tookatooka
873 posts
Dec 15, 2009
10:07 AM
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I've got the Big T, (Tinitus) It's like a steaming kettle going on inside my head 24/7. I also think my hearing is deteriorating in the upper frequencies and can't stand the thought of having to wear an aid. What's that you said?
Anyone here with hearing problems or hearing aid, and can it affect our harp playing in the future?
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Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 10:07 AM
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toddlgreene
244 posts
Dec 15, 2009
10:10 AM
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Huh?
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~Todd L. Greene, Devout Pedestrian
"listen to what you like for inspiration, but find your own voice"
crescentcityharmonicaclub@gmail.com
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kudzurunner
876 posts
Dec 15, 2009
10:50 AM
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Funny you should bring up this topic.
On Thanksgiving night, I sat in with Carlos Capote and his band at the Northside Tavern in Atlanta. Was on stage for about 15 minutes. The drummer hit hard, we all hit hard, but nothing I haven't done hundreds of other times over the past two decades.
The next morning my left ear had a slightly funky sound. And by nightfall, it was clear to me that I had a problem: tinnitus. It's not bad, but it's THERE. I've struggled to come up with metaphors for my wife's benefit: it's like a cross between crickets at night, heard faintly across the grass, and the combined sound of those dozens of little airjets in the passenger compartment in a jet. It's like the steam-relief valve in one of those NYC steam heaters. It's about 8000-10,000 hz. It's like my old life had background static of 2 db and now it's 8 db.
It went away once for about 24 hours, then was back the next day.
I've got a minor case, but ANY case, to one who has never had it, is scary and depressing at first.
I'm quite sure that it's long-term fallout from loud music AND my Snapper riding mower.
After you've developed tinnitus, you look back and say, "Jeez, what an idiot I was for using the riding mower without earplugs!"
Also an idiot for standing/sitting too close to my harp amps.
I can't really complain. But yes: I would love to hear from others who suffer from--or merely have--this.
And of course info about "miracle cure for tinnitus!" would be appreciated. google "tinnitus" and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.
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kudzurunner
877 posts
Dec 15, 2009
10:52 AM
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Here a way of appreciating tinnitus: as long as you can hear it, you're alive, not dead. It's when everything gets very very quiet that you need to worry.
:|
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Rick Davis
11 posts
Dec 15, 2009
10:57 AM
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Adam, I once dumped the gutarist and drummer in my band for this exact reason. After gigs my ears rang for at least 24 hours. The drummer was particularly brutal... when he cracked hard on the snare it was literally painful.
It ain't worth it. I dislike playing with earplugs, so low stage volume is the way to go for me. I think blues bands sound much better than way.
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-Rick Davis
Blues Harp Amps Blog
Roadhouse Joe Blues Band
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OzarkRich
54 posts
Dec 15, 2009
11:00 AM
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I have both ringing and hearing loss from my previous career in printing, despite wearing hearing protection for 27 years. Most of the loss is upper register and worse in my left ear.
I've learned to tune out/ignore the ringing for the most part, at least until something brings back to my attention (such as waking up in the morning, reading this thread, etc).
Ironically, I got into harp by playing on the job; the harp came through load and clear with ear plugs in. I assume the sound vibrates through the jaw to the ears. The down side was you couldn't hear the hand effects, which I still use infrequently as a result.
My hearing loss is why I've gotten into amplified harp this year. I really prefer playing acoustic on my deck.
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toddlgreene
246 posts
Dec 15, 2009
11:02 AM
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Had it too many times after shows...I hate how wearing earplugs cuts the details out onstage(wearing them half-in helps somewhat), but m-a-a-a-a-an, what a nice thing it is to wake up the next day without your ears ringing!
Im very fortunate to still have ANY hearing after being an F-15 mechanic for 21 years AND a musician, but I really think it's a testament to wearing hearing protection at least most of the time. Sure, you'll look like a dorkus malorkus with earplugs in, but you'll get the last laugh-and hear it.
