Strategies for the Selection of Music in the Short-Term Management of Mild Tinnitus

The use of fractal tones in tinnitus patient management

“…It has been recommended that music used for tinnitus management should evoke positive feelings, should be void of vocals, should not contain pronounced bass beats, should be pleasant, but not too interesting or compelling (though for short-term relief attention capturing music can be beneficial), should induce relaxation while reducing tinnitus audibility (best for long-term relief), and should be played at low levels where music blends with tinnitus. [34,35] Other suggestions indicate that if music is to be relaxing, it should have a tempo near or below resting heart rate (60-72 beats/ min); have a fluid melodic movement, contain a variety of pitches, be self-selected, not have rapid amplitude changes, [36] and contain an element of uncertainty. [37] In addition, the fact that sounds (including music) affects people in different ways, due to inherent, learned (and cultural) preferences, should be taken into consideration.…”

“…This may become a liability if the patient becomes bored or bothered by the repetition of the music. For both therapies, the use of previously recorded music may have an undesired impact on stress reduction because familiar music could evoke memories and potentially negative emotions [34] or create unwanted distraction. From a practical perspective, since somewhat visually obtrusive headphones (including cords) are currently used in these approaches, some individuals may not be able to use the processor at times where headphones may be considered inappropriate, such as during work.…”

“…In addition, subjects preferred major chords rather than minor chords. [45] Subjects in the Hann, et al, [34] investigation compared four well-known baroque musical passages, Bach's Air in G, which is also one of the pre-recorded musical passages contained in the Neuromonics protocol, Albinoni's Adagio, and two of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Their conclusion was that the major mode was the common musical element for preference.…”

“…Hearing aids have inherent restrictions on dynamic range since their primary purpose is amplifying speech (as opposed to MP3 players or other recording devices). Rather than producing a potential decrement to sound therapy for tinnitus, Hann et al, [34] suggest that minimizing the dynamic range is actually a desirable component of sound therapy for tinnitus patients. Considering the fact that hearing impaired patients have loudness recruitment, and many further suffer from hyperacusis, it makes sense that certain tinnitus patients do not wish to be exposed to high intensities.…”

Bhramari Pranayama and Alternative Treatments of Tinnitus: In Pursuit of the Cure

“…There are other stimuli now being increasingly recommended (Sweetow & Sabes, 2010). Henry et al (2004) & Hann et al (2008 found dynamic sounds, such as music and rain, to be more effective as maskers compared to narrowband and broadband noise. The complete masking approach used initially, incorporated the increase of intensity or volume to a level where the tinnitus became imperceptible (Coles, 1997).…”