I just purchased my first OTC hearing aids & started wearing them last weekā¦
Iāve had severe tinnitus since 1981ā¦ Van Halen concert that was really good!!! I was standing near the stage & directly in front of the HUGE (maybe 20ā tall) wall of speakers! It TOTALLYROCKED but wasnāt worth the loud ringing in my ears that has endured for 43 years nowā¦
The hearing aids are extremely annoyingā¦ I can hear too much nowā¦ the audiologist that Iāve been to several times recommended these āMD Hearingā brand aids as her preferred OTC brand. Things like typing on a keyboard, running water, crinkling paper, the turn signal in my carā¦ kids crying or screaming in a restaurantā¦ Iām finding that hearing loss has a few advantages!!!
So, Iām told that my brain will adjust to this Tidal Wave of new sound but not sure if I can take the transitionā¦
Haha I know that feeling very well, best thing to do is turn it down a bit until you get used to it and gradually increase it bit by bit until you can hear everything you want to hear.
Hi Tod,
give time to your brain, this phenomenon is called neuroplasticity, it works and takes time, so be patient, it is really worth the effort. As said, I can hear birds in the morning again, without hearing aids, after some 9 months of hearing aids and still having tinnitus.
Beethoven had not this chance.
Iāve had hearing aids for about 12 years now which is a lot longer than I have been playing guitar so I donāt know any thing different. Iāve said this before on other posts that Iām sure that I donāt hear things the same as non hearing aid wearers, so find transcribing difficult (at best) and singing about impossible!
I was advised to try headphones and received as a Christmas present a pair of AKG headphones which fit over my hearing aids and help a lot. At the moment Iām working on getting backing tracks (which I donāt normally use) into the headphones as well as my guitar sounds.
As an aside I had a hearing test earlier this week (the first in 8 years) which showed my hearing is declining (which I knew) but out of this I was given a new set of up to date aids which have been recalibrated! Iām now hearing lots of new sounds now which I never realised were there!! In fact things are too loud at the moment so have turned them down to get use to them. They connect to my phone (via Bluetooth) so can control via an app. but also have calls come straight into my ears. Need to work out if I can get my guitar/BT into my ears but guessing this would not be ideal due to the Bluetooth latency issues!
Hello, my ears started to decay significantly some 10 years ago, as a consequence of my years in the army serving in a main battle tank batalion, and had my ears severed a couple of times, so that I have currently a hearing loss of 30% (L) and 40% (R) and cannot understand German language to 50% (L) and 70% (R) (not kidding, I lost most of my high frequencies sensitivity and tinnitus is my trusted companion).
So consequently I have been wearing hearing aids since last October, and play also with them, itās actually working like an in-ear monitor, quite interesting feeling
Anybody out there also having to adapt and play using hearing aids? And what is your experience so far?
Hi Emmanuel,
In the top right corner (no idea how that works with a telephone) there is a search window, if you type hearing aid there you will get most of the time search results,This is quite an important topic and this way all the good information stays together
success ā¦or SUCCESS
Hi. Iāve had hearing issues as well tinnitus for many years. Iāve worn ReSound hearing aids for several years now. The latest pair purchased in 2019 work very well with Apple iphone and the hearing aid specialist at Costco actually tuned a setting for my guitar to eliminate the buzzing I heard when the setting was ānormalā. Quick note: I highly recommend Costco for hearing aids if they are in your area. Much less expensive.
What I found that really makes a difference in hearing was to invest in an audio interface. I took some advice from one of Justinās videos to record my playing and singing. Iām still not quite on board with that part of it as it scares the heck out of me to hear myself, but it is amazing just to play guitar using headphones. I can hear where I need to work on things much better, and when I finger pick, it really helps me fine tune my playing. I hope that helps. Best of luck. Richard
THX Richard, I have long used headphones, which did not contribute to an improvement of my hearing, unfortunately (just as hint, kids shall not use headphones at all !). My hearing aids have been also tuned for music and musician (the audiolog I consulted is a pearl, living in Switzerland and having been served by Fielmann, which I highly recommend).
There is another extensive thread about hearing aids I have been redirected to by Roger, see his reply here above. Lots of good infortmation.
This gives me some hope, at least for the short term. Last year I was diagnosed with Meniereās Disease and already have moderate hearing loss and tinnitus in my right ear. The specialist says there is a 40% chance of the problem spreading to the left side. A close friend has Meniereās on both sides. He now has cochlear implants and has completely lost his enjoyment of music. Given what you folks are saying, there are hearing aids available that help musicians, and this is encouraging. And, there are two Costcos where I live! Thanks for the advice.
