Geoff Read Posted January 2, 2019 Report Share Posted January 2, 2019 G'day musician friends from Sydney Australila! I am on a personal quest myself and I am hoping I have found myself a group of CI implantees with an interest in music! About myself: I am a bilateral Cochlear implantee (I know I am not with the Med-El but I admire & respect them) and wish to share my music journey with all of you. What I am hoping to do is to compile a list of songs that you all like? It does nt matter what music genre it is but if we can all contribute who knows we might end up with a fascinating list of music songs that cochlear implantees like or have preference for? It could be classical, rock, pop, blues, jazz or what have you. Only just today I wrote to a local FM radio station with a new suggestion - that we ask them to play a list of popular music titles that the general public likes but also that CI implantees like. This is a great way of sharing with the public at large and also a way of finding something in common between us. If we could compile a list of songs together I could ask my local radio station to play the list in celeration of "International Cochlear Implant" day on 25th February? I agree with many posters here in this forum that it is not possible to for each one of us to have the same "hearing experience" because all of us are unique and we have different medical reasons. Nonetheless here's the challenge can we compile a list of music and see if we all agree? Sounds like fun? Then lets start compiling!? Happy New CI Year folks! Geoff Read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted January 2, 2019 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted January 2, 2019 Hi @Geoff Read and welcome. I love all types of music with my bilateral CIs. Old favorites and brand new songs too. Have you seen the Spotify music list that Med-El created which contains songs that may be easier for CI users to enjoy? Search in Spotify for Med-El . I believe there are two lists.....a varied musical style list and a holiday list. Mary Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Featherston Posted January 2, 2019 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted January 2, 2019 Hi @Geoff Read and welcome! I'm much earlier in my CI journey than, say, Mary Beth and so my most successful music listening is when the music is less complex. I haven't even tried listening to anything orchestral, though I want to one day! But the songs that I can listen to and have them sound nearly what I remember from when I could hear are the ones with a midrange male voice and fairly simple instrumental accompaniment. Like, say, James Taylor (warning: I'm old). One of the things that I do for aural training is listen to music in my car with just my newer CI. Once that one is sounding better (I am still getting some free-range high frequencies above the vocals) then I'll alternate left and right and even listen with both. But I find music listening to be really good aural training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Read Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 Thanks so much Mary Beth and Mary Featherstone. One thing I'd like to ask is :- Do you find that the quality of music is richer and more lively in a live music performance? I've noticed the remarkable difference between LIVE music and music played over artificial sound such as speakers even bluetooth wifi or radio? I say there's nothing quite like LIVE music. Do you find that the case? Cheers Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Featherston Posted January 3, 2019 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 @Geoff Read - I haven't been to a live performance since being implanted. I'll be interested to hear what you all say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted January 3, 2019 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 I LOVE live music events and we go to many. Some in small theaters, Broadway theaters and huge arenas. I love live music! @Geoff Read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Read Posted January 4, 2019 Report Share Posted January 4, 2019 Thought as much!! I am trying to garner similar sentiments from as many implantees on this intriguing phenomenon.... its quite a remarkable difference and LIVE MUSIC is not comparable to synthentic music at all...... Problem is not many implantees appear to have a love of music? You can imagine how happy I was when I found this forum and start comparing notes..... Which brings me to the point of how widely understood is this phenomenon amongst the CI professional network? I can only find one serious study by Naama Tsach (PhD) but she does n't appear to have made any references to LIVE music (unless I am mistaken)? https://www.acialliance.org/blogpost/1334356/265473/Music-Appreciation-Following-Cochlear-Implantation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted January 4, 2019 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted January 4, 2019 @Geoff Read There is actually a lot of research going on with music perception/appreciation of cochlear implant users. Charles Limb has a TedTalk about it and has published a lot. He has active studies going on in California. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=charles+limb+music+and+cochlear+implants&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart @MallaRuth attended a conference in Montreal last year on music and CIs. Maybe she will post her thoughts. What has been some of your favorite live music events with your CI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Read Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 Thanks Mary Beth - it costs $$$$$ to download journals. Are you able to tell me quickly if Charles Limb has made any note of the LIVE music phenomenon? That's the key question! I like solo LIVE music performances where there is only 1 instrument for example. Acoustic guitar is amazing. I did attend a symphony orchestra that played Handel's Messiah! What was remarkable was that I could even hear the tiny drum rolls that is played only for about 20 secs max throughout the 2 hr performance! Still very new to the LIVE music world so not much for me to share right now. Just acquired Cochlear's "Hope Notes" product that is designed to help CI recipients to make the most of the music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MallaRuth Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 Hi @Geoff Read! I love live music also. I attend a lot of concerts, mainly classical. I enjoyed Messiah at York Minster (UK) very much. The resonance of the enormous choir and orchestra in that amazing space (all the stone) was incredible. I play a woodwind instrument (clarinet) and enjoy woodwind concerts as well. These instruments in particular are very resonant. I think the spaces in which such concerts take place is really important. The last woodwind concert I went to was at my old university, and the concert hall is set up in a way that maximises acoustics, with a round angular shape and lots of wood. You can see the interior here: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jack+lyons+concert+hall+york&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIz8mRt9bfAhW8SBUIHSduA54Q_AUIDygC&biw=1536&bih=723 I will let you know when the proceedings from the Music and Cochlear Implants symposium are published. There were many interesting talks, and one covered what makes music so satisfying to listen to (factors like harmony, melody, suspense, emotion, timbre) which you may be able to correlate with live music experiences. The next symposium will be in 2020 - perhaps you should suggest a