Hearing problem:

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 9 Jan 2006 4:59 pm

Wonder how many pickers have the same problem i and others i know do.You can hear music fine and also hear people talking but can't understand the words of what they are saying? I had my hearing checked by an ear surgeon and he said it was a nerve deafness caseed by being exposed to loud noises.It is very furstrating to hear some one talk and they sound as if they are mumbling.Hearing aids do not help either no matter what the adds say.(For nerve deafness)
The ones who drive around in cars with a boom box or what ever going will develope the same problem sooner than they thimk.They will be in a movie house,watching tv or what ever and will first notice they will ask who ever they are with,What did he/she say.
And for the ones who doubt they may be playing too loud,next time you play a club notice if the people start moving to the back to get far away from the band stand as they can.If so,the band is too loud.Protect your hearing.End of sermon.LOL.Tho not really funny.Tracy

[This message was edited by Tracy Sheehan on 09 January 2006 at 05:06 PM.]

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 9 Jan 2006 5:28 pm

After about 40 years in front of a JBL and about 30 years in and out of welding and machine shops, need I say more. What I've noticed is, and you've brought it up, if there's a lot of ambient noise in the same frquency range as speech, like restaurants, I can't understand what they, or my wife is saying. This has created unnecessary problems.

A lot of the time I just smile and nod my head, only to find out that I didn't do what she had asked.

The other thing is, when I'm working on recording, I don't hear a lot of the details in the sounds.

Al Terhune · Post by **Al Terhune** » 9 Jan 2006 5:34 pm

I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worried about this.

Al

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 9 Jan 2006 6:04 pm

I have been so fortunate; to still have excellent hearing. Yes; I've played many many gigs in the 20 years that I've been playing(I average 300 gigs a year for 20 years), but I've always played in NON-loud bands; and ever since I went to a tube amp(10 years ago); my personal volume went down(cause you can only play so loud..ha.)
I do feel sorry for those that have and have had to play in loud bands; as I did experience that in the Charlie Robinson band for a month of sittin' in with them. I eventually told Charlie(long time friend):"I just can't get loud enough or drunk enough to play with you fellas anymore; see ya"...
Ricky

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 9 Jan 2006 6:38 pm

My hearing was damaged at a young age on the farm by the unmuffled John Deere tractors and shooting shot guns.Later going in to the military and they were yet uaware that loud noises caused this problem,which usualy shows up as one nears the age of 40.It is only my opinion why many drummers and other players play so loud.They have a hearing loss in the frequency range they play.Different hearing losss show up at an eariler age.Some later.
I never realized the human ear was so complex until i first went to an ear surgeon.Tracy
Forgot to add.Hearng aids only make people mumble louder for those with nerve deafness.lol.Again,not really funny.[This message was edited by Tracy Sheehan on 09 January 2006 at 06:40 PM.]

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 9 Jan 2006 6:47 pm

One more comment.
Bet the last time i was over to see Bud and John i bet they thought i was on drugs or booze.LOL.Was a bad day for me,i don't think i understood two words John said.Maybe three of what Bud said.Tracy

David Higginbotham · Post by **David Higginbotham** » 9 Jan 2006 7:17 pm

I have a substancial hearing loss in one ear from a water skiing incident and shooting many handguns over the years contributed to nerve damage in both ears. I am all too familiar with the problems mentioned. Times like this past weekend when I played with one of the "loud bands" I chose to wear foam earplugs for the second half of the gig. As usual, when the drummer and the bass player drink throughout the night, thier volume will increase. I have done this many times. At 39, my remainder of my hearing is far too important to risk further injury!
Dave

Arnie Craig · Post by **Arnie Craig** » 9 Jan 2006 7:40 pm

Friday Night,I Took An Indefinate Leave From The Band That I Have Been Playing With For The Past Three Years, Because Right Now I Do Not Have Any Problem With My Hearing, But When They Put A Plexiglas Baffle Around The Drums About Two Months Ago,This Really Made Me Start Thinking About The Affect This Was Having On Me, And In Order To Hear Myself Through My Amps I Had To Play Louder,This Is Not The Way To Enjoy Playing Music.

