 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2017-10-09 23:09
I've just started wearing my hearing aids while I play my clarinet, both with rehearsals and while practicing. I've found I can no longer hear the conductor without them, so it's become a necessity to play with them. Besides sounding a whole lot louder while practicing by myself, the sound is quite different than it is without the hearing aids in. There seems to be several "other" sounds I'm hearing as well as the note I'm playing. I'm not quite sure what to think. By "other sounds," I think they could best be described as undertones as well as overtones. I don't hear only the note I'm playing. Do those of you who wear hearing aids while playing experience this as well? Should I use a different setting on my aids (I think there are 4 options)? Should I just ignore the other tones? Thanks for any comments you care to share.
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2017-10-10 00:15
I have been wearing hearing aids for five or six years. I have tried five different sets to try to improve the sound of my clarinet playing, and they all made it sound like a kazoo. In addition they all made my breath sounds louder. In spite of frequent tweaking by my audiologist nothing improves. When practicing I take my aids out. When playing in a band I keep them in, praying fervently that in reality I don't actually sound to everyone else as I sound to myself.
Good luck, and if you find an excellent pair of aids please let me know the brand and model.
Alan
tiaroa@shaw.ca
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2017-10-10 01:23
I've worked with autistic kids needing hearing aids and found that taking out 1 hearing aid helped.
Hearing aids can cost anywhere from maybe $100 to over $15,000.
When recording I only use Grado headsets but these are not hearing aids of course. Maybe the company can lead you into the right direction and or develop a hearing aid just for performers. The company is based in NYC. They make buds to over the ears. He's a smart man and might be interested in making something for one or both ears.
Give them a call.
Grado headsets will probably beat out any headsets on the market. They are that good. When you put on some music you hear stuff you've never heard before.
Sadly this is all I can offer. Keep me posted. This is something dear to my heart.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: dorjepismo ★2017
Date: 2017-10-10 01:29
Didn't play at all for about 20 years on account of the same problems. Sprang for a rather expensive set of Widexes with a "music" setting, and have been playing happily with them for nearly three years. All decent hearing aids now are digital, and they have various algorithms that alter the dynamics at different frequencies to make it easier to get by in everyday life, which you can't have going on if you need to balance and tune properly with an ensemble. Brands with less than robust electronics can't handle the stress of playing music with people and they distort. A good audiologist who carries multiple upscale brands will not mind you bringing your instrument in to try out some different kinds. It helps to be a little firm with them, though, as they often deal with people who are not as sharp as they used to be. I can hear better now, including tone color and tuning, than I could before I noticed any hearing loss, so if you can possibly swing a good set, don't settle for less.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2017-10-10 02:04
I occasionally use hearing aids, and with a good quality aid and a special music setting they work very well for listening to music - as an audience member!
However as a performer it is a very different matter, and as a clarinetist even more problematical.
I found that when playing bassoon (well basson to be precise) the result with the aids was reasonably acceptable, but with the clarinet a total failure.
I think the problem stems from the combination of several factors -
- The complex harmonic structure of the clarinet tone
- The very wide dynamic range of the clarinet compared to most woodwinds.
- The close proximity of the sound emission to the hearing aid mikes.
Even on early LP recordings I noticed that sometimes the microphone had greater difficulty in faithfully capturing the clarinet tone than most other instruments.
I can still fortunately perform on the clarinet without using aids as with them I consider it is currently nigh on impossible.
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