Is everybody using musician ear plugs when tuning? Any drawbacks at all?

I don't have them. Thought about it, but I rarely tune two pianos in one day.

I use these. http://www.etymotic.com/hp/er20.html

I have custom plugs fit by an audiologist. They feature changeable filters of either 15 or 25 DB sound reduction. I use the 15 DB filters. They do alter perception of sound slightly but make tuning, especially high treble, more comfortable.

I got the custom plugs -- the generic fit ones didn't fit me.

Drawback is if you lose one, they aren't cheap to replace.

You should get the lowest attenuation made (I think around 8db)-- unless you use a machine and don't need to hear. Some audiologists are unaware of them being available in that level and will try to sell you 15 or 25db plugs. 25 db plugs are great for using power tools.

As a non-tuner, could one of you explain why you would wear plugs? Is the striking of one or two keys during tuning that hurtful? Sorry, if I am missing something obvious.

Dave, does your tuner only tune 1 or 2 notes?

I use the exact same ones Jerry uses.

The custom-made musicians earplugs were developed by a violinist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra who sat in front of the trumpets. His audiologist determined he was experiencing hearing loss. Since he was some kind of engineer in his day-job, he developed the ear plugs that reduce the intensity of the sound fairly uniformly over the tonal spectrum.

We know that listening to jackhammers or jet engines up close can damage hearing, but overlook the fact that sounds that are much more pleasant can also cause hearing loss. It's a factor of sound intensity (decibels) over time. Exposure to 5 minutes of real loud sound might do the same damage as exposure to 8 hours of sound at a lower lever. Piano tuners who might be tuning several pianos a day have sufficient total exposure to cause hearing loss. That is why technicians are protecting their hearing.

Thanks, Keith.

Why wear earplugs while tuning? The answer is the same reason we wear sunglasses on a bright sunny day. By lowering the overall intensity of light you can actually see better and with less fatigue.



I too am a fan of Etymotic Research ear plugs. The custom plugs sound great but I know that I would eventually lose them and be out $100! The Etymotics are fairly comfortable and come in different sizes for different shaped ear canals and are only around $15.

I can't over emphasize enough how IMPORTANT wearing ear protection is for tuners. I know too many tuners in their 60's who have significant hearing loss. It is a real occupational hazard. Our hearing is too precious to risk not using protection.

When I got hooked on using the plugs I found my tunings improved. I was more patient, less stressed, and my test blows became firmer. It made my job SO much more pleasant. When I really notice the difference is when I occasional end up tuning a piano without the ear plugs - it literally numbs out my ears - I can really feel it. The big problem with this is that we do our most refined work at the end of the tuning when our ears have become desensitized. This also makes voicing at the the end of the tuning more problematic.

Do the musician's ear plugs still allow one to hear partials clearly? I've tried to use wax-impregnated cotton wool plugs (at various depths) while tuning, but found that they clip higher frequencies too strongly, so that I battle to hear beats. The fundamentals, in contrast, seemed hardly attenuated at all. The result was a booming note (or interval) without clear beats - exactly what I didn't want.

I've developed tinnitus and hyperacusis, so I'll definitely get musician's plugs if I should ever recover sufficiently to continue tuning.

Ryan, I see Pianotek sell the standard size etymotic ear plugs and the Baby Blues size ear plugs. How does one work out which size to purchase?

Regards,

My experience is yes. It reduces volume on everything, so it's like simply turning the volume down. Every frequency of the sound is still present and audible, it's just all softer.

Amazon has them for like $12. Free shipping if you're Prime.

Looking at their website it appears that there are two sizes - a smaller ( has a blue flange) and larger. I bought both and found that the smaller blue ones are too small and go uncomfortably deep in my ear. The bigger ones fit fine.

I find that if they filter out anything, it is the lower frequencies, so I feel I can hear the partials better with the plugs. I also notice that some voicing irregularities show up more clearly with the plugs - when I pull them out and listen, the irregularity is more subtle. Again, this seems to be because the fundamental is diminished somewhat.

Thank you Ryan!

Yes, that's what they are made for, because other plugs -- including especially homemade types will change the tonal character of the sound. See rsowers visual analog of earplugs to sunglasses in a previous post.

Definitely a wise practice; I was somewhat diligent about it for a while but I misplaced my special plugs so I haven't used any in some time.

I had my hearing checked six months ago and was relieved to know that it's all good and I can still hear a wide range of frequencies even at low volumes. I played years of rock music as a pro before switching primarily to jazz so I consider myself lucky.

Yesterday I tuned 3 grands and 2 verticals (four is usually my limit) and my ears were completely fried, like I had attended a metal concert. To me piano tuning is just as bad if not worse than playing a gig with a loud drummer. Plus, the hours of exposure really add up. I think verticals are the worst, but the room has a tremendous effect on the dB levels and the acoustic distortion that makes it all the more fatiguing.

I'm going to try these etymotic plugs, thanks for the tip.

I've had a look at Etymotic's website, and at their offerings on amazon. I'm a bit confused by the different types, specifically:

ETY Plugs HD (high definition)... as opposed to...
ETY Plugs (ER20)

The attenuation curves for the two types look identical, and both types cost the same at amazon.

Can anyone clarify?

Etymotic's (Where do they get a word like that anyway for ear plugs?) website has changed in the past year or so but I order mine directly from Pianotek in Michigan. I do not get the baby blue ones. I get the normal sized ones whatever those are... If I remember right, Pianotek only carries the size I use anyway.... Same price about $13. Guess that doesn't help much huh....

I suppose I could always contact Etymotic directly and try to find out what the differences are.