DERBY D10 8x5 (2)Nashville 400s PRO-FEX II Goodrich Pedal

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Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 9 Jan 2006 8:52 pm

I only play weekends now and then.
IF i have to run my NV over 2 and 1/2 3 at the most the are too loud for me.
Ever notice now days the steel player gets no respect? They usually crowd the steeler in front of 40 drums,the bass amp and usually a guitar player using a fuzz tone and 14 monitors facing the band.Sitting down in front of all this stuff and they wonder why they cant hear you.
I will only come up to a certian volume level and thats it.Wonder why i don't get as many calls to play as i used to.LOL
Thats my rants for the day.

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 9 Jan 2006 9:01 pm

Hope i didn't double post.
I only play week ends now and then.I use one NV 112.I run the volume at 2 and 1/2,no higher than 3.If they can't hear me then the band is too loud or they have too many moniters on stage.(For me.)Tracy
P.S. That little Nv112 cooks and my D10 Carter honks.

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 9 Jan 2006 9:34 pm

I had the same problem as to hearing people talk and not understanding what they were saying after 62 years on the band stand. I went to an audiologist and he came up with some hearing aids that work great for me. Jody.

Ernest Cawby · Post by **Ernest Cawby** » 9 Jan 2006 9:45 pm

I hear sounds but cannot understand what they said, G sounds like C etc, when I hear 2 sounds they cancel out one another. I think mine came from shooting with out proper ear protection, some could have been from the infiltration course we did at fort benning Ga. it is a real problem, hearing aids worked for me, but they drive me crazy, I know I did not have far to go.

ernie

Jim Walker · Post by **Jim Walker** » 9 Jan 2006 9:55 pm

What? I'm always saying what?

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 9 Jan 2006 10:49 pm

Right now, my tinnitus is screaming in both ears.
It's a high pitched shrill whistle that gets even louder when I'm tired.
It will be with me till the day I die.
A doctor told me he could cure it by killing the nerves in my ear but I'd be stone deaf.
I think I got mine from sequencing with earphones in a noisy bar.

Sidney Ralph Penton · Post by **Sidney Ralph Penton** » 9 Jan 2006 11:38 pm

well i just turned 59 newyears and i don't have too much of a problem with my hearing that i know of. but i understand your problem. i don't play with bands i play in churches that eliminates the problem for me. if you used ear plugs or ear muffs your likley to be playing louder than you normally would because you can't hear it as good. now thats just my way of thinking. in my day i have been in some pretty big honky tonks and i would be 100 feet from the band or further and your still strainning your ears to hear what someone is telling you. if you turn all insturments down then the people don't like it cause they are young and if its too loud your too old. ha ha ha. so i guess your between a rock and a hard place. just my $.03 worth. doc

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Ian Finlay · Post by **Ian Finlay** » 10 Jan 2006 2:42 am

I think the problem is unrelated to tinnitus. I recently had a hearing test, and despite having some minor tinnitus I have better than average hearing for my age (I'm 42). They tested the frequencies at which speech exists...

However, I also can't understand what's being said to me if there's a lot of background noise, especially music. When I hear music, I "zoom in" on it. I've been shopping with my Wife, and I'll turn to her and tell her what the background music is (I was amazed to hear some Benny Goodman in a store recently). She just doesn't hear it in such a conscious way.

I was also talking to some non-musician friends recently - many of them have the same problem with background noise. I think it may be more common than I might have thought - I wonder if it's just a "man" thing?

Ian

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 10 Jan 2006 4:06 am

Having a cold that has blocked one ear, I can only sympathize. It causes me to wonder what life would be like if it were a permanent situation.
For example:

A lot of the time I just smile and nod my head, only to find out that I didn't do what she had asked.

The problem is all too common in the modern world; trying to appear intelligent gets harder.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 10 Jan 2006 4:51 am

My first hearing problem (tinitus) began while in the Army, and before any ear protection was available other than a cleaning patch stuck in your ears. I am classified with non-compensable hearing loss.

My first real acknowledgment that my hearing was in trouble was when I was bumped from flight school because high-frequency hearing loss. I couldn't adequately hear HF radio signals.

Many years of sitting in front of 15" JBL's (mine and others)on bandstands have also taken it's toll.

I hear normal conversation adequately, except when there are environmental background sounds present.

Loud music playing behind voices on television make it impossible to watch some programming.

I am unable to understand conversation on most digital telephones. I have one telephone at home that I take all my calls on. Use of my cell-phone is used strictly for messages....my average cell-phone use is about 10 minutes monthly.

