What… I can’t hear you!

 One thing that many musicians and have in common is playing at high volume levels.  As I talk to musicians that have been playing for a long time the one question that often comes up is do your ears ring all the time? 

I spent my late teens and all of my 20s playing 5-6 nights a week in pretty loud bands.  You know…the snare drum cracking, cymbals crashing and let’s not forget those guitar amps!  Tinnitus, the ringing in your ears, is something that a lot of musicians deal with and it is incurable.  I’m no doctor so if you have it you should defiantly see one to see what can be done.  I can just tell my story.

Off and on over the years I would come home from a gig with that ringing in my ears and it would usually go away the next day.  As I got older I realized that I really should do something and started wearing earplugs.  Well that didn’t last long because I felt I wasn’t hearing everything I needed to do my job as a musician.  Then a few years ago I started having the ringing in my ears at random times, time to get more serious!  I was a little late and it wasn’t long before the ringing became a constant thing.  I am lucky and it is very minor but it is still there.   There are a lot of earplugs out on the market that do a great job and lowering the volume level and letting most frequencies through.

If you are exposing yourself to high volume levels you should go to a hearing specialist, they will be able to help you with preventive measures to help preserve your hearing.  Remember you only have one set of ears!