I have a recurring issue that when after a break I return to a session especially if there are a fair few players and it’s loud, that my playing suffers somewhat as I am trying to play louder than my natural at home level. It’s ok on banjo as it just means my hand gets tired quickly, but on fiddle it’s frankly a big problem! It feels a tiny bit out of my control, like playing quieter means I end up feeling I can’t hear myself. Any tips other than the obvious?
Loud sessions are real problem. Aside from not being able to hear yourself, you are damaging your hearing and I can assure you from personal experience it will take its toll with time.
Sitting at the periphery helps both problems.
the obvious. practice your playing while wearing hearing protection (I use Bose noise-canceling headphones). you will have to play louder just to hear yourself and your hands will get used to loud playing (you may have to practice loud playing somewhere else, I go next to a busy noisy highway). at your session, if you worry about ear damage, wear hearing protection (I use D’Addario “musicians” ear plugs). otherwise, just play as loudly as everybody else does.
I’d say, don’t try to play louder than is comfortable for you. The sound of your instrument probably carries much farther than you think. You don’t want people in the next bar or the toilet to hear you sounding below par because you are trying too hard and scraping away. Plus, it’s exhausting. If you need to hear your fiddle better, and if the circumstances allow, wear a broad-brimmed hat. You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes. Instant foldback.
My hearing is probably already totalled from playing in rock bands when I was younger, which probably doesn’t help - but I think the volume here isn’t so loud that it’s causing damage, but maybe I should try a decibel meter.
Practicing a bit with headphones on is a nice idea - gonna try that.
Yes I’m not really intending to play louder, but it feels like I have to consciously reign it in, which disrupts the feeling of playing :/ - I think it’s just a case like anything of practicing and getting used it.
That’s a hilarious and great that a hat would work like that! Perhaps I need an emergency hat for large session use only…
If you see a flute or whistle player with a baseball cap you’ll now know why.
gotcha. no want to play louder. then go the opposite way. see how quietly you can play while still being able to hear yourself. concentrate on listening instead of concentrating on playing.
re “sounds bad because attempt to play too loud” is a question of technique (“gets better with practice”) and tooling (for mandolins, choice of strings, pick, action height makes big difference in how loud I can get before getting into “sounds bad” territory).