 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: chamberguy
Date: 2016-08-15 06:14
I wear hearing aids, but they make my clarinet sound raspy when practicing. Has anyone found hearing aids that avoid this distortion?
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2016-08-15 07:42
I wear hearing aids, as well. I find that playing without the hearing aids, as well as listening to my stereo sounds better without them. I just turn up the volume on the stereo, and play with same intensity I usually do. The players in my section say that I blend in just fine without the aids.
My hearing aids and probably yours as well, have a sizeable boost in the upper mid-frequencies to aid speech recognition, which would sound raspy when playing or listening to instruments.
Jerry
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Author: gkern
Date: 2016-08-15 16:43
It is very uncomfortable when I wear my hearing aid seated in front of the trumpets.
Gary K
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2016-08-15 17:06
It is very uncomfortable when I don't wear a hearing aid and am seated in
front of the trumpets (trombones as well).
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Author: dorjepismo ★2017
Date: 2016-08-15 17:08
I didn't play for about 20 years because I couldn't hear myself or others properly due to what the hearing aids did to the sound, and couldn't hear others well enough to play with them without hearing aids. A couple years ago, I got a pair high end Widex aids with a "music" setting that doesn't try to adjust anything based on the volume. They're the only reason I can play again, and more to the point, the people I'm doing chamber music with seem happy with the result. They cost about 4 K, but it really isn't something you can compromise on if you want to play at a decent level. That said, I don't currently do anything in front of trumpets. The local symphony uses plexiglass plates to address exactly that issue, so it isn't a problem limited to people with hearing correction.
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2016-08-15 18:41
It seems the cure depends on the disease. My high frequency hearing is bad, so I wear hearing aids mainly when I will be trying to listen to people in a noisy environment. I never wear hearing aids, and often wear ear plugs, while playing in a band. If I started the ear plugs earlier, I might not have the hearing aids now.
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Author: ariel3
Date: 2016-08-15 19:10
My Phonak hearing aids have different programs, one of which is the "Music" program. I have a severe loss and my aids using this program give me a truly wonderful sound, both playing or listening.
Each case is different, however, and should be managed by a trained audiologist.
Gene
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Author: clarhorn ★2017
Date: 2016-08-15 20:06
Phonak has 3 levels of hearing aids. The middle level hearing aids I got last year were significantly better than the middle level from 4 years before. On the first set I had a "music setting" that would not give distortion. The newer set did not need the frequency augmentation changed and are set for different amplifications. (Can turn them down if or off when in front of the trumpets and still hear the director with my high frequency hearing loss.) You may need to go back to have the settings adjusted. Take your clarinet with you to get them adjusted properly when you are playing. Settings that work with clarinet worked less well with French horn but multiple settings available. The number depending upon the model. For mild to moderate loss the high end may not work better. You may be able to try different models. Take your instrument with you when being fitted after testing.
Roger
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Author: ruben
Date: 2016-08-15 20:09
Chamberguy: Excellent and vital question; not on the agenda for me yet for me, but old age looms ahead. An excellent flautist I play with is profoundly hard of hearing when you talk to him and is therefore equipped with a hearing aid. On the other hand, when he plays, he doesn't use it and I've never noticed this posing any problem for him or his chamber music partners. Why, I don't know. I will ask him. So maybe one solution for a wind player is not to use a hearing aid when playing. We have doctors on this board and I'm sure they will have something to say.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: chamberguy
Date: 2016-08-16 06:43
Thanks to all of you for the helpful responses. I have a music program in my hearing aids (Phonak), but when I use it in orchestra, I can't understand the conductor! It does help when practicing, if course.
I have recently heard of a product called The Bean, which is a 'high fidelity amplifier that fits in the ear and amplifies ONLY the soft sounds and leaves the louder ones unchanged'. This is supposed to address the problems that musicians have.
Has anyone tried these? They cost $549 for a pair and are only slightly adjustable.
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Author: dorjepismo ★2017
Date: 2016-08-16 16:31
Not understanding the conductor was the first sign I had a problem, so it's probably the first thing to go. They usually don't have much useful to say, but you do need to know where to start playing. Some audiologists set the default volume level too low because hearing lots of stuff upsets some people when they haven't heard it for a long time. You can often coerce them into setting it higher, though that exacerbates the trumpet problem.
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Author: Bill G
Date: 2016-08-16 22:32
In 1943 while in high school I was invited to play the premier performance of an opera in the state of composition by the head of the English department of the local university. It was during the war and all the usual candidates for clarinet were away but I was not yet gone. I accepted.
We commenced rehearsal and I learned several significant facts. He was hard of hearing and wore a primitive hearing aid. Batteries were scarce and hard to get. He needed to use the device only for conversation so he turned it off to save his batteries except when he knew someone wanted to talk to him.
His manuscript was terrible, and I frequently needed his attention. It was embarrassing to me and annoying to him when I frequently had to leave my seat and poke him in order to get his attention and ask him a question.
I need hearing aids now, and I hope I can find more satisfactory devices.
Bill G.
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Author: LJBraaten
Date: 2016-08-18 00:45
I have Phonak Audio V series hearing aids. When I first got them I heard a fuzzy or raspy sound when I played. In my case the music program had to be tweaked a little by the audiologist. She looked up some recommendations for people who play instruments, and they worked fine. If they had not worked she would have had me return with the instrument and would have tried different adjustments until one worked.
As an aside: One thing I did that worked out well: I had the music program put second to the last, the last program being "mute." If the trumpets, trombones, or drums behind me are too loud it is easy to switch them off with one press of the button. Of course this is only a temporary fix. If there is too much noice, damage is still being done to the ears whether it bothers me or not, so headphones would be in order if there were persistent high volume.
Laurie
Laurie (he/him)
Post Edited (2016-08-18 01:53)
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Author: chamberguy
Date: 2016-08-18 01:08
That's a great idea, having a Mute program! It's a lot easier than actually switching off both hearing aids.
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