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~Todd L. Greene, Devout Pedestrian
"listen to what you like for inspiration, but find your own voice"
crescentcityharmonicaclub@gmail.com
Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 11:05 AM
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Tuckster
308 posts
Dec 15, 2009
11:24 AM
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Yup. I worked in a steel mill and we got tested every year. Slowly but surely a big dip in the 2K-5K range.I wore hearing protection at work but didn't with the lawn mower or chain saw.I've vowed to myself to never again play with a loud band. It's no fun. Zero dynamics-it feels like I'm running as fast as I can all night at a gig.
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toddlgreene
247 posts
Dec 15, 2009
11:26 AM
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I think it's caused from too much breath force...
just kidding, BBQ Bob!
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~Todd L. Greene, Devout Pedestrian
"listen to what you like for inspiration, but find your own voice"
crescentcityharmonicaclub@gmail.com
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kudzurunner
878 posts
Dec 15, 2009
11:39 AM
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What's that?!
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Bluzdude46
324 posts
Dec 15, 2009
11:44 AM
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I have hearing loss from Stage volume and I kept getting ear infections wearing earplugs on the Flightline in the Air Force so I stopped wearing the earplugs and just listened to all the engines running up. So here I am with the loudest TV on the Block
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tookatooka
874 posts
Dec 15, 2009
11:58 AM
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It was quite distressing when I first got tinnitus. It started after an inner ear infection. I kept trying to clear the noise by popping my ears by holding my nose and blowing, but to no avail.
It seemed that although the noise was of a low volume, it would just creep up and peak above anything else I was listening to. I craved sleep to be rid of it even for a short while.
I found I needed to listen to a radio with those little ear buds at night as a distraction from the perpetual hissing, and still do today.
You can get white noise generators which do a similar job, but the radio is more entertaining.
I've not heard of a cure. I did try a homeopathic remedy (Ginko Biloba) out of desperation but once again, to no avail.
For what it's worth, I did come to terms with it and my brain has learnt to tune out of the noise. Sometimes I have to stop and listen to see if it is still there, and it is. It would be great to experience true silence again but I doubt I ever will.
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Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 11:59 AM
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pharpo
16 posts
Dec 15, 2009
11:58 AM
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Yea....I've been going to sleep to the sounds of crickets and katydids for many years now....Back in the 60's my Mom would'nt let me get headphones so I listened to all my music...layin on the floor with my head between the speakers !!!! Then I was a roadie for several local bands.
Adam your description of the symptoms is perfect !!
I don't think it affects my playing though.
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Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
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Aussiesucker
474 posts
Dec 15, 2009
12:18 PM
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Must be horrible & I feel for you sufferers as I presently have some sense of what you must be going through. Hopefully mine is a minor problem and will go away.
On Monday after my morning swim I had an ear that was completely blocked. Often happens but usually clears with a few jumps. Didn't clear although during the day the sound came and went ie like a faulty tuning pot on a radio. Went to Dr and diagnosed with a wax blockage so gave me some drops and next week when it softens he will clear it away.
Makes you acutely aware of how important hearing is. Funny, I normally have supersensitive hearing & am a very light sleeper. These last 2 nights I have slept like a baby. But I really want my hearing back to normal & be able to complain about noise again.
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Delta Dirt
63 posts
Dec 15, 2009
12:19 PM
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Ive been playing loud and hard on the chitlin circuit now for 35 years between Memphis and New Orleans...standing on the left side of the stage has left my right ear with a 15% hearing loss. The left one with less than 5%. I had them tested a decade ago by the docs. I keep turning my amp up higher every year. I have no intention of stopping however.My bandmates might fire me but i wont quit.
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Honkin On Bobo
92 posts
Dec 15, 2009
12:29 PM
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Yep I got it. I'm in my early 50's, been listening to rock and roll all of my life since my teenage years. Been listening to the blues and pursuing harp for about the last 3-4 years. I remember seeing J. Geils Band in the late 70's at the old Boston Garden standing five rows back dead center (festival set up - no floor seats). This scenario played itself out way too many times over the years: The Stones, Aerosmith, The Black Crowes, Buddy Guy, Springsteen etc. For the last 6-7 years I've been hanging out in local clubs listening to local bands who almost always are turned up way too loud for the size/configuration of the room. Lastly I've recently joined a band whose guitars are turned up so loud I can barely hear myself play sometimes.
