So … it’s wonderful to be able to play the piano again but I have to confess something. I did not have a grand “oh-wow-this-sounds-amazing-again” moment the first time I played it, after my piano tuner left. Rather, I had a “woah-has-this-piano-been-tuned-at-all” moment. Before I could question the work of my very talented tuner much further though, I remembered that my brain is out of practice.
Clearly it’s what happens after a five-month break from playing. The piano sounded somewhat … er … terrible. Not as bad as after my CIs were switched on, thank goodness, but definitely muddled. Pachelbel’s Canon made me shudder, as did Mozart’s Turkish March. Debussy’s Clair de Lune, my favourite, sounded a little sweeter to the ears. Perhaps more familiar to the brain.
After 30 minutes or so, the piano sounded much better. But I am going to have to find the time to sit at it regularly to stop that from happening again!
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Dear Daniela, I live in South Africa and had my CI about a year ago. I am/was a musician who played by ear. My accordion sounds terrible. The CI is only in the right ear. My left ear should also get an implant but I do not want to lose the little bass hearing I still have. I read that you are a music teacher. Is there hope that things will soud better again and do you think I should go for a second implant? I am a 67 old male who used a Nucleus 6. Thank you for reading this. Where can I read more about your experience as an implantee?
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Sorry to hear the accordion sounds terrible - do you still play, or have you given up momentarily? There are a lot of factors to consider before deciding whether to get a second CI. For me, it was an easy decision - my hearing was distorted. Even though I had more hearing in one ear than the other, music (and everything else) still sounded awful. I figured it couldn't get any worse! Is your remaining hearing distorted also (sensorineural), or is it just faint (conductive)? If it's the latter, I'd persevere with the accordion (repeatedly play scales) in order to 'train' your CI ear with your good ear. The accordion sounds are so warm and rich that for me, personally, one CI wouldn't render them very clearly. I'd just hear noise. (Music doesn't sound too good when I'm only wearing one.) Wearing two, I can separate the accordion's sounds and render them into some sort of melody! But no two CI users are the same, unfortunately, so there is no guarantee of the same result should you decide on a second CI. You'll need to weigh up the risks - usually, for most, the decision is made once the hearing is so poor in the other ear that they have nothing to lose. Can you speak to your audiologist about your concerns? Also speak to as many musicians as you can! We have all had different experiences.
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