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I have to be very careful as I have tinnitus and it gets much worse after noise. In a practice room (or anywhere I can make loud noise) I have to be very careful, as any piano (regardless of its size) can cause problems. I've been very lucky so far, as I've been able to keep it under control so far.

I feel so refreshed! I originally posted this in 2008.

There's a related thread running in the "Piano Teachers" forum right now.

For anyone with trouble from tinnitus from loud sounds, I recommend these earplugs:

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-Standard-Packaging/dp/B00RM6Q9XW

They give reasonably-constant 20 dB reduction, across most audio frequencies. They fit me well (I got the "Standard" size), are comfortable, and don't cost much. They're better than my old Hearo "Musician's Earplugs".

I have these earplugs and I wouldn’t go to an amplified concert without them. These days I don’t go to many amplified concerts. I could try them at the piano to see what they’re like. I’m a big fan of Etymotic and I love their ER-4SR earphones which I will not travel without.

I practice my four octave scales, chords and arpeggios on my upright with the practice pedal, partially so as not to annoy my family, but also to reduce the volume for my own ears. I practice them pp to ff, and on weekends do all major and minor keys, so why expose myself to that volume unnecessarily? If available, at least using such a practice pedal for menial practice routines and exercises makes sense to me.

Good idea! Small investment. I go to concerts on occasion and the volume is usually uncomfortable.

Coincidentally, I just noticed that we have two different thread on Pianist Corner and Piano Teachers forum with exactly the same title: "Hearing Loss from Piano" started by two different members.

gooddog, you might want to take a look at this thread on the Piano Teachers forum too.

The danger isn't the sustained resonance, but the transient of the attack. If it's an instrument with hardened hammers in a reflective space then you get hit with a lot of harmonic content. When I was young there was one practice room (small upright) which would make my ears ring after 20-30mins. If someone used that kind of setup daily there would surely be consequences as the years go by.

Good news is that a few rugs will totally take the edge off.

If you play an early square piano, there is no way that you would be at risk of hearing loss! (Or of disturbing the neighbours.)

Research shows that regular sustained noise at 85db can cause hearing damage in susceptible people. Regular sustained nosie at 90db causes hearing damage for the majority of normal people. A grand piano played around f with the lid down is around 90db, with the lid up and ff around 100db. On headphones especially hearing damage is common as it is very difficult to know how loud we are listening. If you wait to have pain or discomfort chances are you have already casued some damage. Most people with a little bit of hearing damage don’t even realise it, as we get older our hearing deterioarates anyway so it can be impossible to know the cause in a particular case. If you value your hearing it is best to err on the side of caution.

You can get almost 100db even out of an upright piano …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pGN4oE28J4

That's true. Perhaps I need a clavichord.

Noise exposure is not the only source of hearing loss. Many cases of hearing loss are age related.

Oh if I can copy paste what I wrote on the piano teachers' forum .

Apparently, most professional classical musicians develop some kind of noise related hearing loss (in addition to the age-related hearing almost everyone will get), and classical musicians actually get more hearing loss than rock musicians, due to the longer practice hours in classical music.

However, for people without those kind of practice hours and amount of concerts attended, the risk will surely be a lot lower.

Still, definitely always bring some ear plugs with you (you could carry foam ear plugs around with you) and put them in if you believe the noise at a concert or rehearsal is too loud, or above about 90-100db, and similarly if you are practising on a loud piano in a small practice room.

Foam ear plugs usually attenuate the sound down by around 10-20db, likely bringing it to safe levels with them in.

That said, most people get age-related hearing loss, and that is partly genetic, and inevitable even if you sit in a quiet room your whole life, and had never become a musician.