paean to earplugs

[Mitch Kiel]

      A few weeks ago, I was tuning a loud Steinway B in a small room. While
pounding in an especially  bright and resonant B flat in octave 5, I lost my
composure. "I can't take it anymore!" I shouted. "My ears hurt. If someone else
was causing me this much pain, I'd sue."
      So I grabbed my cell phone and made an appointment with my audiologist
that very afternoon to get a pair of "musician's earplugs." (FYI, PianoTech had
a discussion about these earplugs approximately 6 months ago.)
      I finished the tuning, then sped to my audiologist's office. After
inserting a small piece of gauze to protect my eardrum, he took an impression of
each ear canal by injecting a soft clay that took 5 minutes to set up. He sent
this to the manufacturer (Westone). Two weeks later, they sent back a pair of
two-part earplugs. Part 1 is the earmold (no, Harvey, not akin to toejam), a
misshapen plastic cylinder about 1 inch long with a hole through its center.
Part 2 is the filter, a disk about 5/16" in diameter with a hole in the center
containing a thin fabric. The filter fits into the earmold's outer hole. I
ordered filters that reduce the volume by 15 decibels and leave the frequency
spectrum remarkably intact. Filters are also available in 20 and 25 db
strengths. The cost was $90, which included the visit to the audiologist.
      The earplugs arrived last Tuesday. I used them that afternoon for a
concert tuning on a Yamaha G-1 (!!). After a solid pass with the earplugs, I
pulled them out and listened. The piano sounded great, including clean unisons.
      But the clincher was last Thursday night when I tuned for a local high
school music competition. I couldn't start until school let out at 3:30. Using
my new earplugs, my AccuTuner, and some caffeinated inspiration, by 9:00 I had
tuned all 8 verticals (4 Wurlitzer consoles, 3 Yamaha P-22s, and a new Kimball
console). The next evening I went back to re-tune *without* my earplugs. I was
gone in an hour.

      My musician's earplugs are very comfortable to wear and almost invisible.
I wouldn't want the filters to be any stronger. In fact, I'd like to try a 12 db
filter, but 15 db is the weakest they offer.
      Not only do my earplugs make me feel safer, but they also make me feel
grrrroovy, like I'm wearing designer sunglasses. So far, no customer has asked
about them, so I haven't had to come up with an explanation for clients. (I'm
MUCH too straight-laced to say I'm wearing protection that is sensitive to
vibration and yet an effective barrier.)
      My main worry about the plugs is they're so small I might lose them. Of
course, they're totally inappropriate for voicing or chocking a car tire.
      The verdict: I'm *very* happy with my new earplugs. I love 'em cuz they
lower the overall volume and take virtually all the sting out of loud test
blows. My limited experience suggests that I can still hear fine for most
situations. (Don't misunderstand -- I expect I'll always do a final plugless
listen to every piano.)
      I'll post another report in a month or so. But so far, I think my
musician's earplugs are the coolest enhancement to my comfort level since I
wrapped my tuning hammer handles with bicycle handlebar tape (previously
described here and in the Journal).

      Mitch Kiel, RPT