Hi - I'm an audiologist and amateur horn player, so am very interested in this subject. I would like to recommend two books on the subject: the first, "Musicians and the Prevention of Hearing Loss" by Marshall Chasin (Singular Publishing Group, 1996) is expensive as it is a technical book for audiologists and used as a textbook; the second, which I can't lay my hands on right now, I think is called "Rock On!" by the same author...not sure if it is commercially available as I can't find it using a search engine. It is designed more for use by musicians (I think not just rock musicians.)
Sound shields have been adopted by many orchestras to protect musicians' hearing from sounds in back of them. However, they are not 100% effective in protecting hearing and can reflect sound BACK to the player in back of the shield (do we really care about the percussion players' hearing????) Such a device may not be available to the average or amateur musician. Custom or non-custom earplugs may be the most effective way to protect one's hearing, but they do certainly alter the way things sound. The ER-20/HIFI earplug is a non-custom model (costing around $15-20) with a noise reduction rating of 12 (and I think a version available with NRR of 16) that does a better job of not reducing the high frequencies as much as a standard foam earplug (so music sounds more "natural".) The custom made ones cost about $100-150 per pair, and come with different filters with different sound characteristics and NRR's. You must get these through an audiologist as an ear impression is taken and the order sent to an earmold company. Sometimes the earmold must be modified or remade due to fit or comfort problems. You can wash the earplug but NOT the filter. They last indefinitely but commonly will discolor over time (no one will see it but you, hopefully) and as people's ears do change shape over time or with weight loss/gain, they may occasionally need to be replaced. I try to practice somewhere where the sound from my bell goes into (is aimed at) a soft object, such as furniture, pillows, a bed, etc. I know that in general, the horn player's right ear gets a lot more sound exposure than the left, especially in a practice room. Sometimes I wear an earplug just in my right ear for this reason. When performing, if I am near the percussion on one side, I might wear the earplug on that side only, as the sound quality wearing two can be disconcerting. It might also be wise to see an audiologist and get a baseline hearing test, which could show if damage has already occurred (hearing loss from noise exposure has a very specific and identifiable pattern). Then retest on a yearly basis to see if it is changing. If you think the sound quality is altered when wearing hearing protection, just wait til you have signficant hearing loss and see how it sounds! Or try listening through a hearing aid! Happy hearing, Priscilla Douglas, MS, CCC-A Audiologist and Conn 8D owner/operator (I stole that line from someone on this list...) _______________________________________________ Horn mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/listinfo/horn
