I don't think you need to be a key-pounder to warrant the use of hearing protection. I also think some pianos are worse for the ears than others. The room's size, shape and surface materials, as well as placement of the piano within the room can change the sound pressure levels at the listening position for various frequency ranges. There are some pianos that actually cause my ears discomfort in the midrange area, even if I'm using moderate test blows and have my Etymotic earplugs in all the way. There are other pianos that seem more harsh in the treble, and some that are so easy on the ears that I almost forget to put in my earplugs. Consider that some pianists experience hearing loss just from practicing a lot. I doubt they play continuously at a sound level that competes with what the average tuner is subjected to. But I think this turned into more of a debate about how firm our test blows should be. I'm sure there is such a thing as pounding too hard, but I'm convinced that too soft a test blow is inviting trouble, especially if it's a piano we do not have a lot of prior experience with. If our test blows don't match or exceed the pianist's hardest playing, then we are actually letting the pianist perform the test blows for us. If a string is binding on a v-bar. I don't want the pianist to be the one to balance out the tension, because I would not expect any repeat business from that customer. I recently tuned a church grand in which, before tuning, I could mute off a string in the octave 7 region, and knock it 3 to 8 cents flat with just one moderate test blow (not pounding, but about as hard as I might actually strike a key when playing my favorite Liszt Etude). The previous tuner might suggest I play too hard, but I would say he did not use firm enough test blows, and got lucky that nobody played it hard enough to cause a problem. -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.
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