 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2008-04-29 17:34
Are there ANY earplugs that reduce noise but do not alter how you perceive your own sound?
I tried Etymotics(R) but I am still dissatisfied.
John Moses might have some ideas...he was featured in an article on ear protection.
I was hoping he would make a suggestion when this issue was recently on the BB
John, are you there? (Can you hear me now?)
Edit: I sent John an email about this thread...I hope he will have a suggestion.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
Post Edited (2008-04-29 17:38)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-04-29 19:10
My problem with ANY hearing protection is that no matter how well it "filters" frequencies, the bottom line is that they all sound like you have your finger in your ear - you hear more of the tubiness rattling around in you head. Sure the frequencies of everyone else can be cut without changing what they sound like but you're stuck with the resonance of your horn in your head.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2008-04-29 21:19
I have seen a horn player in one of my amateur group who wears an "over the ear" apparatus. I'll have to ask him how it feels.
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: William
Date: 2008-04-30 02:02
While watching a segment on the History Channels show, "Wild West Tech" about our old western gunfighters, it was noted most suffered from some degree of deafness during their lifetimes. And it was suggested that the hearing loss came from frequent fireing of their weapons at targets, animals and each other--without the benefit of ear protection. Which caused me to wonder if we musicians suffer hearing loss more from the sounds of others, or perhaps mostly from the countless hours spent in small, usually live, practice rooms where ear plugs are never worn.
Personally, I have constant tennetis--ringing in both ears-- and I recall spending hours, from early childhood through my teens, shooting a variety of handguns, shotguns and rifles at targets and in pursuit of live game during hunting season--all without ear protection. Sometimes I would put the deer rifle down and not be able to hear anything for minutes. Could it be that all those years of clarinet practice (from high school, 50+) have accentuated my tennetis more, or rather than, the other instruments I have endured all these years? Just wondering......what do you think?
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2008-04-30 04:41
I believe I have commented on this BBoard before about the advantages to wearing ear plugs for protection on many occasions. Please check the archives for my previous posts.
For the past 25+ years I have used various types of hearing protection. Anything you choose is better than no protection, a simple rule. Learn to play with some protection of your choice, early in your career, and you will be glad you did when you grow old and are still able to hear!
Many of my close friends and professional colleagues cannot hear well, and have been forced to give up their professional careers because they didn't protect their hearing when they were younger. You can take take a tremendous amount of musical-noise abuse when you are young, and not realize that damage is being done to your hearing, so early protection is the answer. Practice with your choice of hearing protection in, and play rehearsals and performances with that protection in place, and you will improve your ability to hear and play well, without suffering any hearing damage.
I currently use:
HOWARD LEIGHT Hearing Protection
MAX - 30 Pre-shaped foam ear plugs (corded)
NRR 33/ SNR 34
http://www.howardleight.com
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-04-30 09:06
The earplug problem is only a problem for winds as the sound is generated within the mouth which is connected to the inner ear. It works perfectly for pianists or percussion because all the sound is 'outside'.
I know that my practice causes me some extra suffering- I often have a ringing for a few seconds after playing loud.
Sadly, it seems that the only real cure is what a doctor advised me a few years ago, "Find a new love."
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Author: tetiana
Date: 2008-04-30 18:27
There is an apparently excellent product on the market, (Sonomax) designed for industrial use, but from the specs, might well have an interesting application for musicians playing in orchestras. Has anyone out there tried Sonomax? Here is a link:
http://sonomax.com/
tetiana
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2008-05-01 15:17
I have what I believe to be trumpet-induced tinnitus.
I now use an ear plug in only my left ear in one band where I sit directly in front of a very loud trumpet section. I play bass clarinet and sit adjacent the first clarinets who are on the conductor's left. I can angle my chair a bit so my right ear is pointed at the clarinets, not the trumpets. This works for me except when the clarinetist next to me plays high notes on her Eb.
The bassoonist who sits my other side faces forward and uses a plug in each ear. She plays very well, has used the plugs for years, and her ears do not ring.
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2008-05-02 23:33
<earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net> has a wide variety of earplugs. I find the Com-Fit plugs very useful. They have 3 flanges. If it's real loud you stick all 3 in your ear. Not so loud- 1 flange. With any plug, it is not necessary to totally block out the sound. If you put them in loosely, you can still hear yourself and block out 80 or 90 per cent of the offending sound.
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2008-05-03 02:51
dude don't get ear plugs. Just get noise isolating headphones and kill two birds with one stone. 1) minimize the sound, and 2) listen to your ipod.
i reccomend for my situation the super fi pro 5. i was considering the shure e310s or even the e410, but a person on another forum tried both and talked me into getting a super fi as he owned one himself. Best headphone buy i've ever invested.
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2008-05-03 19:01
We used to have a 1970's VW van that was great for all our kids, but the motor was so loud that when we listened to the radio it had to be pretty loud to hear it over the motor. That, plus being many hours in a roller rink taking dance skate lessons, probably are what took its toll on the ears. My husband's factory finally provided the guys with ear protection from the stamping presses, but his hearing suffered as well.
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Author: MichaelR
Date: 2008-05-04 13:40
If your ears ring after any activity get ear plugs before doing it again. Compressible foam ones cost pennies at any drug store. Custom, molded to the ear, db selectable suppression (like the Sonomax that was asked about) are better for situations where you need a more accurate pass through of the sound. You should see an audiologist for those.
As someone with high frequency loss I can forewarn you of these effects should you not protect your hearing:
Saying "What?" frequently as your ability to understand speech diminishes.
Not being able to converse in places with background noise.
Spending thousands of dollars for hearing aids (mine are $1,800 per ear) to partially restore what you've lost. Health insurance doesn't cover adult hearing aids.
On the other hand I rarely am bothered by what the people at the next table in the restaurant are saying. I find it easy to isolate myself and concentrate at work.
The trade offs don't really seem worth it to me. I am very happy I didn't become a professional musician - this would be a career limiting condition.
--
Michael of Portland, OR
Be Appropriate and Follow Your Curiosity
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2008-05-05 16:22
Yes.
They are relatively comfortable and work nicely on airplanes (You can hear conversation from person in next seat or from the attendants, but the engine noise is waaay down).
They DO lower the db's equally across the spectrum of sound, so there is no distortion or drop out of bass vs. treble....BUT, once again the problem is hearing oneself and knowing where you fit in with the ensemble.
I wear them when the brass is a full tilt (esp. when doing Pops like B'way show tunes, or finales of symphonies). I have to remove them to hear the music director when he is talking to the strings, or to assess how my part fits with flutes.
Too bad the tragus* of the human ear does not have muscular control.
*that triagular short cartillagenous flap in front of the ear canal
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2008-05-06 16:50
A good little overview of hearing protection and some tips on how to minimize the "hollow" sound.
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/pdf/hearthemusic.pdf
Basically custom fit deep in the ear canal plugs seem to be the way to go to get noise reduction and minimize the echoey effect of pluging your ears, as an alternative vented/tubed plugs may be a cheaper alternative.
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
Post Edited (2008-05-06 17:05)
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