It's all taken it's toll. Noticed the tinnitus about six months ago, and was really bummed out, mostly because I'd read that for a musician your ears are the most important thing. I can deal with the noise in my head, it's the thought of not being able to play harp that really bothers me the most. My tinnitus is intermittent. Some days I don't notice it at all, but i'm not sure if it's that it has gone away or it's just that I'm really busy so I don't notice it. I've also got some hearing loss. Conversations in a club are tough, yet I can hear the drip of a leaky faucett four rooms away. Conversations in a quiet setting are fine. It's weird.
I've made adjustments: earplugs for big name/venue acts, I get as far away from the bands as I can in the club scene (and wear plugs sometimes)etc., but I fear the horse is out of the barn already. The medical community offers no comfort. From what I understand it is irreverseable.
I've become a bit more stoic/philosophic about it lately, for a number of reasons. First almost every Rock and Roll/ Blues musician over 40 I've talked to, admits to having it to some degree. Almost like an occupational hazard. And second, I ask myself what could I have really done to prevent it and still had the same lifestyle? The "acceptable" decibel levels posited by audiologists probably rules out a lot of live music even with earplugs. To me it's a little like the AMA's position that one or two alcoholic drinks in a day is the max level for a healthy lifestyle. Well yeah, but really, who goes out to the Blues Club and has ONE cocktail the whole night? I'm not saying go out and get hammered, but really.
My sympathies for anyone who has developed it.
Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 12:44 PM
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toddlgreene
248 posts
Dec 15, 2009
12:30 PM
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~Todd L. Greene, Devout Pedestrian
"listen to what you like for inspiration, but find your own voice"
crescentcityharmonicaclub@gmail.com
Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 12:33 PM
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jawbone
184 posts
Dec 15, 2009
12:39 PM
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Yep - I've got the million crickets on caffeine, but I think part of it is due to too many hours on a tractor, chainsaws and finally music. Sometimes, and only at night, I get the "idling train from a 1/2 mile away" tone.
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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Buddha
1204 posts
Dec 15, 2009
12:47 PM
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my hearing got wrecked when I was playing with the Lonnie Brooks Band. The night it happened, BB King was across the street, after his show they all came in and his band joined Lonnie's band.
I was pressed up against Ronnie Baker Brooks' guitar amp. I was completely deaf in my right ear for almost a month. That's when I sold my bassman and got into acoustic music. That was the night all that rockin blues bullshit ended for me.
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"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are." - Joseph Campbell
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tookatooka
875 posts
Dec 15, 2009
12:48 PM
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@Jawbone@ said,"I get the "idling train from a 1/2 mile away" tone".
That's strange, over the last couple of weeks I've had similar. It sounds as though there is a car parked up the road with it's engine idling - but there is nothing there. Maybe I'm in for the low frequncy T now?
I was reading a book in the library about Tinnitus and there are people who get auditory halucinations. One poor women just heard the beginning of God Save the Queen, over and over and over and over. I just couldn't bear to get that.
Good to hear from you Bhudda. It's been a while....I think.
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Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 12:49 PM
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Bluzdude46
327 posts
Dec 15, 2009
12:48 PM
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Ok If I started getting all the different sounds y'all get I would just assume it was the acid from the 70's and 80's and the mushrooms from the 90's re-visiting. I get none of that. I just can't hear. Of course my ex wives used to claim I was deaf, but I think that was self preservation
Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 12:49 PM
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mr_so&so
251 posts
Dec 15, 2009
1:01 PM
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I have a story of hope on this front. Through an unfortunate series of exposures to unreasonably loud environments, one at a concert and one at work, I developed tinnitus in both ears. There was a constant sound, like a loud refrigerator whining, and intermittent "flares", winding up from low to high pitch then disappearing back to the constant whine. I also had increased senistivity; loud sounds actually hurt, and everything seemed louder.
