Test equipment

[Zen Reinhardt]

Hi Jon --

Why suffer more than you have to?  It's easy enough to correct the
situation for your ears -- just get good hearing protection.  Then worry
about your neck and shoulders.

As for getting used to them, it really doesn't take that long at all,
especially since the reduction of excess decibels translates directly into
greater comfort.  Miscellaneous background noise becomes even less
bothersome.  Noise "peaks" (such as a crash of falling dishes in the next
room) are not as jarring.  When all is said and done, you may find yourself
in a better mood at the end of a long tuning ordeal than you would have
been had you not used hearing protection.  Now really, how long does it
take to get used to greater comfort and a better mood?  Not long, I should
think....

I've been using hearing protection for 3-4 years now.  Recently I managed
to not have them with me when I went to tune a piano with a "polite" tone. 
That was hard, at best.  I hated to think what it would have been like with
a piano with a harsh tone.  No wonder I used to drag myself home after a
long day of tuning feeling like my brain was made of crumbling foam rubber,
only to have to go out next morning and do it all again.  (Snarl.  Growl.) 
No wonder I felt such pain -- the audiologist said I still had the hearing
of a dog.  (Admit it -- I'm a bona-fido bitch.)  The earplugs made such a
huge difference instantly that my getting-used-to-them time was probably
less than a single piano.  And yes, I still have dog-hearing.

Enough with my stories.  Good luck in your decision to get serious hearing
protection.  You'll probably wonder how you did without it within a day at
most.

ZR!  RPT
Ann Arbor  MI
diskladame@provide.net


----------
> From: Jon Page <jpage@capecod.net>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: Test equipment
> Date: Saturday, August 09, 1997 8:07 PM
> 
> OK, OK, OK . . .
> 
> I'm almost sold.
> 
> Especially with the arduous task of  'the practice room' 
> pianos in these little,tiny rooms looming in my near future.
> 
> What's gonna hurt more . . .  my ear . . .or my shoulder / neck?
> 
> I've been following this topic with moderate interest, but with recent
> support;  I see the reasonning behind it. How long does it take to get
> used to these things?    In other words, what is the learning curve?  
> 
> Jon Page
> Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Is there an ear atenuator and neck/shoulder massage unit?
> mailto:jpage@capecod.net    ?  ! ? ! ? ! ! ! !
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> 
>