FW: [TPIN] Musicians Earplugs

[Tim Swensen]

Michael,

Definitely you should approach the management and
request a setup change.  Damage to your hearing is
unacceptable and you should raise a stink about it,
in a nice way, of course.  ;)

I've raised this topic [orchestras and LOUD playing]
before on TPIN and one member was aghast that I
even raised the issue.  I still think this is an
important issue for orchestra music directors and
management to address.  When orchestra members
are plugging their ears during performance
[don't laugh, I've seen the harpist in San Francisco
plug his ear to avoid being deafened by the
suspended cymbal] you know you have a problem.

The solution may be a short term one [playing
with earplugs, even though it is incredibly
unsatisfying to do so] or a long term one [getting
the seating arrangement or even the hall itself
modified to allow forissimo playing that doesn't
cause pain].  Either way, if this isn't addressed
the musicians will not be happy.  And as a concert
goer, it matters a lot to me that the orchestra
is emotionally engaged and satisfied with their
playing experience, as that greatly enhances the
quality of their playing.

When I visit New York City a few years back and
saw the NY Phil in Avery Fisher Hall, I noticed that
the trumpets, trombones, and tuba were placed way
back in the far corner of the stage.  [It's a large
stage.]  They still sounded fine, and I think they
did this to let them play out without causing distress
to the woodwinds.

And finally, the solution few seem to be considering:
A change in the sound concept of the orchestra.
When the Cleveland Orchestra visited San Francisco
I noticed that they sat in a very compact setup and
the brass was not dominant in their blend.  [They
played Dvorak Sym. #8 and Bartok Concerto for Orch.]
Michael Sachs and company can play anyway they want,
but their music director apparently had the sound
balanced in a less brass-heavy way.  It sounded great,
but different than you would expect from orchestras
that use the Solti/Chicago model.  In one of the
ITG Journal profiles of orchestra brass sections, they
interviewed the principal at the National Symphony
(D.C.) and he said that the comment he least wanted
to hear from the conductor was, "Louder, trumpets."
His response was, "Tell the percussion to play softer;
they're covering us up."

Just something to think about.  I like to play loud,
too.  But more is not always better.

Tim Swensen


--- Michael Anderson <manderson at okcu.edu> wrote:

> I sit next to the timps all the time and even with a
> shield they are
> doing some serious damage. My ears are twice as
> sensitive than they
> were when I moved here 3 years ago. I just can't
> take any loud
> sounds without pain anymore.
> 
> Playing orchestral music with ear plugs on trumpet
> is not an option
> you just can't do it with a quality sound and
> intonation. Yes, I
> invested in the best ear protection. They are
> useless while you are
> playing.
> 
> I'm considering making it an issue with management
> and seeing if
> they will consider a change in setup to help the
> situation, but I
> don't want to come off as a malcontent either.
> Anyone else deal
> with this issue in their orch?
> 
> MA
> >
> > Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Robert Burne <caburn at ozemail.com.au>
> > Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 10:57:21
> > To:tpin at tpin.okcu.edu
> > Subject: [TPIN] Musicians Earplugs
> >
> > I have been sitting too close to the kettle drums
> for too many
> > years!  In order to prevent further hearing loss I
> have invested in a
> > set of musician's ear plugs.  Does anybody have
> any experience of
> > using these?  How easy is it to balance your
> playing with the rest of
> > the orchestra when you are using them?
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Bob Burne
> > _______________________________________________
> > TPIN mailing list
> > TPIN at tpin.okcu.edu
> > http://tpin.okcu.edu/mailman/listinfo/tpin
> 
> ------ End of Forwarded Message
> 
> 
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