Wow! What a surprise to see this thread revived!

I'm momentarily off to the hearing aid office to pick up my right aid, which has been on the fritz for about a month. Fortunately, Siemens is fixing it for free. The first problem was that the volume control wasn't working correctly; I got it back after that, and it wouldn't hold its program, so I sent it back again. Here's hoping it's OK now!

Anyway, playing music with one of my old bte aids and one of my new ite digital aids has been a bit like running a marathon with one foot in a sneaker and one in a dancing slipper.

Allan C, I didn't realize you used hearing aids at all. Your explanation of what I call "blip-blap," the language I hear without my aids, is perfect. And the exhaustion is something to be reckoned with. I burn out after about 90 minutes in group situations. Can't think, can't talk coherently, can't focus my attention for beans.

On the up-side--my pitch perception and "playing by ear" skills have improved dramatically in the last year (since I got the digital aids) but playing/singing with confidence are still a challenge.

Blessings to all of you who are willing to share your experiences here!

V