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Damaged hearing

kyle7863 - Thu, 01/01/2009 - 12:53 | 5,151 views

I know having damaged hearing isn't great but we might as well make some fun out of it.

What do you hear because of damaged hearing?

I get the usuall ringing in the ear, but it doesnt go away unless i focus on something else, which is why i now can't go to sleep without having a fan on in my room as background noise.

Btw, i had custom made earplugs made for me now, and the ringing isn't as bad as before. I would suggest them if you ever have the spare cash and horrible hearing problems. after a while it gives your ears a break.

Drummer Comments (5)

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King Says Re: Damaged hearing

Submitted On: Monday, Jan 5, 2009 - 12:26 PM

I only get a ringing in my ear from time to time when I forget to put my earplugs in. Now I don't play anywhere without them, I think the drumline is what screwed up my hearing. I don't have the constant ringing in my ear but I've heard of cases where people have actually committed suicide because the constant ringing drove them CRAZY. Supposedly William Shatner suffers from the same condition. As for myself, every time I swallow I hear a crackling noise in my ears. Kinda like when you're really stuffed up and blow your nose-then the next time you swallow you hear that weird crackling sound. Sometimes it feels like my ears are constantly popping, it's not really painfully, just annoying. You definitely want to take care of your ears PLUG EM UP!

drumhead101541 Says Re: Damaged hearing

Submitted On: Monday, Jan 5, 2009 - 9:04 AM

Yeah I've been looking out for my hearing lately. You can ell when something has done damage to your ears by when you hear the ringing noise after something loud has just occured. Everyone should have a set of Mack's Hear Plugs.

Check'm out: http://www.macksearplugs.com/product7.htm

drumfreak Says Re: Damaged hearing

Submitted On: Monday, Jan 5, 2009 - 12:27 AM

Not to mention that hearing loss causes fatigue. If you're tired all the time, and you have a hard time hearing.. they are probably the symptoms of the same problem.

I use to fly on airplanes for a living (propeller driven turboprop 4 engine C-130 cargo planes). I've been through the ringer with loud noise and fatigue. ALWAYS wear earplugs unless you're just trying to tune the drums up. don't get sucked into buying expensive "Drummer Headphones" unless you need audio in them. Vic Firth makes a good pair, but they are around $70 - $100 last time I checked. you can get some basic worker headphones at Home Depot or Lowes for like $20. We keep several pairs of those around for when people come over to hang out in the studio.

Remember... if you lose your hearing, what the hell is the point in making noise -- I mean playing drums?

DecompProject Says Re: Re: Damaged hearing

Submitted On: Tuesday, Sep 1, 2009 - 7:28 PM

I agree with the head phones at Home Depot, I got a set of Red tree cutter Head phones and they work great, it makes the high pitch and low pitch frequencies very light, those two are usually the freguencies thats cause Tinitus (constant ringing) I love them. yeah, screw buying those expensive head phones marketed by drumming companies. I recomend hardware stores!

doncapone Says Re: Damaged hearing

Submitted On: Sunday, Jan 4, 2009 - 10:44 PM

Guys/Ladies.............for Gods sake; protect your hearing now!!!!!!!!!!!!!. When I started there was no technology good enough to protect drummers hearing other than standard ear plugs which cut down your hearing ability so much that a drummer couldn't control his or her own volume. you either hit'em hard or hit'em soft and hope you're projecting past the band and everyone can hear you out there or, the opposite is happening and the only thing you can hear is the drummer.
I've played a lot of "funk" and "fatback" drums in my day....yeah,and I had a hell of a reputation...made a lot of money and developed a hell of a hearing loss from either having a full horn section in my left ear or a triple stack of Mashalls directly behind me. I won't lose the sounds I was playing then because, I recorded every note I have ever played for nthe last forty some odd years and I never cease to be amazed that I didn't protect my ears while playing.I
did lose 60% of my hearing in my left ear. This is not a complaint, it's just a wake up call for you guys to protect your hearing while you still have it.I've enjoyed every single second of my music life and I still play a lot of gigs. But, I have to tell you how frustrating it is to have to wear a hearing aid just to hear the band leader call out the next tune you're going to play. You can take it or leave it with what I just made you aware of........but think about it; that little hearing aid just cost me more than a new six-piece kit.
Good luck........see you out there.
Pappa Don Capone

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Guys/Ladies.............for Gods sake; protect your hearing now!!!!!!!!!!!!!. When I started there was no technology good enough to protect drummers hearing other than standard ear plugs which cut down your hearing ability so much that a drummer couldn&#039;t control his or her own volume. you either hit&#039;em hard or hit&#039;em soft and hope you&#039;re projecting past the band and everyone can hear you out there or, the opposite is happening and the only thing you can hear is the drummer.<br />I&#039;ve played a lot of &quot;funk&quot; and &quot;fatback&quot; drums in my day....yeah,and I had a hell of a reputation...made a lot of money and developed a hell of a hearing loss from either having a full horn section in my left ear or a triple stack of Mashalls directly behind me. I won&#039;t lose the sounds I was playing then because, I recorded every note I have ever played for nthe last forty some odd years and I never cease to be amazed that I didn&#039;t protect my ears while playing.I<br /> did lose 60% of my hearing in my left ear. This is not a complaint, it&#039;s just a wake up call for you guys to protect your hearing while you still have it.I&#039;ve enjoyed every single second of my music life and I still play a lot of gigs. But, I have to tell you how frustrating it is to have to wear a hearing aid just to hear the band leader call out the next tune you&#039;re going to play. You can take it or leave it with what I just made you aware of........but think about it; that little hearing aid just cost me more than a new six-piece kit.<br />Good luck........see you out there.<br />Pappa Don Capone

rickpb3090 Says Re: Damaged hearing

Submitted On: Sunday, Jan 4, 2009 - 9:42 PM

I feel your pain! You may have tinitus. It's common for muscians. Unfortunately it's not reverable and can get worse. But, it sounds like you did the right thing by getting ear protection. I learned the hard way, after playing in bands for years without ear protection, my hearing is very bad.