The tablecloths greeting wedding guests in today's banquet hall are pristine as are the china the glass and the silverware. But another accessory has begun gracing some of the most up-to-date elegantly arranged dinner tables -- earplugs. Albeit somewhat prosaic this accessory has become a much welcomed addition that enables wedding guests to participate more comfortably in the mitzvah of being sameiach the chassan and kallah. And if this accessory has not been provided by the baalei simchah it is not long before one or more far-sighted individuals -- much to the envy of the others -- will whip out their personal earplugs from dainty evening bags or pockets. Unlike the others they have come prepared to enjoy the next five hours confident that they will leave the simchah if not with their vocal cords at least with their hearing intact.

It's not your imagination: The issue of loud music at simchahs has taken on greater urgency within the last seven to eight years. Given the evolving nature of Jewish music from a more melodious form to one that is beat-oriented the volume and pitch of music of our tunes has risen decidedly. As popular Toronto bandleader David Kerzner from Nafsheinu Orchestra noted young people today “want to feel the music in their bones.” This can only happen when sound vibrations are loud enough to infiltrate the body itself. And in order for that to happen amplification systems which have become standard for all simchah bands must be turned up very high.

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