Re: [Harp-L] Differences between ears

[The Iceman <icemanle@xxxxxxx>]

David Payne sez


<<I can't imagine hearing being much different than vision in that regard. I would 
imagine that just as we all see differently, we hear differently, too. >>


I've found this to be very true. 


We are a visually based society, so much focus and training for our children has been in developing this sense to the max, while the sense of hearing is pretty well ignored aside from the "Can you hear at all or not?" and "How well can you hear?" - the answers to these questions leading to either "School for the Deaf" or a hearing aid.


As far as sinking into the sense of hearing through study and training the young, this aspect does not exist in the mainstream, as far as I can determine.


Yet, one can teach a child "how to listen", to the point of easily recognizing musical intervals and even moving towards learning perfect pitch. As their eyes become trained to recognize shades and variations in color, so their ears can be trained to hear the variations in pitch and the distance between a musical interval.


I don't have any large grouping of scientific proof to back this up beyond my own personal experience in teaching music/harmonica to students of all ages for the last 15 years, as well as my training in the art of piano tuning.


-----Original Message-----
From: David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Harp L Harp L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon, Dec 31, 2012 8:38 am
Subject: [Harp-L] Differences between ears


There is a book about the Battle of Outpost Harry in the Korean War by James 
Evans, who was commander of Company A, 5th Regimental Combat Team, a company of 
about 180 men who successfully defended the outpost from an attack of 15,000 
Chinese in June 1953. My grandfather was the company's radio operator. 
My grandfather was an incredible musician and he had a remarkable ear. Better 
than mine. 
The scene I'm about to describe was from the night of June 11 - 12, 1953. Evans, 
my grandfather and a jeep driver were traveling to relieve the company defending 
the outpost. They were, at this point, separated from the rest of the soldiers 
in the trucks behind them. Technically, the book does not say which of the two 
this soldier was, but I know how good my grandfather's ear was and thus presume 
it was him and will explain this as if it were him. 
As they were traveling this Korean backroad between the American and Chinese 
lines (the outpost itself was between the lines), these Chinese shells start 
pouring in. They jump out of the jeep and dive into a ditch. 
Evans explains:
"One soldier in our group had remarkably good ears. Even kneeling in the ditch, 
he could hear the incoming. Before I could hear anything, he would cry out "Here 
comes another one!" About a second later, my own ears could pick up the roar. 
Then, we were shaking and ducking again." 

The muzzle velocity of Chinese 122mm howitzer is around 1,800 feet per second - 
that's faster than sound, so the shell gets to you before the sound of the gun 
firing. Let's say that by the time the shell got near them, it had slowed down 
to 1,300 feet per second. About the fastest I can say "here comes another one" 
is about a second or so. That's two seconds, minimum and not counting reaction 
time, etc.
Hearing it just two seconds early means that shell traveled for at least half a 
mile and my grandfather could hear that shell move while everyone else heard 
nothing.
My vision isn't that great, I'm farsighted. I've been wearing bifocals since I 
was 20 years old, but I also shot a deer once at 300 yards with no scope, just 
the stock iron sight on an Enfield rifle. I can see really well far off, but I 
can't see a dang thing up close without my bifocals - I can barely read my watch 
without them. 

I can't imagine hearing being much different than vision in that regard. I would 
imagine that just as we all see differently, we hear differently, too. 

If I can make it SPAH next year, I would certainly be happy to guinea pig myself 
on this stuff. I would really like to do a brass comb vs plastic or something 
test.

David Payne
www.elkriverharmonicas.com
www.hetrickharmonica.com