I read up about tinnitus on the Internet and about the treatments that try to drown it out, with white noise, etc. Another treatment is to use hearing aids, presumably to train the brain to have a new threshold for background noise, or somesuch. Intuitively, these treatments did not make sense to me. I figured that if I injured my hearing with noise, the best approach would be to limit noise as best I can and give my ears a chance to heal. I also went to an audiologist for assessment. He said I had no significant hearing loss yet, but that tinnitus is certainly the first warning sign.
What I did was get some industrial ear protection (ear muffs) and wear those at home for ANY loud activity. I also got myself some good musicians' ear plugs, like these. I got two pairs, the 15 db and 25 db ones. I carry the 15s with me all the time and wear them in noisy areas at work, and noisy restaurants, highway driving, etc. I use the 25s for listening to live music. These musicians' plugs are custom fitted from a mold of your ear canal, and they are discrete looking. The foam ones look bad, are hard to get fitted properly, and distort the sound because they don't filter all frequencies to the same degree.
I'm happy to report that after having noticeable tinnitus for well over a year, it has slowly diminished to the point that I don't notice it any more. It is still there if I "listen" closely, or if I'm in a dead quiet location (try to find that though). My hypersensitivity to sound has also gone away --- that was a very disturbing problem. I have not had any post-concert relapses since using the plugs either, although I'm still careful about where I stand and how long I expose myself to loud environments.
Those musicians' plugs are expensive, close to $200, but they are absolutely worth it. You can hear things like conversation and music in a noisy restaurant/bar better than without them. I enjoy live music more. I can hear it better, and am not worried about doing damage any more. I play harp with them in too, and can hear myself better. There is no excuse for damaging your hearing for the sake of enjoying music -- that makes no sense whatsoever!
BTW, the tinnitus is another reason why, when I finally bought an amp, I bought a digital modeling amp. That is the only way to get a distorted sound a low volume. I am also very conscious of keeping the volume of iPods, etc. low --- and have switched to over-the-ear headphones (ear buds allow too much ambient noise in, making you turn up too loud).
Please protect your hearing, guys and gals.
Last Edited by on Dec 17, 2009 10:23 AM
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barbequebob
223 posts
Dec 15, 2009
1:37 PM
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Well, from years of having loud electric bass players on my left side, I do have some hearing loss from that. In the last 15 years, I've worked mainly with standup bass, since I do much more jump/swing and very few electric bass players can do that stuff well without being too loud and over playing.
The overtones generated by an electric bass is very different than a standup/doghouse bass is, and the whole sound and feel is very different.
The frequencies that do the most damage to your hearing by a mile are the low end frequencies and any reputable audiologist will confirm that. In terms of hearing damage, sure loud electric guitars and B-3 players do a lot, but they pale in comparison to what the following does in this order to your hearing:
Electric bass
Bass druma
Cymbols
Whenever some fool has the bass cranked up big time on their car stereos, it physically hurts from the damage done from electric bass in a period of 30+ years, and the way younger kids have the bass cranked up, they're gonna have a severe hearing loss by the time they hit their late 20's.
At some point in time, I'll need custom ear plugs because the ones commericially available in stores takes off too much across the board, some as much as 29 decibels, which unless you're playing venues the size of Madison Square Garden, that's way too much and the custom stuff can be properly set up to filter the problem areas at an amount that's really needed.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 1:41 PM
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toddlgreene
250 posts
Dec 15, 2009
1:43 PM
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Funny, I probably have this and don't even realize it. When I have been in isolation booths for hearing tests, I hear this constant noise similar to what you've all described above that I just thought was 'the sound of silence'('hello darkness my old friend'...), although my hearing is still excellent-is it possible to have tinnitus without(or prior to)hearing loss?
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~Todd L. Greene, Devout Pedestrian
"listen to what you like for inspiration, but find your own voice"
crescentcityharmonicaclub@gmail.com
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jawbone
185 posts
Dec 15, 2009
1:59 PM
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I remember, years ago, driving to Florida and constantly changing radio stations and thinking that the radio was not quite on frequency and hearing a high pitched squeal, but I now wonder if that was the beginning of tinnitus.
