Playing when you can't hear yourself.

March 27, 2015 at 11:24 PM · If you're that close to the trumpets, you want earplugs, like Etymotics.

March 28, 2015 at 12:55 AM · A plexiglass sound shield behind your head is also helpful.

http://www.wengercorp.com/stands/acoustic-shield.php

http://www.whitebox3.com/acoustic_shield.htm

http://www.amadeus-equipment.co.uk/acoustic-shields/ (don't know where you are; this one appears to be UK)

March 28, 2015 at 03:27 AM · Did you complain to anyone in charge?

You might be better off in another orchestra. If you can't hear your violin close to your ears, how is an audience supposed to hear you?

March 28, 2015 at 03:45 AM · "Complaining to someone in charge" is unlikely to help and will only make the OP look foolish. These are issues that musicians are expected to handle with appropriate tools. It's also not true that if someone can't hear himself, the section won't be audible in the hall. Balance and acoustics are a lot more complex than that.

To the OP: I think earplugs are a great idea, although they won't help with hearing yourself. You may have to rely on feel and visual cues rather than your ear when the trumpets have fortissimo sections. And since your orchestra is a community orchestra, maybe you could suggest rotating seating so that no one is spending every single concert cycle with his ear in the bell of a horn.

March 28, 2015 at 05:58 AM · A way earbuds can actually help you hear yourself and block out the noise as well : why not just put one earbud in your right ear? Then you will only be hearing through your violin - ear. This might help ( unless you play the violin the opposite way:) )

March 28, 2015 at 09:13 AM · I agree about earplugs. Trumpets just behing is looking staight into a bright light: no details.

I had a case where I couldn't hear myself at all, but the neighbour to my left could: presumably the back of my violin radiated more than the belly.

In any case, after a rehearsal, I need to practice a lot to regain intonation, tone etc.

March 28, 2015 at 01:52 PM · I wanted to toss in the point that while acoustic shielding is desirable, a community orchestra might not be able to buy it. My community orchestra is in the process of trying to acquire appropriate shields -- the Wenger ones are $250 each, which means that the 8 shields needed are $2,000 -- a lot on a community orchestra budget even for a long-term investment.

March 28, 2015 at 02:21 PM · Actually, earplugs DO help A LOT to hear yourself play in loud condition; you hear pitch through bone conduction.

It can take a while to adjust to dynamics and texture--but your hearing is important enough to take that time, because the business end of a brass instrument is WAY over a safe decibel range.

I used earplugs (one or two, depending) for years in orchestral situations because I was always close either to brass or piccolo, and it becomes second nature after practice to know how to play as part of your section while protecting your hearing.

March 28, 2015 at 02:28 PM · There's no easy solution to this. Those musicians earplugs are a good idea but they'll suppress your own sound too, won't they? And they can get expensive.

Perhaps the stand of trumpets that is right behind you could be convinced to put a piece of plexiglas right on their own music stand, behind their music. You could probably fix it in place with a couple of small clamps at the bottom, or if they have sturdy stands like Peak or Manhasset, just gravity will be enough. Not sure how high they would have to be, you'd want to take some crude measurements, but I'm just guessing you might start with a piece that is, say, a 30" square and 1/4" thick. You can get it at Home Depot and they'll cut it for you. You need to transport it carefully so that it does not get scratched up.

You can say, "I'm having trouble hearing myself when I play, and I'm worried about long-term damage to my hearing. I wonder if you would mind putting this plexiglas sheet on your stand during this rehearsal. I only just want to see if it makes any difference. If it does work, then we can try to work with management to come up with an arrangement that is a little more spiffy and less intrusive on your playing area."

March 28, 2015 at 03:26 PM · You have gotten some good advice. However, let me clue you in on the best news of all. If you cannot hear yourself over the trumpets, neither can the audience. So relax when the brass drowns you out, trying your best but not worrying whether you hit every note perfectly. Just make sure you know what the cues are for the brass stopping and you becoming important again so that you do not have problems when you are exposed. And, be sure to concentrate your practice on the parts of the piece where you are exposed.

Finally, be glad you are not sitting next to the piccolo as I used to do as a violin 2. It may not drown you out, but the piercing sound can really throw you off your game.

March 28, 2015 at 03:41 PM · I have never good luck hearing myself with anything in my ears, be it earplugs or in-ear monitors (which I detest), but YMMV. In any case, I do think the OP needs them.

March 30, 2015 at 12:19 PM · Decades ago, I joined a community orchestra one week before the performance; I had one rehearsal. Fortunately I'm a decent sight-reader, so most of the program I was either familiar with or I could get by OK.

However, one of the pieces was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, of which the music looks like wallpaper or a Paganini concerto. Not only was it a nightmare to read, but they wouldn't let us take the music home, so I had a week to worry (this was before the days of the computer and easy-to-obtain scores).

The night of the concert, I was scared stiff. However, it turns out that I was in the last stand of the first violin section, visible to the audience, but positioned right in front of the entire tympany section (and this, remember, is for the 1812 Overture).

There were drums of all kinds, some sort of noise-maker (like a canon), bells, and other stuff that did nothing but make noise. I couldn't hear myself think, let alone play the violin. It was literally impossible to hear myself play during all of those loud passages.

Was I ever relieved. I played my heart out, and I still shudder to think of what I must have sounded like.

But I looked great!!!!

Cheers,

Sandy