"pounding" and ear-plugs

[Brian Henselman]

>When people say that loud sounds "hurt", do they mean physical pain? I feel
>very uncomfortable around loud sounds, and I don't like the distortion and
>buzz
>from them, but I've never felt physical pain from them. Does anyone feel
>stabbing
>pains in the ears from loud sounds? When some of you say that after a day
>of hard
>tuning your ears are "worn out", what form does this wearing out take? Is
it
>specific to your hearing, or is it general fatigue and difficulty
>concentrating?
>
>Susan

Occasionally, I get a loud clicking (kinda like an aftershock) going in my
right ear during test blows on a really obnoxiously loud instrument in a
small room (ie practice room).  The worst scenario for me is tuning a worn
out practice room Baldwin Hamilton, whose lid aims the already too loud
sound right into my ear and face.

Again, it's not pain, but a thumping or clicking sensation that "echoes"
each hard blow.  Also, my ears tend to "shut down" after being subjected to
this much sound.  This temporary condition makes it harder to hear soft
notes for the next hour or so.

I really should investigate professional ear-plugs.  But, just like my
current desire to avoid ETDs until they are much less cumbersome, I'm
holding out until someone can assure me that the plugs won't interfere with
my ability to hear ALL of the partials, but without the impact on the ears.

Cheers,
Brian Henselman