Classical musicians use surprising device to silence sound

The pianist Steven Osborne and cellist Alban Gerhardt are introducing the idea of playing with earplugs.

These two first class soloists consider that earplugs are essential to their music-making. The earplugs, they say, help to relax;  relaxation helps to communicate.

Osborne was custom-fitted with a special “musician” pair of earplugs due to an illness he developed. These filter out a calibrated amount of noise while allowing other sounds to enter...

more:
wbez.org/sections/culture/classical-musicians-use-surprising-device-silence-sound-100043