Besides that, Jerry, I think Pianotek is one of those "real supply houses that don't deal with DIYers" (to use Jurgen's words)... but tinnitus doesn't know the difference between a pro and a DIYer, so this-here hack will just have to go to ebay instead.

Oh, and "etymotic" simply means "true to the ear". If it sounds Greek to you, that's because it IS Greek.

"etymotic" - is English ?

Margaret0657,

The word comes from Greek. "true in ears" or something like that.

Interesting Mark, thanks for that tidbit of info!! My first pair I did order directly from their website. I guessed... Got it right too. So, try ordering it from Etymotics' site. They are after all only $13 a piece. However, shipping if I remember right, was about $5? Might as well make it worth your while and order 2 or 3 of them then...

P.S. I use mine pretty much every day. They work great!!!

Looks like the ETY HD have a string(for around the neck - more industrial use) and don't come in colors... Otherwise, it looks like the protection is the same between those and the ER20's.

I've had a few pair over the years. The smaller size is a better fit for me...

Ron Koval

I'd like to revive this thread with a question.

I've done my two most recent tunings with musician's earplugs (from Vater Percussion, similar in appearance and attenuation rating to the Etymotics). They've made a huge difference in being able to tune the treble comfortably. However, both times I used them, I found it more difficult than previously to tune the low bass, i.e. 1st and 2nd octaves: I battled more than usual to find the spot where most of the partial envelope sounds in tune. And what really puzzled me: both times, when checking my tuning afterwards, without the plugs, I found that some notes in that area were flat.

Ryan Sowers observed earlier in this thread that the plugs seem to attenuate the fundamentals. Could it be that the low bass was flat because I was tuning it by the higher, more inharmonic partials?

With only a few tunings to my name, I realize this might turn out to be a non-issue with more practice. But since it's happened twice now, I was wondering whether anyone else has observed similar effects?

When I use my Etymotics, there are times where I have them in to far shutting off to much, sound. I wiggle them around a little bit, until I find a happy medium. Can you do this with yours?

Yes, I can, Jerry. Just like the Etymotics, one is supposed to insert them all the way until they form an airtight seal, but I stop short of that, because it drowns out too much sound. I go sort-of 75% in.

The level at which I keep them is comfortable for the whole range of the piano, but in spite of this, I still run into the flat bass problem. Doesn't sound to me as though you've experienced this problem?

Perhaps I need to remove them further before tuning the bass. I just need to remember to do this...

Hi Mark,

No, I've not well, I guess that isn't true either. In some ways, if the things are in TO far, it then, I can have difficulty hearing because well, it's like plugging my ears so yes, then I have to pull them out a bit more and finagle them more than normal sometimes but, once I get them to where I like it, it might be okay. If it continues to be problem, I yank them out completely. Depends on the piano

I just started using the Etymotics this week. Helps quite a bit. Tonite I tried them in a noisy restaurant/bar. I could clearly carry on a conversation with the person next to me, but my head didn't hurt at the end of the evening.

Mark, I couldn't find the specs. on the Vater plugs. Just calling them musician's earplugs doesn't tell us much.

I had the opportunity to meet and visit the Etymotic founder years ago. He was working with Chicago symphony musicians to develop his line of flat-response ear protection - it was crucial to maintain clarity of sound at all frequencies to allow the musicians to perform at that level.

You may want to pick up a pair to see if they have a different frequency response attenuation than the Vater plugs.

Ron Koval

Ron,

Although the Vater earplugs have a stronger overall attenuation than the Etymotics, the response is similarly flat. Here are the specs:

http://vater.com/products/Vater_EarPlugs_Back.pdf

Judging by the flat response, I don't quite understand where my flat bass problem is coming from...

BTW, the product itself is explained in a lengthy video here:
http://vater.com/products/product.cfm?M=287

I agree, it might be useful to try and get a pair of Etys anyway, to compare.

Well, there are the "specs" and then there is "how does it work". I would suggest getting a pair of Etymotics and see how they compare in the real world. You'll only be out about $15, and it doesn't hurt to have an extra pair.

Ryan,

Absolutely... if I can get the Etymotics shipped to S. Africa, that is. (Which amazon, to my knowledge, doesn't do, and neither do Etymotic themselves. That's why I bought the Vaters in the first place...)

If, somehow, I manage to get a pair ot Etys, I'll be sure to report a comparison here.

How much does it cost to send a pair over there? They weigh next to nothing.

I have to use plugs, or my ears start to bleed...not really, but it feels like it.

I lost one of my ER plugs a while back, and ended up getting some "Hearos" at Walgreen's. They're a lot cheaper, but don't do as good a job of allowing the necessary partials to get through.

I just went to Amazon and ordered two sets of ERs, and a set of Alpine Ear Protection Alpine ear plugs (never heard of or used them before). They have a three-for deal at the moment, to ERs, one Aline. I think it was around $11 for standard shipping. The whole deal came to $50 +/-.

I like to wear ear plugs while driving. Then take them out when tuning. Driving seems to be less stressful when I have the earplugs in.

No idea, Ryan. I don't know what shipping costs typically are in the US. But it shouldn't cost more than a couple of $, I think.

The problem with amazon, if I remember correctly, is that they don't ship to S. Africa anymore, because our local postal service is too unreliable. A friend told me this some time ago. If things have changed, I can always buy a pair at amazon.

Did you try getting them from Etymotics or ebay?

Etymotic, according to their dealer locator, don't have dealers in South Africa. They do have an online mail order service, but their international shipment is listed as $50.00.

I'm not registered on ebay, but that can be remedied...