > intonation, dynamics) is lost when I lose my "feedback" (i.e., my
> > ears). Does anyone else experience this?
>
> If you don't hear yourself, how do you know that you play badly? ;-)
>
> Seriously, I have exactly the same problems. Worse, our trumpet-section's
> difference between mf and ff seems to be of academic interest only.
> Additionally, I sit directly right to the second flute. Whenever there are
> some nice piccolo parts...
>
> but our conductor would kick me directly out of the room, if I weared
> ear-plugs.

This is appalling. Our piccolo player always wears an earplug, and our
percussionists are NEVER without them. Hearing is far too valuable to be
lost - if your conductor doesn't like you wearing earplugs, he seriously
needs talking to. The percussionists wear musician's plugs, which are flat
attenuation (apparently!) so you don't lose the high frequencies - it just
cuts overall volume. They're expensive, but worth it. Our conductor
encourages us to wear earplugs and we use soundshields (between
percussion/brass and brass/wind) if necessary. I've lost some of the
hearing in my left ear (trumpets.....) and I don't want to lose any more.
Our brass players are great in that they'll shut up during rehearsals if we
ask them to, but I don't think that they're all like that. We just seem to
have a more sympathetic bunch than most. Personally I love hearing a brass
section going at full blast, but not from three feet in front! I don't
usually wear earplugs during rehearsal (for the reason that the guys will
play quietly) but if we don't have soundshields in concert, then earplugs
are necessary. You need to talk to your conductor. Or, better, wear
earplugs and see if you get any comments.

Anna

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