Ear Plugs

[workbased 2000]

When you play/practise do you wear earplugs?

I recently had a hearing test and was described as having some hearing loss in the high register.

I have noticed myself that I frequently am saying, "Pardon", and having to have something repeated, confirming hearing loss to some degree.

I am really quite worried about further loss as I've woken up in the middle of the night recently and heard.............. Crickets!!!!!
Tinitus.......... maybe only mild but I don't want it to get any worse.
Whenever I remember, and am not too bombed, I will put in a pair of Musicians Earplugs. Cost me $50.00 but I figure what price is your hearing? Pardon???
I try to remember to put them in for every practise . Yeah Right!!! See bombed!
Not even close, but I think I should .
I wonder what all you whistle /flute players do.

Pardon???

[Jon C.]

When you play/practise do you wear earplugs?

I recently had a hearing test and was described as having some hearing loss in the high register.

I have noticed myself that I frequently am saying, "Pardon", and having to have something repeated, confirming hearing loss to some degree.

I am really quite worried about further loss as I've woken up in the middle of the night recently and heard.............. Crickets!!!!!
Tinitus.......... maybe only mild but I don't want it to get any worse.
Whenever I remember, and am not too bombed, I will put in a pair of Musicians Earplugs. Cost me $50.00 but I figure what price is your hearing? Pardon???
I try to remember to put them in for every practise . Yeah Right!!! See bombed!
Not even close, but I think I should .
I wonder what all you whistle /flute players do.

Pardon???

What was that you said?
I think the whistlers and pipers have a better chance of hearing loss, especially with the high A whistle! The flute isn't that loud and we only play in two octaves. I guess if you are playing in a group with amplification, it could be a problem.
The Bohdran players sometimes act as if they are deaf...

[crookedtune]

A fifer can deafen a whistler at 100 paces.

[kennychaffin]

The Bohdran players sometimes act as if they are deaf...

A fifer can deafen a whistler at 100 paces.

My this has taken an interesting turn.

KAC

[jim stone]

I use latex ear plugs while busking with a whistle.
You can buy 20 of these (or so) for a couple of dollars.

I'm nervous about this--wonder what the risks are for
flute, etc.

[Rob Sharer]

I doubt the peur aul' flute can be blamed for hearing loss, unless you're a real practice animal, with a fierce blow to boot. It's true that even a normal level of sound can cause damage if endured over a long period; anything else in your life providing extended periods of not-too-loud sound? I used to get tinnitus from traffic noise at my flat in Germany, even with the windows closed. It was just plain interminable! It adds up. Cheers,

Rob

p.s. The best earplugs for musicians are the custom-fitted ones that any audiologist ought to be able to supply - they have a flat response, so the music doesn't sound muffled like with other styles of plugs.

[Sillydill]

I've posted this before, but I think it is a good reference; by Steven Wicks.

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[BenS]

I have intermittent tinnitus, and playing the flute for a while sometimes aggravates it. I put in musician's earplugs with the 9 dB filter when I'm going to play for more than a few minutes and that seems to do the trick. I don't know how much actual risk of hearing damage there is.

The chart says the levels are measured at the listener's ears - does this mean the player's ears, in the case of instruments?

[daiv]

i used to not use ear plugs, but after a bout of conductive hearing loss (due to congestion), i have valued my hearing a lot. i almost always now play with earplugs when i play flute or concertina, especially in a small room. i have a feeling a lot of measurements were done in acoustically neutral rooms, and not the sort of rooms we usually practice in, like bedrooms and living rooms.

i use these earplugs: http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.aspx and find them more than adequate. also, when i go to concerts with loudspeakers, i use them as well.

i like to be adaptable, so especially at concerts, i take them out and put them in multiple times, sometimes leaving it in in only one ear. especially when i come to a favorite tune, i take them out, if only for those few minutes.

i find that with the earplugs, i can hear any concert or anything i am playing. i can hear when people talk to me, but i cannot hear when people talk to me when i am playing.

for a bit of perspective, sometimes when i wear a winter hat that only covers my ears halfway, i have trouble hearing what people say, so i have to uncover one ear. so i would assume most people would hear a little better than me with the ear plugs in.

here are some decibel related sources:

http://www.suzukipianocambridge.org.uk/tooloud.pdf

http://www.hearnet.com/at_risk/risk_trivia.shtml

[Cork]

When you play/practise do you wear earplugs?

I recently had a hearing test and was described as having some hearing loss in the high register.

I have noticed myself that I frequently am saying, "Pardon", and having to have something repeated, confirming hearing loss to some degree.

I am really quite worried about further loss as I've woken up in the middle of the night recently and heard.............. Crickets!!!!!
Tinitus.......... maybe only mild but I don't want it to get any worse.
Whenever I remember, and am not too bombed, I will put in a pair of Musicians Earplugs. Cost me $50.00 but I figure what price is your hearing? Pardon???
I try to remember to put them in for every practise . Yeah Right!!! See bombed!
Not even close, but I think I should .
I wonder what all you whistle /flute players do.

Pardon???

First off, let's begin with the premise that there could be a body, a mind, and a spirit.

Then, and on the one hand, perhaps it could be said that flute playing really is good for the mind, and for the spirit.

However, and on the other hand, perhaps it could also be said that flute playing could represent certain physical challenges.

Hearing loss is one of those potential challenges, more so with the high flutes, but even with Concert flutes, too.

Over the years, I've learned about my own hearing threshold of pain, and I've adjusted my playing time accordingly, day to day.

Occasionally, however, I'll push beyond my normal limit, and then I'll use headphone type silencers, the kind used by target shooters.

As an old saying goes, it's wise to not ignore pain, and to not "play through" pain. That is, be good to yourself.

;-)

[irish69]

First off, let's begin with the premise that there could be a body, a mind, and a spirit.

Then, and on the one hand, perhaps it could be said that flute playing really is good for the mind, and for the spirit.

However, and on the other hand, perhaps it could also be said that flute playing could represent certain physical challenges.

Hearing loss is one of those potential challenges, more so with the high flutes, but even with Concert flutes, too.

I don't think anyone here has advocated not playing because of hearing loss, but rather suggested methods to prevent the problem with minimal life changes. The spirit thing is a bit iffy, btw.

[crookedtune]

It seems like the more spirits I have, the less mind there is.

[Denny]

I generally don't mind spirits....





well, okay, I don't generally mind

[whistleboy]

I've been told that I sound better with ear plugs........

My brother used to tell me "That's the best I've ever heard you play" every time I practiced while he was near. He was completely deaf. (not from whistles or flutes mind you)

Seriously though, I do keep a set of muscian's plugs with me and use them when I know the amplification we are using will be loud. I sometimes wear only one on the PA side so I can hear the rest of the group through the monitors.

[Cork]

...I don't think anyone here has advocated not playing because of hearing loss, but rather suggested methods to prevent the problem with minimal life changes. The spirit thing is a bit iffy, btw.

OK, irish69, you are now quoted.

:-/