 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: rtaylor
Date: 2015-06-22 21:09
Hi,
Anyone have experience with hearing protection aids while performing?
I've got a gig coming up that puts me in front of the trumpet section. I really don't want to do this job without something to protect my hearing.
Thanks
Rob
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-06-22 21:55
I could have used that at junior high football games, with trumpets right behind me. Along with a water pistol full of cheap perfume to zap them when they tooted in my ear as a prank. I could have gotten kicked out of band, Mr Murray didn't tolerate much back at Pershing JHS.
Thanks for triggering 1966 memories- some good, some not.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-06-22 21:55
There are "musician's ear plugs" that are custom form fitted (and are rather expensive). The gist of it is you can get different levels of blockage. For me though, it is too difficult to listen to any of the clarinet sounds as they resonant through the bones of your head. So I choose not to use mine.
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-06-22 22:01
IMO, the best choice is a Plexiglass baffle high enough to shield your ears from any sound coming from behind. The problems are that (a) the baffle itself takes some floor space, which may be difficult to arrange, especially on a crowded outdoor stage or where risers are involved and (b) the players on the other side of the baffle sometimes take it as a personal affront and become defensive about the sound they produce, leading to hostility.
There are certainly ear plugs, but in my experience even the ones specifically designed to reduce sound to your ear drum without distorting it are only partially successful. I find it hard to play with any of the ear plugs I've tried (no, I'm sure I haven't tried every one). For one thing the balance between air and bone conduction of the sound you hear can't be the same. For another, pitch is sometimes hard to judge exactly. You hear so much of yourself and so little of the surrounding players that balance and tuning become very tricky.
Of course, if it's 1812 Overture and the cannon are right next to the stage, you may not care about any of that. But for serious music performance, a baffle is much more effective.
Karl
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-06-22 22:04
I'm imagining a wearable baffle that attaches to your head and diverts sound from behind you. I'd rather look ridiculous than lose my hearing. Is this available? Or if not, is it a $million idea I should patent?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: knotty
Date: 2015-06-22 23:41
I think those used to be called Lee Sonic Ear Valves. Great earplug, there's a valve that closes with any compressive pressures like gunshots, clapping, etc. I used to wear them under regular ear muffs when shooting magnum calibers.
~ Musical Progress: None ~
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Author: sdr
Date: 2015-06-23 00:52
Attachment: NIOSH_Musicians 2015.pdf (474k)
You can get "triple flange" style musicians' earplugs at most music stores for $15-20. The minimum attenuation in 10dB and that's plenty --- see attachment on noise injury in musicians from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
Some people, me included, find triple flange plugs uncomfortable. "EARasers" sell for about $40, come in 3 sizes, and are much more comfortable (and discrete).
You can have custom-molded musicians' plugs made up by many hearing aid dealers. You get to choose how much attenuation (9-30dB). They are the most comfortable for extended wear but will send you back $150-$200.
If you have any doubt about your risk of noise, I'd encourage you to install a noise level meter on your smart phone -- the best one out there in my opinion is "Sound Meter" by Mint Muse, available at the Apple App Store for about $20 -- a little pricey but extremely accurate. You can take instantaneous readings but also average your exposure over time to see the actual dose of noise exposure. It's a horrifying revelation!
-sdr
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Steven D. Rauch, MD
Professor and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs
Dept. of Otology and Laryngology
Harvard Medical School
Member, Otology Division
Chief, Vestibular Division
Otolaryngology Dept.
Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary and Mass. General Hospital
Boston, MA 02114
Tel: 617-573-3644
Email: <steven_rauch@meei.harvard.edu>
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Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2015-06-23 04:03
It sounds like the OP needs something quickly and cheap for immediate one-time use. I use the Etymotics http://bit.ly/1eF3rIo $13 ETY plug. They are not perfect - I get a distorted sense of my own playing - but as a bunch of trumpets sit directly behind me, I need something and they do work. Attenuation is less but fidelity is much better than the (very inexpensive) yellow foam plugs.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-06-23 04:32
hmmmmm...........I have not experienced accuracy from the phone application noise level meter. The main problem.......IT'S A PHONE not an actual piece of engineering equipment.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: sdr
Date: 2015-06-23 15:46
In response to this comment:
"
hmmmmm...........I have not experienced accuracy from the phone application noise level meter. The main problem.......IT'S A PHONE not an actual piece of engineering equipment."
Perhaps an iPhone was not designed as a "piece of engineering equipment, but it was certainly engineered. We've tested a number of iPhone-based sound level meter apps. The one I mentioned in my earlier post, Sound Meter by Mint Muse, is a $20 app, not a free one, and was by far the best we found. In thorough testing across frequency and intensity it had readings within .3dB of our $10k rack meters.
-sdr
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