Question about ear plugs...

Billbrpt@AOL.COM Billbrpt@AOL.COM
Sun, 31 Dec 2000 12:56:41 EST


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In a message dated 12/31/00 10:59:43 AM Central Standard Time, 
maria.arnelof@spray.se writes:


> Hi folx. 
> 

I've long heard it recommended and have used them for some 15 years to aid in 
sleeping because like Terry, any sound will wake me easily.  One day when 
shopping at the drugstore for some new ones, I saw something new called 
"Hearoes" (a play on the word, "hero").  It had a little tubular case to keep 
them in so I decided to get some for my toolkit.

Once I tried them while tuning or doing anything else with the piano that is 
loud such as vacuuming or driving tuning pins, I never wanted to work again 
without them.  The high tech type which are specially fitted and may filter 
selected frequencies are probably best but you have to go for an appointment, 
pay many times over what a disposable pair would cost and they may also be 
easily lost.  So, even if you decide to go that route, trying a disposable 
pair first makes sense to experience what the basic difference they can make 
will be and also to have a back up pair in case the custom made ones are lost.

The fact is that the piano is very loud and it is generally accepted that you 
must make hard, loud test blows in order to tune with reliable stability.  
The beats that occur when tuning are actually a pulse created by coincident 
partials being alternately in phase, then out of phase.  Ironically, the soft 
part of this pulse occurs when the two frequencies are in phase and the loud 
part when they are in opposition.  This is why bad unisons may sound louder 
and a generally out of tune piano sounds loud and offensive.

This pulse can be heard even with ear plugs that severely reduce the noise 
level, particularly during a rough or pitch raise type tuning.  I use an SAT 
to help in my tuning most or the time but still do parts of it by ear and 
certainly do the unisons by ear.  When using the SAT, I simply push those 
plugs in all the way.  I can still hear the pitches and tune according to the 
display.  If it is a rough tuning, I still can hear the beating of the 
unisons well enough with the plugs fully inserted.

When doing fine aural tuning, I pull them out just a bit, leaving them 
loosely in place which seems to permit the higher frequencies to be heard a 
little better while still shielding my ears from the full force of the sound. 
 I am also the lead vocalist and percussionist in a band and even though we 
usually play the unplugged, acoustic style, percussion instruments are loud 
and can easily cause hearing damage.  I have taken to using them while 
performing and particularly when performing with amplified instruments.  I 
also use them when attending a music function where the music is very loud 
whether it is live or recorded.

On the subject of ear disease or infection, this is the most serious matter 
for any piano technician or musician.  Any abnormal condition should be seen 
by a doctor immediately.  There are cases of Sudden Hearing Loss where the 
victim loses all hearing within a matter of hours due to an infection of the 
inner ear.  I don't know what kinds of conditions may precipitate this kind 
of condition, however.

Other disturbances may have their cause in the vertebrae of the neck where 
the nerves involved with hearing can become constricted through normal living 
patterns or activities.  It sounds like a craking and buzzing when loud 
sounds are heard or when speaking in a loud voice or while singing.  
Chiropractic treatment can overcome this.  My chiropractor showed be how to 
bend and stretch each morning to relieve this constriction.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin

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