a previous generation are suffering just that – especially those who spent a lifetime in pipe bands. Fortunately modern day pipers
H
have woken up to the dangers of playing in small rooms or next to a drum corps without ear
Nevertheless
protection. too
many are still gamb- ling with their most valuable asset next to their fingers – their ears – and refusing to wear plugs. As a result they may suffer a temporary ringing in the ears (tinnitus) after playing on their own or at band practice. If this ringing does not disappear after a while they could be developing more permanent tinnitus, hyperacusis (when the ears become increasingly sensitive) or worse, diplacusis (when the ears hear two distinct tones). One piper who has suffered damage but who now wears moulded earplugs said: ‘I wear them all the time but wish I’d started 15 years ago.’At the Inveraray Pipe Band concert during World’s Week, P/M Stuart Liddell wisely advised the audience to ‘plug up’ before the band began, and did so himself.
27
EARING damage used to be an occupational hazard of being a piper and many from
With freelance musicians in mind
the Musicians Union in partnership with the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) and the Musicians Hearing Services (MHS) have launched a Musicians Hearing Passport Scheme which offers diagnostic and health surveillance at a reduced cost plus a discount on custom made ear plugs. Paul Checkley, a clinical scientist at MHS, said:‘We see a lot of patients with very mild noise damage but it is often the onset of tinnitus that makes people do something about their hearing. Hear-
ing damage is all about the level of the sound and the duration of exposure. The type of noise is immaterial. ‘Foam plugs will attenuate
• Thanks to the Musicians Union for help with this article.
appropriately if they are inserted correctly but this is not always easy and they can distort sound quality. Custom moulded plugs fit the ear precisely and it is difficult to insert them incorrectly.’ To register with MHS or find out more go to musicianshear ingservices.co.uk. Further advice at hear-it.org and tinnitus.org.uk.