a woman's ears

[bryan.helm@dinosaur.com]

Dear Loopers
     The recent "my girlfriend" thread reminds me of the old folk song
"momma don't  allow no guitar playing round here". But so far, no
one has mentioned the fact that there are actual physical differences
in HOW men and women perceive sound....for instance, female ears
are able to hear in higher ranges than most males. This effect is 
especially
pronounced at times of hormonal surges, and many women find those 
high (screechy) notes physically uncomfortable. The biological reasons
(and I'm not making this up; I've read the medical/scientific studies on 
this)
behind this seem to be pointing towards millions of years of conditioning
females to hear those babies (high pitched and loud in their frequencies)
and it causes a certain biological trigger (make it stop!). This is 
especially
true of REPETITIVE (ie loops, anyone?) loud, high pitched sound. And while 
women, especially when in MOM mode, have a certain amount of tolerance
built up for repetition (Mom? Mom? Mom? Can I...Mom?)they may not always
choose to seek it out recreationally....
    And did anyone see the article in the newspaper this week about the
inner ear differences (structureally speaking) between lesbian inner ears
and heterosexual female inner ears? Seems the lesbian ears are more
like men's ears......perhaps because of hormonal differences while still
in the womb....
    However, NO sweeping generalities can be made when talking about 
sensory awareness---I'm female, and I LOVE many kinds of loop music,
even loud, even odd pitches....I lived with a bagpiper once, who played
 in the house on bad weather days. and it was great! And 17 years
of listening to Bryan's music has not bored me---though there are the
occasional high notes that drive me from the room....
                                          Sarajane Helm