Here's a sidenote about "exquisite sensitivity" and blast noise. A long long time ago I was a television camerman. On Remembrance Day we were covering the local ceremonies which included a salute from a 88 howitzer. I thought that it would be a great idea to get a shot of the gun going off from the viewpoint of the bottom of the barrel. I positioned myself at the right side of the gun and aimed upwards so that you could see the length of the barrel and the muzzle in the shot. When the howitzer went off I was hit by a shockwave so intense, that I could actually feel each of my internal organs. For the first, and to this point, only moment of my life, I was aware of exactly where my liver, stomach, and kidneys were positioned. I don't believe that this experience aided my appreciation of music in any way.
