Hearing Aids

[Travis Gordy]

Dear Fred and List: I am 73, and have been wearing hearing aids for
several years. My problem is high frequency loss, and I first got
hearing aids shortly after failing a CTE exam because I tuned the top
two notes 100+ cents sharp. Mine are the behind-the-ear type that
permits an ear piece with a hole for natural sounds to enter. I was
fitted by a laboratory that supplies aids from many manufacturers and is
a part of a clinic with doctors that do ear surgery, implants,etc.
My first aids were made by Siemens, but now use a more recent design by
Unitron. They contain a computer chip that dramatically suppresses
background noise. For example, on a hot summer day I tuned a console
located next to an air conditioning return air duct going full force.
The instant I hit a piano key the duct noise was suppressed so repeated
playing kept the noise low enough for me to tune. Not my most enjoyable
tuning experience but the aids made it possible.

I am not aware that wearing aids has affected my business.  My long
established reputation continues to provide me all the customers I want,
both old and new, and provides a good balance including a small college,
churches, teachers and homes. People do ask how I can tune wearing aids,
and I respond, of course, that it is not necessary to have excellant
hearing to hear the relationship between notes that is necessary for
good tuning, and that the aids make it possible for me to hear the
highest notes. I also say that the Piano Technicians Guild has recently
been recommending that turners wear special ear plugs while tuning to
prevent the kind of hearing loss I and others have experienced. Actually
my hearing continues to deteriorate, probably for genetic reasons. I was
first aware that I was damaging my ears when in my 50s. Certain notes in
the 5th octave would hurt my ears, but I did nothing about it. Now I
can't carry on an intelligent conversation with my wife (I hear
laughter) without my aids. Recently the top half of 7th octave began to
give me trouble, so I bought an SAT. Wish I had bought it years ago. Has
made tuning much more pleasant. I use it as an aural tuner which serves
to both correct my failure to stop the lights precisely, and to disagree
with it when it comes to stretch, particularly in the 5th octave, and to
get a more pleasing sound from some wound strings. But my frustration
with the top octave is mostly over except those few pianos that confuse
the SAT about as much as they do me.

Of course no one wants to have to wear hearing aids, but it is not a bad
as you may think, and tuning a piano may be the least problem.  So you
can't comprehend what is said over the PA system at church and
elsewhere. Ignorance may be bliss, unless you miss your plane. Welcome,
Fred, to the hearing impaired.

I return now to the 485 e-mails left from the 630 received while away
vacationing in Las Vagas. Gad, what a prolific bunch, but the education
is great. Thanks.

Travis, RPT


FRED W TREMPER wrote:
>
> Dear List:
>
> I recently was fitted with hearing aids.  I would like to hear from other
> tuners who wear hearing aids.  I would like to learn of their experiences
> and how it has affected their lives and profession.
>
> To those of you who respond, please do so privately as I don't want to
> clutter the list with messages meant for only a few.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> FWT
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Fred W. Tremper, RPT
> Morehead State University
> Morehead, KY 40351