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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9000
1 post
Dec 15, 2009
2:03 PM
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I'm 59 and I've been wearing hearing aid for a little over a year and a half. I had started wearing the custom musicians earplugs with the 9db filters in them for 5 or 6 years before that because I knew there was trouble ahead. I also had an audiogram done about the same time so that I could establish a baseline for my hearing. This is an important step if you suspect some hearing loss. It will help you confront your denial later on because you'll be able to SEE the loss when you compare a new audiogram with an older one. Now that I am wearing the aids for everyday activities it has become VERY, VERY easy to surrender to wearing the filters for ALL electric playing opportunities. BLues bands and the venue we play in my area tend to be VERY loud. Paying dues to play the blues is one thing but I'm not willing to lose any more of my precious hearing. Protect your hearing now. You'll be happy you did later on.
All the best to everyone!
Jay
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Harpist
93 posts
Dec 15, 2009
2:33 PM
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I developed tinitus after years of drumming without ear plugs. I felt that I could never effectively express the dynamics of my playing when wearing ear plugs so I refused to wear them. Now whenever I enter a quiet room I hear the constant shhhhhhhhhh sound in my ears...a perpetual reminder of my foolishness.
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Gwythion
35 posts
Dec 15, 2009
2:35 PM
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I can still hear the last note of a guitar solo I heard 16 years ago. Wasn't there some mystical speculation about F# a while back? That's the note I hear 24/7 anyway. I only become conscious of it when I think about it now, though.
Still, perhaps it helps me get in touch with my Chi energy, or whatever! :)
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Chinn
18 posts
Dec 15, 2009
2:56 PM
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I grew up knowing my father was deaf. I also grew up knowing exactly how he became deaf. The reason I knew so much was because my mother pounded the reasons into my head at every opportunity.
Why was she so fervent about pushing the issue? (other than being a good mother?) My mother is a doctor of audiology.
My father's loss is half and half. He lost half of his hearing (left ear) to a disease in his late 20's. He lost the hearing (95% loss) in his right ear due to both musical and firearm exposure. As a kid he was a competition duck caller, a hunting guide, and a trumpet player. Work in a saw mill later in life took more hearing. His only remaining hearing is low sounds.
Dad has never heard my daughter, and he cannot hear my wife. Because of having hearing for the first 20+yrs of his life, he has no speech deficiences, and he reads lips exceptionally well. Most people don't know he's deaf.
Mom put high quality ear plugs in my ears from an extremely early age. I began competition duck calling at 12, and had full musicians plugs to do so. When I began making my own calls for sale, and tuning them inside, she provided me with a set with stronger attenuation. I'm now in my mid-thirties and as of my last audiogram, I have perfect hearing.
As mentioned above, my father did many loud activities for a long time, and never wore any hearing protection until his mid-thirties. By then almost all of his hearing was gone. Aside from the obvious difficulties associated with hearing loss (huh?) he lost one other major thing - his ability to participate in duck calling competitions. Dad made it to 2nd place in the world championships before the last of his hearing was gone. He never won it, and simply can't hear enough to complete the routines with the precision necessary to win today.
Moral of the story- Wear earplugs.
To this day, I still wear these earplugs :
http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/erme.aspx
For anyone who says that they can't play in plugs, I'm gonna call BS on that big time. You can, but you don't want to. Deciding today not to wear protection is effectively deciding you do not want to be able to play later in life.
To those wondering what the he!! do duck calls have to do with harps- They are simply single reed woodwind instruments which when played unamplified are still as loud as a good halfstack amp.
Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 2:58 PM
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djm3801
275 posts
Dec 15, 2009
3:41 PM
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Developed tinnitus in 1988 after building a storage shed. Used hammers and power tools all day, ears ringing a little as usual when I was done. It typically went away after a few minutes. Still ringing the next day. Never stopped. It is LOUD. That was a warning and my high frequency hearing and some of the middle frequency is essentially shot over teh years. I wear hearing aids in both ears. In fact, I got on stage the first time with a harp a few months ago at a Philly HARP club jam and realized i could not hear myself play, even with the amp, over the band. It was quite terrifying. That may not be an issue for someone who has played for years, but it is for me. I was pretty discouraged. Hearing loss is very isolating. And hearing aids are crap. Uncomfortable and the first thing I do when i leave the office is to take them out. I use close caption with TV. Mine cost $2000 each, digital, and are OK for me to make a living as an Analyst but they stink in social settings like restaurants. And even my nice Denon sound system sounds the same as my JVC shelf system in the garage.
