 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Simon
Date: 2011-11-15 00:56
I have hearing impairment in both ears in the "mid range frequency" which is somewhat substantial. I have never worn hearing aids before and just recently I have been trialing a pair of digital hearing aids.
What I am experiencing is somewhat strange and exiting. I am not sure if this in my mind or actually happening. I am finding playing with the hearing aids the sound is alot clearer, the best I can descibe this is to campare black and white with HD colour TV (I always knew it would be louder). With the hearing aids off sound is so dull. I am also finding articulation seems to be easier. I must admit I have struggled with articulation so far.
Can the people who wear hearing aids and others please share their views and let me know if this is just in my mind or the hearing aids are in fact helping with articulation.
Have you had similar experiences.
Your input is most appreciated.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2011-11-15 11:33
I have a similar problem to you, too much time working on jet engines 50 years ago. I've recently been fitted with digital hearing aids in both ears, but my experience was somewhat different to yours. I found that my tone production suffered, as I wasn't hearing what I expected to hear. I also found that C4 caused resonance which added a whistling sound to the note. I mentioned this to the audiologist, and she tried tuning it out, but this was only partially successfull. Eventually, the only thing that overcame the problem to my satisfaction is to turn them off while I'm playing and turn them on again when I've finished. In every other regard they have transformed my life for the better. I don't get the resonance listening to music, only when playing myself.
Tony F.
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Author: Gary
Date: 2011-11-16 16:18
My experience has been similar to Tony's. I turn the hearing aids off when playing. The main problems with this are twofold. 1. When playing in orchestra and band, I have difficulty hearing the conductor and, unfortunately, have to rely on younger ears to interpret the conductor's instructions. 2. When teaching students in my small studio I get strange phasing returns from the walls but when I turn the hearing aids off I can barely interpret the voices of young girl students. I have a setting that does not do the compression into voice frequencies that is good for listening to music. Lately I have been attempting to use the "music setting" to play in the orchestra with some success.
Gary F.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2011-11-17 23:49
Hi Gary,
Mine have provision for alternate programs as well. I had the audiologist set up a program specifically for listening to and playing music, but while it addressed some aspects of the problem, it also introduced factors that were not there before. Eventually I settled for a user-settable equaliser, which allows me to play around with them. I've now settled on a setting which "sort of" works for music. Like you, I have a problem with light female voices without the aids. My wife calls this tactical deafness.:-)
Tony F.
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Author: kimber
Date: 2011-11-18 15:40
I can't access the NY Times article itself, but hearing loops (telecoil loops) have been around for a long time and are much more popular in Europe. I believe Michigan is also setting the trend for public looping due to a private philantropist's support. Looping requires hard-wiring around the perimeters of the room/location and can get quite expensive.
Loops serve to deliver the sound signal directly to the hearing aid ear, regardless of distance. They work well in theatres, churches, train stations, even doctor's offices. (Classrooms usually use a similiar, but different, FM system so that students can hear only their teacher, not the one in the next room.) The speaker wears the microphone and the microphone transmits the sound directly to the receiver in the hearing aid, eliminating interference of background noise and distance from the speaker.
Disadvantage is that the hearing aid has to have a Tcoil in it - and most of the smaller hearing aids do not, due to size and the perception that Tcoils were 'old' technology. Other set-ups may require the person to also wear a wire loop around their neck to acquire/boost the signal.
Tcoils are a wonderfully simple way to improve hearing aid and listening comprehension.
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Author: clarhorn ★2017
Date: 2011-12-05 04:58
Gary and Tony F,
I have high frequency hearing loss that my audiologist (AuD) said was borderline for using hearing aids. Like you, I had problems with "resonance" after higher pitches or louder sounds with my digital hearing aids despite a "music program." One of the advantages of of the "mid-price range" digital aids is that ability to have 4 programs. A "mute" has been useful in talking on the phone in noisy surroundings where the mic's in back of the ear gave too much background noise. It has taken 4 months with 6 visits and 3 calls to the manufacturer by my audiologist to get the right settings. It may help to take your clarinet to your audiologist to play in the office to adjust the program settings.
Initially the "resonance" was worse in the smaller room I practice in than in the larger rehearsal room. The new "music program' settings have made the difference so the hearing aids are effective in both environments. It has helped hear the conductor and the instruments across the room. It was easier to double on Effer with the piccolo.
At first using the hearing aids was not like the difference in wearing glasses. It maybe more like wearing sun glasses in bright light. It is easier to hear and I am missing less with them. (The birds still sing in the morning!)
From the archives: http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=245091&t=245025
My audiologist told me the hardest patients she works with are musicians and engineers. Patience, practice (wearing hearing aids) and trying different settings is required for the best effect; just like playing the clarinet.
Good luck,
Roger
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