session topic! I found that many of the researchers were surprised by how much we CI participants enjoyed (and were competent in reading/playing) music... http://www.implantsandmusic.net/ Another note (I work in academic publishing). You can retrieve a lot of peer-reviewed academic literature for free these days. Try sites like http://gettheresearch.org/ or https://unpaywall.org/ Mary Beth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 Hi All -- I am a professional jazz guitarist/bassist and am getting first Med-El CI implant surgery on Tuesday in my left ear. My right ear has profound SN loss too but I have been practicing guitar of late plugging my left ear completely and using HA in my right ear only (to see what that's like in case it is a long path to hearing with the CI). I can still hear enough to play reasonably well with only the right ear....though pitch discrimination has been getting more difficult as time passes. I will be working hard to rehabilitate my left ear with the CI to hopefully improve my musical hearing overall but am setting expectations low. Hoping that my 40 years of music experience may help the process. I would be interested in continuing this thread and will post my impressions as they evolve. Thanks for the thread 🙂 Ford MallaRuth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Read Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 My very best wishes on your upcoming CI surgery Ford! I can tell you that the CI outcomes have by far exceeded my expectations! CI has come a long way since the late 1970's and the technology is just getting better all the time. Sorry guys but I am going to harp on about the incredible phenomenon of LIVE music. Just thought of a good analogy to describe the difference between LIVE and recorded music:- Its very much akin to going to see a LIVE sports game as opposed to watching it on TV!!! There are many qualities that even the most hi-tech TV can't give you namely :- The perception of distance when you are at the game!!! You appreciate the distance players have to move or even the direction and distance of the ball. It is this vastness and not to mention the atmospheric qualities that you also experience. Well - it is just like that with LIVE music compared to listening to recorded music (even if it is in bluetooth or stereo quality). You just cannot compare the two....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted January 6, 2019 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 @Geoff Read Always happy to discuss music with my CIs! Have you ever listened to music with your CI using BOSE QC35 BT noise cancelling headphones? Awesome bass sounds. True stereo for bilateral users-different instrumentals delivered to right versus left sides. Makes me feel like I am sitting on the stage surrounded by the band. Sometimes we stream music in ways that are convenient to us using various streaming options, but they compromise the sound quality. Nothing will ever beat live music though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Featherston Posted January 6, 2019 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 3 hours ago, Geoff Read said: My very best wishes on your upcoming CI surgery Ford! I can tell you that the CI outcomes have by far exceeded my expectations! CI has come a long way since the late 1970's and the technology is just getting better all the time. Sorry guys but I am going to harp on about the incredible phenomenon of LIVE music. Just thought of a good analogy to describe the difference between LIVE and recorded music:- Its very much akin to going to see a LIVE sports game as opposed to watching it on TV!!! There are many qualities that even the most hi-tech TV can't give you namely :- The perception of distance when you are at the game!!! You appreciate the distance players have to move or even the direction and distance of the ball. It is this vastness and not to mention the atmospheric qualities that you also experience. Well - it is just like that with LIVE music compared to listening to recorded music (even if it is in bluetooth or stereo quality). You just cannot compare the two....... I am looking forward to when I can go to concerts again! Right now orchestral music is beyond me, I'm not far enough along in my aural training. But one day.... Geoff, what do you like to listen to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted January 6, 2019 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 @Ford That’s terrific! Wishing you the very best! Did you select Sonnet or Rondo 2 processors? I absolutely love music with my CIs. I hope you do too. I am not someone who understood speech at activation and music sounded bizarre at first too BUT I was committed to training my brain and it all paid off. I see you are committed to the journey too. Check out our topic on rehab when you are ready. I look forward to following your journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 My understanding was that med-el offered a 2 for one special last month when my audi ordered the devices so I believe I am getting both a Syncrony EAS and Rondo 2. We will see what actually transpires 🙂. Currently I have pretty good low frequency hearing in both ears (-20 to 40 up to 750K), but no high frequency left above 1K in my left and only slightly better in my right. I have thus opted to use as open a fitting as possible (less occluded) for a more natural feeling and to let more low frequencies in... probably not "optimal" but it seemed to work for me. If by some miracle I manage to retain a decent amount of my existing LF after surgery, I imagine I may tend towards using mostly the Rondo 2, but who knows? I understand folks have had mixed results with EAS... especially those with only mild/moderate LF loss. But I may be misinformed. As I understand my mileage may vary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Any suggestions for must-have accessories for the CI-s? Not sure whats included. Thanks all for the encouragement...hopeful but apprehensive 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted January 6, 2019 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 @Ford Let’s see what you receive in your activation kits and then we can discuss accessories. Keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Posted January 12, 2019 Report Share Posted January 12, 2019 Hi All -- surgery went well I think, at least my surgeon said so 🙂 . Day 4 of recovery. Dizziness is getting better and pain subsiding and not too bad. My left ear (implant side) seems totally deaf but if I rub/tap my earlobe I can definitely hear LF there...so I am hopeful that perhaps some residual hearing is left. Dr. told me that with newer electrodes these days my chance of minimal or no residual loss is about 50/50, but perhaps he was just trying to make me feel good... Right ear seems a bit plugged too...but imagine the whole head is reeling a bit from the anesthesia, meds etc... and likely tons of fluid in there plugging things up. I am setting expectations low but excited to see what this is CI world is all about -- activation scheduled for Feb 14. I played guitar today just for fun and could kinda hear alright with just my right ear and HA .... but I am surprised how much my left ear was "helping out" before the surgery even with such severe loss. All is and will be very much a moving target now. Mary Beth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted January 12, 2019 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted January 12, 2019 @Ford Terrific! Rest easy. The fun will begin on Feb14th. Then you will be very busy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.