The message is to protect your hearing. Use hearing protection. Trust me it is not fun at all. There are many worse things that can happen to you, but this one is preventable. On the balance, I am lucky.
Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 3:42 PM
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Ryan
47 posts
Dec 15, 2009
3:49 PM
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"I just thought it was 'the sound of silence'"
That's funny, when I was younger I thought the same exact thing, and that what I called it when I tried to talk to other people about it. When the other people clearly had no idea what the hell I was talking about I started to realise that everyone else must not hear this annoying ringing sound when it's quiet. When I realised this I actually figured-out/remembered how and when it all started. When I was a young kid, around 7 or 8 I think, this neighbor kid just decided to randomly throw a lemon-sized rock at me, as hard as he could, when I wasn't looking towards him, god damn that little bastard. Well the rock hit me square in the side of the head, and when I finally regained my senses I had this loud ringing sound in my ears, and ever since then I'd hear the same ringing sound (though not as loud) when it was quiet. I realised I had never heard that ringing before that point, so I blame it all on that little bastard.
The thing is I don't always hear or notice it when it's quiet. I never really never think about it unless I'm already hearing it and it's driving me crazy, so I wonder if my brain has developed some way to completely block it out at times or if it is really just a periodic thing that comes and goes.
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LIP RIPPER
148 posts
Dec 15, 2009
3:51 PM
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Guys, I don't ever remember a time when crickets weren't ringing in my ears. I'm 48 and long before I ever played music loud as hell with my 8 track in the car I went hunting along side my Dad and his 12 gauge. We went to the Conservation club at least one night through the week and I stood along side my father while he shot trap. And then of course I finally started shooting. I can only recall one shooter way back then that wore ear protection. For me it's kind of like any environment you're around long enough you begin to block things out or not hear them anymore. That's what I do with the crickets. I know, someone is going to say that's what they do when there wife is talking.
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snakes
413 posts
Dec 15, 2009
3:54 PM
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No tinnitus, but I have hearing loss. It is from a combination of 21 yrs. working in paper mills, being around firearms, loud music, my dad racing stock cars, and things like riding lawn mowers, etc. I usually wore hearing protection at work, but my last five hearing tests (we had mandatory annual checks) saw a drop in my baseline. It makes it very hard to carry on a conversation in a room where there is a lot of noise no matter whether it is loud or not. Everything seems to get muddled together at that time. I am glad I don't have the ringing though and sympathize with you folks who do. Ugh...
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kudzurunner
879 posts
Dec 15, 2009
5:06 PM
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This is an amazing, depressing thread. I had no idea so many of you guys were suffering to a greater or lesser extent from tinnitus and all associated hearing stuff.
NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can exacerbate and in some cases cause tinnitus--reversible tinnitus--and it turns out that I may fall into this camp. I take Ibuprofen three times a week after longer runs, and on Thanksgiving I ran a race in the morning and took a higher dose than usual late in the day. My exposure to blues club jam-noise was that night; the symptoms cropped up the next day. I was trying to figure out why something I'd done a thousand times (playing with a band) could have pushed me over the edge. But my doctor today suggested that it was possible that I'd developed a sensitivity to Ibuprofen that could have made me particularly sensitive to the blues club noise.
This would help explain one anomaly about the whole thing, which is that my symptoms disappeared for one day: last Tuesday, when I first saw the audiologist. And they seemed less today, Tuesday a week later.
I take Ibuprofen Wed, Fri, and Sun AM. Tuesday is the one day of the week when I've gone longest without the drug in my system.
Anyway, no Motrin for the next week! We'll see what happens.
