What's That Sound?

Normally, I like to think and write about sound in the context of enjoying the recorded arts; today, sad to say, it’s about bad sound. Not the kind that comes from inferior or improperly set up audio systems, but the kind that, for some of us, is more or less always there. It’s called “tinnitus” (pronounced TIN-it-us, not tin-EYE-tus, as my friend and, at the time doctor, Andy was careful to remind me some 35 years ago), and I suffer from it. “Ringing in the ears” is what it actually is. It has many causes ranging from too much ear wax and exposure to loud music to medication side effects and as a symptom of disease. I don’t know where mine came from, but it has been there, to one degree or another, for many years.

Except right now I am enjoying Grieg’s “Holberg Suite” (on a freshly PVF cleaned LP and my new Ref Phono 3) and my tinnitus is not intruding. It’s gone right now from my right ear and at a sufficiently low level in my left that I don’t notice it except in a dead quiet room with nothing else to think about. It’s been years, also, since tinnitus was this little a factor in my daily life. And, as they say on TV, now you too can be tinnitus-free!

Marty Leamon (“Saturday Morning Coffee Marty”) will be leading three sessions in “self-tinnitus reduction” this coming Saturday. Let’s get the small print out of the way right up front. I am a sample of one. I can’t say what it will do for you, but for me, what Marty has shown me has enabled me to significantly reduce the level of tinnitus I experience; at times, it is completely gone. I can’t remember the last time I could say that.

Marty is an A(ctive) I(solated) S(tretching) practitioner and, as such, works with numerous clients with medical conditions of all kinds, but I never expected his skill set to include the ability to moderate, or eliminate tinnitus. He mentioned wanting to do these training sessions at Ultra Fidelis and I thought, well, that could be interesting. Why don’t you show me first? He showed me a brief version of what to do and I tried it a couple times. I did notice a reduction in the ringing over time, but it wasn’t until he actually performed the “whole thing” on me this past weekend that I really got it. Both in terms of understanding what to do and truly experiencing a change in my tinnitus.

I’ll warn you that Marty’s version hurts. Significantly more than the “lite” version I was obviously doing to myself before he laid hands on me. But his WORKS. The temporary pain is worth it for the improvement I observe. Again, I make no guarantees as to your results, but to hear Marty tell it, he only has a few “misses” and those were easily explained by extenuating circumstances.
So we invite you to attend, this coming Saturday, January 13. There are three sessions, each expected to go an hour or so, maybe longer depending on attendance. You need to sign up for one, 11:00, 1:00 or 3:00, in order to ensure Marty is not overbooked. If you suffer from tinnitus, I advise you to take him up on this generous offer.

Recently heard-
Grieg: Holberg Suite/Wiren: Serenade for Strings
English Chamber Orchestra/Johannes Somary
Vanguard Cardinal Series LP

The High Renaissance- Series G: Dance Music
Collegium Terpsichore
Original 1960 Archive Production (DGG) LP

Nic Jones
Penguin Eggs
All five extant different LP masterings/pressings (Certified Nutjob Endeavor)

The Complete Duo Recordings: Moments from this Theater (into which I intersperse other versions of these great tunes from Tidal and my library on my Aurender)
Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham
Ripped CD file from Proper Records