That's too bad man. I have Tinnitus and it is very annoying. Certain high frequencies even "distort" in my ears. No pain though, I can't imagine that. Would a set of custom molded musicians earplugs help?

Another possibility, I'm shooting in the dark here kinda, would be to get yourself a digital piano and put a 5 band parametric EQ between it and your speakers, which would allow you to selectively cut out certain painful frequencies..

worth a try maybe.. Sorry to hear about this!

-Paul

I'm so, so sorry to hear about all of the problems you've had to deal with. I really hope that things improve for you! you certainly deserve to have some nice things happen!

Dear Perfection,

As a stricken musician, I feel for you. I was diagnosed with focal dystonia in my right hand and had to stop playing guitar after 25 years. You can imagine how difficult it has been for me, having built up a significant repertoire and being involved at the heart and soul of Classical Guitar in my adopted city of Minneapolis.

But this is not about me, it's about you, but I can't express myself without talking about how I feel, as I can almost feel what you are going through.

I felt as if part of me had died. It was as if I was experiencing those five stages of dying in Elizabeth Kubler Ross' book "On Death and Dying." Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

You may or may not feel like you're going through all of these stages, but I sure did. Maybe you'll go through just one or two. The depression didn't hit me real bad, maybe a couple of weeks. It wasn't a deep depression though. It felt more like I was just feeling sorry for myself.

Be strong, accept all your feelings and acknowledge them as something real. It pays to have someone empathetic by your side.

Don't forget, it's about the music. All about the music. You'll never lose that.

All the best to you, stay strong.

Man... that is really sad. Thats like being diagnosed as becoming deaf... It would really cripple you emotionally. I wish you all the best and hope everything turns out for you Perfection... There might be a few rare people who are Piano players and might (unfortunately) be very uncompassionate, but I hope you know that the rest of us are here for you.

They can't do surgery or anything to help??? You'd think that if they were able to do major operations like heart transplants or brain surgery - they would know something on how to cure this???

You take that back!

I answered a question you posed with a post from the technician's forum that just happened to be written by you. You then changed your post in the technicians' forum and then said in the Piano Corner that I emailed you, WHICH I NEVER DID and you know it. I didn't say anything that week, in the support of what should be peaceful atmosphere. You don't have to reinvent your relation of that incidence to save some sort of face and publicly call me rude, just in case someone indeed happened to catch what went on a couple weeks ago.

Get real man and don't lie about me.

Perfection:
I too have tinnitus--I have had if for a long while....goes back to playing in a rock group and doing lots of target practice and shooting of high powered guns.
I recently bought a 7' Shigeru Kawai grand. Yes, I have to be careful. I do sometimes play with earplugs....cheap wax ones work best....I would not pay a lot of money for ear plugs....I have in the past (custom molded), but it is not worth it.
If you look into your symptoms, you will find out that a lot of it can be aggravated by anxiety. If you are an anxious person (as I am sometimes), suggest you try to relax a bit over the issue.
I suggest you not sell the piano. I play with the lid of my 7' grand down and play soft music like Chopin Mazukas and Nocturnes. If this bothers, you, put in the ear plugs. I find I get almost as much enjoyment playing with them in.
I have gone to a number of leading experts in the field over the years. I do have noise sensitivity....e.g., walking around in loud cities. What I have been told, is that as long as the sound levels you expose yourself to are low to moderate, they should not cause additional damage. They can however cause a shorter-term increase in symptoms.
If you tend to be a stressed personality type, again I know for sure this can aggravate your symptoms. I suggest you hang in there, play some softer music--even with ear plugs--and in my opinion, would not advocate either trying to find a more accommodating piano or getting out of it altogether.....I am not a medical expert, so it is just an opinion from someone with an anxious personality, that is a perfectionist and who has had tinnitus for maybe 20 years now.
All the best!

Hamiltonian -- great advice for Perfection and everyone else. While I don't have hearing problems, I did lose the most wonderful person in the world, my wife, a few years ago. She was trully so very special and I have tears as I write this.

The point is, many of us have things happen to us that can get us down and keep us down. My credo is "life isn't what your given, its what you make of it." Take the high road, don't let the little people keep you down.

I've come across many people who have had incredible tragedies in their lives, yet they have great attitudes and appreciate life and look for and focus ON THE GOOD THINGS.

It's the best way. Perfection, I'm truly sorry for what you've been through, there's always another way, another approach, life isn't over. Hamiltonian suggested one way, you can probably find others if you put a smile on your face and in your heart and enjoy what you have.

Ed

I agree with Graine. I am very sorry to hear of your tragedy also, but you might try turning to GOD. When you look at thigs in a different way, they change and you change.. Prayer changes you. There are remissions and after long periods of time conditions disappear or improve. I, too, shall pray for you.
You were given to play for the time you did, and that is something some others have not experieced at all.
God Bless