But yes, I'll pick up musician's earplug. They cost around $150 here; the audiologist will measure me for them. Thanks for the tip.
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Blackbird
125 posts
Dec 15, 2009
5:12 PM
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Yup. Got mine as a combo deal in 2000. I was front and center at an L7 show, flirtin' with Donita and Suzi and didn't realize the sound catching up with me until it was too late. As a young 'un, I'd done my share of hearing damage but never like this. for about 24 hours, I really couldn't hear much at all, among muddy/ringing hearing. About a week later, my hearing came back (and it was less sharp - Snakes' description fits me for the loss - a room with background noise is very difficult to hear in.) but the ringing kept on. After that, I began to wear earplugs to live shows which help preserve what I've got left, but they're uncomfortable. Rather have it all back with no ringing, but when science and medicine can fix that all at once, I'm getting in line.
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jawbone
186 posts
Dec 15, 2009
5:56 PM
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@Gwythion - are you refering to the C to F# interval - the Devil's triad - it was outlawed in churches centuries ago - I tried it in a church a few months ago at a show we were doing and my duo partners mic quite working, coincidance???
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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barbequebob
225 posts
Dec 15, 2009
6:46 PM
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Speaking of Ibupropen, my doctors forbid me to take that because I`m a kidney transplant patient and that stuff would damage the kidney.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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toddlgreene
253 posts
Dec 15, 2009
6:50 PM
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Looks like everyone on this thread 'owns the blues', and it's in whatever key that incessant buzzing noise is in...
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~Todd L. Greene, Devout Pedestrian
"listen to what you like for inspiration, but find your own voice"
crescentcityharmonicaclub@gmail.com
Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2009 7:09 PM
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nacoran
539 posts
Dec 15, 2009
9:15 PM
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My hearing is still ok. I take low dose ibuprofen. I used to take 4 800mg tabs a day. I'm on blood thinners, but I also have chronic problems with tendinitis. The doctor made me quite all the anti-inflammatories when I started taking blood thinners. I had to jump through all sorts of hoops to get them to let me start taking a low dose of ibuprofen again. The tendinitis is actually why I took up harp. My wrists wouldn't hold up for guitar or piano and a trumpet is too loud for apartment living.
They guy who I perform with has tinnitus from too much death metal as a kid, and my brother has it from ear infections as a kid. He can't stand to be in the room when I play anything above the 6 hole on the G harmonica, although he can listen to my recordings and it doesn't seem to bother him as much.
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OzarkRich
55 posts
Dec 15, 2009
9:30 PM
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My ringing seems to be a high C. I'm not sure how high as there are a lot of harmonics. Is this common or is there a broad range? How does Adam's 8,000 to 10,000hz translate to musical notes?
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Sarge
5 posts
Dec 15, 2009
9:51 PM
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I've had it for many years now. I'm used to it.
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nacoran
542 posts
Dec 15, 2009
10:57 PM
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Ozark- According to Wikipedia:
C6 (High C) is 1046.502Hz
That's the note sopranos hit.
C9 is 8372.018HZ
The next C up would be twice that, although every darn country seems to number their octaves differently.
Tombo at least has a picture of a piano with the ranges of some of their harmonicas on it.
(at the bottom of the page)
http://www.tombo-m.co.jp/eng/index.html
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The Gloth
196 posts
Dec 16, 2009
12:06 AM
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I'm in the ear-damaged club too, and it's recent : about two and a half month, since I began rehearsing and playing live with two full electric bands. I saw a specialist this week, and it seems I've lost some hearing in high frequences. So I'm gonna go for earplugs too, to preserve what's left.
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gene
302 posts
Dec 16, 2009
3:39 AM
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I have tinnitus, but I don't "suffer" from it. I have no idea how long I've had it--maybe I always have. It's gotten worse over the years, but it doesn't really bother me.
When I was younger I played headphones VERY loud. I went to rock concerts. (One in particular had several big-name bands, each louder than the previous one. I finally walked out. It got WAY too distorted.) Then there were occassional loud noises at work (Heavy iron screaching across the concrete floor).
