I've been a semi-pro bass player for many years playing blues-rock, funk, soul etc in mostly modest-sized venues - so nothing extremely loud.
About twelve years ago I auditioned for a new band and after meeting and chatting with the others duly set up in the studio opposite the drummer.
The leader counted us in for the first song and I was immediately struck with UNBELIEVABLE LEVELS OF ELECTRIC DRUM NOISE TOGETHER WITH PAIN IN BOTH EARS 😳.
I just ran from the studio with fingers in both ears - and I knew something major had just happened.
In just a few seconds my hearing had been damaged.
From that day to this I have suffered with a high-pitched, hissing sound in both ears, primarily the left.
The sound is constant, 24/7 but I guess I'm one of the lucky ones - pulsile must be worse.
I have hyper-acusis & certain frequencies can be painful. If I find myself somewhere where the music or ambient sound is too loud, it can hurt.
Performing-wise - I did try playing using earplugs made for musicians and also in-ear monitors- I found them either useless or spoiled all the fun of playing live.
Eventually, I sold my bass gear and went back to where I started - playing acoustic guitar.
There is no doubt that tinnitus can be distressing - occasionally, I go to a local Tinnitus support group meeting and I speak with others who seem to be in a worse place than myself with theirs.
Let's hope that one day an effective treatment will be developed.
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BiteyDelano
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Hi there BiteyDelano. My story is similar. I played in a metal band for around 20 years. I gradually developed hearing loss in one ear, the side the drummer was on!!, plus tinnitus arrived with the jab and even louder when I got covid. If I'm attending a gig, I have to be careful with small venues and always use ear plugs. I agree, there's only so much a small piece of plastic can hold back, but they do take around 30db of the sound. I now, like yourself, have an acoustic one man band set up were im in control of the volume!! Interestingly, none of the other band members have hearing or tinnitus issues. I control my tinnitus with sleep bands, sound therapy, and in general just having plenty to keep me busy. Nice to hear from other musicians on the forum. Take care.
On a more serious note, just want to let anyone interested know that we have a specific support group, meeting once a month, aimed at musicians and people with careers in the entertainment industries, which may be of help - tinnitus.org.uk/event/music...
Hi yes mines the same sort of story - I think as musicians we forget that because music sounds nice we are often playing at volumes similar to road drills.
I’ve a chum who is a guitar tech for big bands we would all know. I asked him to take some decibel readings from the mixing desk at sound check - nothing came back under 100 db. Pretty shocking the audiences at these gigs are exposed to several hours of those sorts of volumes.
I wonder just how many people have to end up with hearing loss, tinnitus and hyperacusis before the music industry wakes up and regulates itself.
We're singing from the same hymn sheet here. My turning point was over 30 years ago, having the electric violinist's amp positioned right behind me. Normally he was on the other side of the stage but the size of the venue meant he was on "my" side. My ears were ringing after the gig and have never stopped.
Although I carried on playing for the next 12 years with custom ear plugs I too had to give up and went back to acoustic live and only using electric while recording at home.
I'm not sure I have any particular strategies to deal with it. It's there most of the time. Sometimes I can ignore it and others I can't. It's not a lot of fun...
I hope you find a way to deal with yours. I'd recommend the musicians support group.
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