Do you wear earplugs when you play ?

[hyun]

Hi everyone !

I already had sensitive ears before, and I played a lot of Dizi (D), without earplugs .. I pay the cost today, I have still buzzing in the left ear which is accentuated when I play the Dizi and Xiao..

Today, I see lots of musicians who don't wear earplugs when they play.. So many people would all already deaf ?

I would like to know if you wear earplugs when you play Dizi and Xiao ?

Thanks.

[davidmdahl]

I always carry a pair of Etymotic ear plugs in my flute case, and in my gig bag, and use them when I practice or perform on dizi, whistle, or in any instrument or environment that hurts my ears. I try to have the Etymotic plugs, or at least foam plugs, when i go to concerts. A few years ago I played a gig with my Chinese group, and directly afterwards, a Brazilian band paraded into the room with drums sounding like the end of the world. It was cool, but very loud. I could hardly get my stuff put together fast enough. Now I always try to be prepared to have some sort of hearing protection.

Often times the foam plugs are good enough. When I am practicing or performing, and need to hear other instruments too, I wear Etymotic plugs. These are better at reducing the sound more evenly across the frequencies. Foam plugs can make you feel like you are hearing underwater. I can hear the music and other instruments in a more natural way with Etymotic plugs. There is also a type of ear plug, also from Etymotic I think, that needs to be fit by an audiologist. These are much more expensive, but allow for a more specific amount of sound reduction, with better balance. I think these would be ideal in an orchestra.

Foam plugs or headphone style hearing protectors are good for other situations, like operating lawnmowers and leaf blowers, or shooting. The sound does not have to be loud. A constant noise can have a cumulative negative effect. The ringing in your ears is an indication that your ears are not happy.

I know that most people do not take very good care of their hearing. Hearing loss is pretty commmon though, as a result. Maybe even worse is tinnitus, or a permanent ringing in the ears.

I highly encourage hearing protection for musicians, and everyone who likes to hear.

Best wishes,

David

[hyun]

Hi everybody !

I go back on topic, because I think lots of people don't take precaution when they play the Dizi.. I have a some Dizi and a tinnitus because of my Dizi in D.. I don't know how Dizi player in China don't to wear ear plugs when they play Dizi.. I don't need it for Xiao, but it's impossible for me ti play Dizi without ear plugs..

[zarnaik]

I also use earplugs while playing. Even for short sessions I notice that higher tones annoyingly/painfully reverberated inside my ears without protection.

Thanks for posting this and possibly making people aware!

[mel]

I asked my teacher and he said he never used any and didn't have any problems. But I find I can't play the high notes, especially on a smaller dizi, without it hurting my ears. I don't like earplugs so I put on headphones which reduce the sound just enough.

I wonder how anyone can even get through years of practice without wanting to wear some sort of ear protection! High notes on a dizi are so loud

Depends on room acoustics too. I don't have as much of a problem in my teacher's studio room.

[davidmdahl]

I think it is very important for anyone who values their hearing to use some sort of hearing protection when practicing, or around any loud noises. I carry several types of ear plugs in my gig bag to be ready for such situations. A sound or noise does not need to be extremely loud to damage hearing, since there is a cumulative effect from sounds that are not quite painful. Someone who can play a high dizi without pain probably already has damaged hearing.

Best wishes,

David

[edcat7]

I would feel embarrassed if I wore earplugs when my teacher is playing. At times though it is horribly loud when he plays at arms length away.

[ildaesung]

Jun 9, 2016 8:44:19 GMT hyun said:

So many people would all already deaf ?

You're actually right. The amount of noise even in tier 3 cities in China is unbearable even for people coming from such large aglomerations like NYC, San Francisco or Mexico City. People there, compared to European, American or, God forbid, Japanese standards, are literally half deaf xD