Figured on a guitar forum there must be a fair few who have suffered for their art either listening or playing too loudly, wondered if anyone else has the same as me?
About 2 years back I was stood next to someone in, of all things, a chapel choir. He was absolutely blasting out the high notes and my left ear was ringing. Ever since, music above a certain volume sounds like itās distorted in that ear. Exactly like the amp is breaking up, is how Iād describe it. No issues at all at quieter levels, though it seems quite specific to pitch as well - it doesnāt need to be super loud to trigger.
Iām aware this isnāt a place for medical advice this is just a post curious if anyone else has similar - or other interesting - hearing issues. I waited a few months to see if it would settle down before visiting the doctor, then Covid came along and Iāve been putting off non-urgent visits or had other health concerns crop up every time I think about getting it checked! Rest assured I will see the doctor, this is just general chit-chat. Iāve not come across it before and itās quite interesting.
I have the slightest ringing in both ears. I donāt know when it happened. Probably listening to my Walkman too loud as a kid. I remember when I first really noticed it. I was in high school and at a boy scout winter camp. I was in the woods by myself just taking it all in. It was extremely quietā¦ except for that ringing in my ears. Probably some minor tinnitus. Luckily other sound drowns it out.
I have mild chronic tinnitus, like most of us start to get as we get older. Generally, I am able to ignore it, but in the quiet, like now as I type, I can hear it.
There is a little hope for you. Some years ago I used an electric leaf blower without ear protection. Big mistake. Tinnitus increased substantially and became louder, to the point of discomfort, after listening to music or any prolonged louder sound. Worse the louder I played it! Fortunately it faded back to a more modest level. Took 3 years, though. Hope you have the same fortune!
I am a neurologist and know a bit about tinnitus. Unfortunately there are no great treatments. There are, however, desensitization programs. See an Otolaryngology group that specializes in it. I donāt really know how successful they are, but worth a conversation at least.
I consider myself very fortunate not to have any real level of tinnitus, other than for very short periods and Iām not sure that counts as tinnitus.
I am always very careful using power tools and doing music for just that reason. Seems crazy to have hurt my ear in a purely acoustic setting with a chap singing next to me!
Not experienced the kind of things you mention but years of riding bikes and listening to loud music has left me with tinnitus as well. It does not effect me too badly and I am only really aware of it when things are very quiet.
One disadvantage of, living in the country we get the occasional issue with rodents around the wheat and corn harvest. The house was built in 1860, so they will always find a way in. We got some ultra sonic anti-rodent alarms which do the trick but this summer there were a few getting past our defences. My daughter found some 12 hour rodent deterrent videos on YouTube (I wonāt link then here or more folks will be adding to this topic!). I loaded them on to a couple of strategically placed tablets, boiler room and loft and they did the business. But when we first played them, my daughter covered her ears and said something like shoot, then looked at my blank face, What ? I said until, I realised it was about the same frequency as my tinnitus so I could not hear it ! Every cloud !
Yup, tinitus here on both sides. I got it from listening to music at first. It started with a loud ring. It healed (for as far as it can) 3 times. I never remember to take ear protection to family parties, I donāt expect to need it there. Since the last party the ringing is soft but pretty much constant. I donāt think it will heal anymore. I also canāt hear soft distant sounds that well and seem to have hidden hearing loss.
Hidden hearing loss is something most musicians have. It doesnāt make you not hear certain sounds but if youāre in a crowded space you may have more trouble hearing what someone says for example.
Or high frequency hearing loss due toā¦donāt say itā¦.
My 11 yo daughter hears a lot that I donāt. My wife who is 7 yes younger than me as well, but not as much as my daughter.
My wife keeps wanting to turn off my guitar humidifier because it is to loud. I just tell her it isnāt. I canāt hear itā¦
Iāve got tinitus in both ears from playing in Rock and Metal
bands, going to loud concerts and working construction when
I was younger. Usually doesnāt bother me unless it is really quiet.
Also have a hard time hearing conversation in noisy places like
bars or restaurants.
Comes in handy when I donāt want to talk to someone
This topic is close to my heart as I have been getting hearing loss over the last 10 years or so. Probably more if you ask my wife!! I think that this is hereditary (my Dad is deaf) and too much loud music/concerts when younger. I now have plastic ears (had them about 5-6 years) which help no end but never sure I am hearing what others are hearing.
Since the last party the ringing is soft but pretty much constant. I donāt think it will heal anymore. I also canāt hear soft distant sounds that well and seem to have hidden hearing loss.
