Klarinet Archive - Posting 000355.txt from 1999/12

From: "Dodgshun family" <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: [kl] attenuation
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 02:21:28 -0500

> Kids today, listening to high db level
> amplified rock, are asking for ear trouble when they're older. Its a
shame
> because, given what we know today, they can do something about it now.

I don't think that the loud music phenomenon is restricted to rock, though.
If I'm listening to the 1812 Overture, any of the heavy Wagner (Ride of the
Valkyries!), Berlioz "March to the Scaffold" or the John Williams "Star
Wars" soundtrack, I have to turn them up to a good loud (and probably, if
prolonged, dangerous) level. It's just not the same if you don't! The
thing with this is that it's not for long periods of time and it's not every
day. It's much more predominant with rock, and much more widespread. I
read a lovely story about loud rock music somewhere - can't remember where,
but I do remember the story:

Alan Civil (who was principal horn in the LSO at the time, I think) was
travelling somewhere by train, on his way home from a concert. A young
woman in the same carriage had a ghetto blaster which was turned up pretty
loud and blaring out rock. When he asked her to turn it down, both because
of the level and the type of music, she simply turned it up louder. So he
took his horn down from the rack, and began to play Mozart, in his words,
"rather loudly and extremely badly". Eventually the young woman stormed out
of the carriage, taking her ghetto blaster with her, and Civil got a
standing ovation from the rest of the passengers.

My grandad is deaf (he was a gunner in WWII) and from what I've seen, I
wouldn't wish it on anyone. Certainly I think awareness is a lot better
than it used to be - I know that our conductor is always conscious of the
brass/percussion level and doesn't hesitate to shut them up if necessary.
Now all we need is to spread this message to the rest of the world.

Anna

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