When playing or listening to music I hear lower frequencies well, but many of the higher frequencies are absent. Mixing with earphones is particularly trying.

Hearing assessment reveals that neither hearing aids or surgery would improve my hearing.

Bottom Line: Take care of your hearing while you still have it

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<img width=125 src=http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com ... 76_6924874>
www.genejones.com

Jason Schofield · Post by **Jason Schofield** » 10 Jan 2006 7:03 am

I'm only 34 and have terrible tinitus in my ears. It's a very high pitch ringing. It never stops. At night I have to play backgroung music to block it out. Anyone gotten any help with this. My hearing seems fine though.

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 10 Jan 2006 7:21 am

20 years of rock 'n' roll, Marshall stacks, cymbal crashes and snare rimshots, PA feedback blasts, followed by ten years of country and bluegrass bands I AM DAMN LUCKY I don't have significant damage. Had my hearing tested twice and only had a minor notches in the upper frequencies.

That being said I can't tolerate meathead drummers that hit nothing but rimshots and I, like the others, can't hear conversations in bars.

I see at lot of bluegrass in my future

cheers,
Drew

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Drew Howard - website - Fessenden guitars, 70's Fender Twin, etc.

[This message was edited by Drew Howard on 10 January 2006 at 07:22 AM.]

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 10 Jan 2006 7:52 am

I don't leave home without my Westone ear protectors--I have even used them in studio sessions after I have gotten a sound if the guitar player wants to cut in the control room and crank the monitors--no problem

Marlin Smoot · Post by **Marlin Smoot** » 10 Jan 2006 8:18 am

Steel players may have a harder time on
un-usually small stages simply because we sit down behind our steels and are close to or under the drummers cymbals or by the drummers wood (plastic now) block, we sit down close to the floor monitors, sitting just left or right of the mains (as most steel players are on the outside stage edge), sitting next to the lead guitar or bass players amps plus we still need to hear our amp. It's no wounder some steel players play loud with all the sound levels hitting them in this "zone". From what I've seen in clubs, the stage or bandstand seemed like an after thought.

Sometimes I can't hear the phone ring if the TV is on. Its also hard to hear people talking with a lot of background noise. I still feel lucky after reading some of the postings, however I do keep ear plugs in my steel chair if the boys start getting rowdy.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 10 Jan 2006 9:44 am

Yes, I have a little hearing problem.

That said, many people do mumble and slur their words when they talk, (think: Boomhauer, on the cartoon series "King Of The Hill"). I learned that long before I lost any hearing! Proper enunciation, speaking clearly and distinctly, is a learned skill, just like playing music. Some learn to do it quite well, and some never do.

"Esgotstorngitsumpinteat"

Lynn Owsley · Post by **Lynn Owsley** » 10 Jan 2006 10:13 am

"we stacked our stage
with Marshalls 4 high
backed up by a big B3
those thunderin drums
and screamin guitars,
gave this impairment to me
now I'm so far gone
that it's a little Belltone
that's a hearing aid, for me,
How's that? Do what? What do ya say?
Come again? And brother pardon me!!!

From CHS "Cain't Hear S..." Lynn Owsley April 2000

Papa Joe Pollick · Post by **Papa Joe Pollick** » 10 Jan 2006 10:19 am

I first noticed a loss in my right ear while in my mid 20's,before I started playing out or electric.Probably caused by shotguns and the M1 rifle along with loud factory noise [punch presses]..It just kept getting worse untill I lost 90 percent of my hearing [in the right ear only].Left ear is 95 percent good.In the last 3 yrs the tinnitus has become maddining.Same problems as stated above..
I rewired my head phones to send both signals to both ears for recording..Then use studio speakers for mix-down.Works OK.
I always wear my hearing aid when playing..It brings the highs in, but not the lows..I'm ALWAYS on the far right on the band stand,with my amps on the right side behind me,at floor level.That way I can hear the others,and I've learned to set my level to match..If the band is too loud for me, I'll tell them once and if it's not corrected,,SEE YA.My one remaining ear is too precious to let uncaring people destroy..
I was told there's no cure for the tinnitus,and the nerve damage is beyond repair.
And even thouth I'm a big fan of rock music,I will not attend a live concert, even with ear plugs..HUH? WHAT? PJ