I have a little hearing loss. The doctor told me I have slight loss of the lower register in the left ear, but I dunno...I have some problem understanding conversation.
I have a brother-in-law with tinnitus who has had no exposure to ear-damaging environments. Same with my sister.
Tinnitus can be congenital, and it can come about naturally with age.
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mankycodpiece
22 posts
Dec 16, 2009
4:25 AM
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i've just learned to live with tinnitus.had it so long i don't think about it until the subject comes up.
my hearing isn't good at all.i have to have hearing aids to watch the tv or my wife has to leave the room if it's too loud.
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phogi
151 posts
Dec 16, 2009
7:20 AM
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I've been exposed to noise before. In marching bands, and whatnot. I never had real problems until I started playing with blues bands this fall. I always had a tiny ring, since I was about 12. But Suddenly, after playing in clubs, the ringing got louder. Waking me up at night. This went on for weeks. SO I got my hearing tested, and bought a pair of musician's eraplugs, 'westone' brand, same idea as emyotics. I asked around, and EVERY SINGLE PERSON who played at the bar said they had hearing damage.
1) WHY DO WE HAVE TO SCREAM? For real, there should be a law, or at the very least, markings on amps that indicate the level that begins to damage hearing.
People go deaf over this crap. Why there has not been a huge lawsuit against amp makers I have no idea.
2) Does anyone else feel a sense of irony here? I have to wear earplugs when I want to go listen to music. HOW F-ed UP IS THAT?!! Like putting on a drysuit to take a shower.
3) I've played with a pair of guitar players, who kept turning up the amps to get better 'tone' guess what? IT HURTS when you play that loud. Your tone does not matter when its still too loud when I jam my fingers in my ears. I never went back to play with them.
4) I wear these things to movies too, I can't tell you how much more enjoyable it is. I can't count the number of times I've had to clamp my fands over my ears, to no avail, it's still too loud.
Do I sound angry? If I don't, I am. I make my living from my ears, and idiots (I don't care if you're famous, if you play loud enough to damage people's ears for the rest of their lives, you are not only an idiot, but negligent) think that louder sounds better. Sorry, too loud = you suck. Nothing is more personal than taking away a person's ability to hear, save blinding them. There is not enough disgust in my soul for the amp crankers.
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OzarkRich
56 posts
Dec 16, 2009
9:17 AM
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Thanks nacoran.
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Bluzdude46
329 posts
Dec 16, 2009
9:41 AM
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It's the guitar players fault, I just know it is!!
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djm3801
276 posts
Dec 16, 2009
10:01 AM
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Tinnitus was a piece of cake to deal with for me. It's just "there". I tune it out. Like I do my mother in law. Actually, when i am not wearing my hearing aids the ringing is louder because it comes from my inner ears and having hearing aids in makes teh outside world louder so teh ringing is less apparent. I have, however, heard of folks who really stress about it and knew someone who literally had to get anti depressants to deal with it. Everyone is different. Hearing loss does get to me, it just pisses me off. I heard something on the radio about a chewing gum called "Quietude" that supposedly helps. No clue if it works. I will not bother with it - been ringing for 21 years now. I understood that there was a hearing aid that was developed that sent out a frequency matched to your ear ringing that could cancel it. interesting. Never bothered with it.
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Cisco
51 posts
Dec 16, 2009
10:13 AM
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I got lots of left ear swimmer's ear infections when I was a kid and it scarred by ear drum to the point that I was half deaf in my left ear. The in the 70's I was a radio DJ for 5 years and wore headphones on my shift with it cranked pretty high. Been around a lot of bands for years and then suddenly in the early 90's the tinnitus emerged in my left ear. I now always wear the custom ear plugs with the changeable decibel plugs. They are freakin great and you can still hear the complete frequency range but at much more tolerable levels. I wear them at rehearsals, gigs, concerts, movies - anywhere that the volume tends to aggravate the tinnitus to be more noticeable - and it doesn't get worse. Sure wish I had done it years ago!! Most of the time I don't notice it unless I think about it or the noise level suddenly starts aggravating it, then I put in my plugs. They are definitely worth the $200 especially if you're a musician.
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