Klarinet Archive - Posting 000138.txt from 2007/07

From: Martin Baxter <martinbaxter@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Loud playing etc.
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:06:01 -0400

Much of the medical information is unavailable because of
confidentiality but it was an audiologist who gave it to my wife.
For many years my wife was responsible for performing hearing tests
on potential apprentices at a large industrial concern. When their
hearing acuity was below a certain threshold they had to be referred
to the senior medical officer for further tests before their
application for apprenticeship could be considered. Because after a
few years so many had to be referred that he was swamped the point of
referral had to be lowered. A few years later it was lowered again,
and by the time that she left barely one percent of the intake would
have been accepted without extensive further tests if the original
standards had been maintained. This would seem to indicate that my
point is valid at least for British youth.

I am not really bothered whether I convince anyone else; I believe
it, and it also helps to explain why instruments are being made to
be progressively louder [I bought my bassoon off my teacher at an
excellent price because he found it was no longer loud enough for his
position as 1st bssn. in the Berlin Opera Orchestra and my 1920's
Bari Sax is no longer loud enough for Big Band). Information for
America can be found at :-

www.cbc.ca/cp/health/061021x102104.htm or, no doubt, by a bit of web
searching.

Martin

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