Decibel Levels

[Farrell]

A couple old posts from my personal archives follow. Hope they help. Sorry I
don't have dB numbers for you, but I know what you mean about finding a note
or two around the tenor/treble break on a vertical. It can really really
rattle your cage.....er, a, your eardrum! I recall a post back about last
September and someone posted dB values for a piano. They were high. When one
is close, up into the ear-damaging region. Most of the time I don't feel
that I need earplugs, but for the few times...........  I find I get myself
into trouble when I do the top secion on a grand and I move around to the
side of the piano and I tend to lean way over the soundboard to reach my
hammer, mutes, and SAT - actually a very comfy and piano-intimate posture,
but hard on the ears! I do need to get plugs.

In a message dated 9/29/2000 7:50:51 PM, Terry wrote:

<<"What makes that one or two notes

pierce your ears so much more that others?">>

Terry;
 The ear piercing note(s) are different for each of us. The ear canal and
auditory structure is different for everyone and although we all hear the
same things we hear them in different manners. The notes that stand out in
the 'typical' scale for me are typically A#6 and B6. All structures have a
"resonant" frequency and yours just happens to be F/G5 range. Next time you
get a cold check and see if this "resonant" range changes on you. :-)
Jim Bryant (FL)


Dave,

<< My ears were batty at the end, and I am still tired from all of it.>>

Get some earplugs custom fit to your ears. They will be as fresh when you
end as when you begin. I have the Westone plugs with ER 9 dB and 15 dB
filters. They were well worth the money!

John Formsma
Blue Mountain, MS


Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Lillico, RPT" <staytuned@idirect.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2000 8:10 AM
Subject: Decibel Levels


> I'm stopping by for a few days with this question.
>
> Just how loud can a piano become? I have a book which says an airplane
taking off will reach 140 decibels, a rock concert 120 and a snowmobile 110.
>
> Last week I was tuning this magnificent old Heintzman upright fitted with
new hammers and with a very brilliant tone. It sat in a bit of an alcove in
a corner of the living room so the booming sound had little room to escape
except past my ears. Suddenly, in around the sixth octave, I felt this wierd
sensation in my right ear. It's hard to describe because it wasn't really
pain. Moving or tilting my head allowed me to diminish the discomfort and
complete the day's work. When I think about it, I can only best describe the
sensation by saying that my right ear feels somewhat heavy, even today, nine
days later.
>
> After 37 years of tuning, I'm now going for ear plugs and I've read the
archives as well. But nowhere can I find reference as to how many decibels
it took for me to experience this discomfort.
>
> John Lillico, RPT
> Oakville, Ontario
>
>
>
>