FW: [TPIN] Musicians Earplugs

[badnote]

All,

For 13 years, I used to work for Disney (now the military) as a professional 
musician. OCEA sets the standards by which the amount of DB your ears are to 
sustain in a given period of time. An employer is required by law to supply 
you with adequate hearing protection if above DB standards (set by the EPA). 
I would advise anyone working under a collective barganing agreement or any 
other employer-employee circumstance to check this out. Of course if you 
freelance, you are on your own. I have used the attenuators (musician's 
custom fitted plugs) and they work great (at least for me). I am a lead 
player and I use them with no discomfort or adverse affects to my playing. I 
am sure this letter will raise many differing opinions. Rather than making 
it the issue of the week, go check it out for yourself and remember.....they 
are your ears and this type of auditory damage is not reversable.

John
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Swensen" <kanstulpicc-tpin at yahoo.com>
To: <tpin at tpin.okcu.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: FW: [TPIN] Musicians Earplugs


>
>
> 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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