Musicians: Protect Your Hearing Now
Harder Beat
By April Samuels
Do you hear what I hear?
Being a drummer for close to 20 years, I have been repeatedly exposed to dangerous sound levels. As all drummers know, the monitors are almost always on your left side. 'Lo and behold, about five years ago, I noticed I was having trouble hearing through my left ear. I had my hearing checked, and I was told that it was significantly deteriorating. I also was warned that it would continue to do so if I did not seek some form of noise protection. I shrugged off the warning, and two weeks ago I learned that I have now lost all of my high frequency hearing in my left ear. My doctor put it to me like this:
"If you were to plug your right ear and have someone sing soprano, you wouldn't hear a thing".
I returned home and tested this theory by plugging my right ear and listening to a live CD of one of our shows. I couldn't hear my hi-hat or ride at all. It was a frightening revelation. And serious enough to make me take action, even if it was a little late.
The first part of your hearing to deteriorate from damagingly loud volumes is your high frequency range. This is because the tiny hair-like follicles used for hearing high frequencies are more fragile. Once they are destroyed, you can never get them back.
What to do? While I've always hated wearing earplugs at shows, you better believe that I'm using them to protect my hearing now. While attending SXSW (South by Southwest) this year, I picked up some foam plugs on a key chain from the ASCAP booth. However, you can pick up some at most grocery stores. I suggest putting in the earplugs right when you arrive at the gig you are playing. This way, by the time you start performing, you are already accustomed to the difference in sound.
If you refuse to use conventional foam earplugs, I'd suggest visiting an audiologist to have custom plugs made. Custom earplugs are slightly different than ear plugs that you by at the store. They are made to fit your ear canal, and rather than cut out high frequencies as store bought plugs do, they actually reduce all frequencies evenly. This extra effort and expense in getting custom plugs is well worth it if you wish to spare yourself from an unclear, uneven sound. Foam earplugs decrease the overall decibel level more so than custom earplugs. However, if you cannot get used to using foam plugs, custom plugs are far better than no protection at all.
Have your hearing checked at least once a year by a hearing specialist. I recommend Dr. Wayne Kirkham at Medical City Dallas Hospital (Forest and Central), and he can be reached at 972-566-7515.
Sources for information on hearing loss: Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.) - http://www.hearnet.com/ eMusician Article: Hear No Evil (protect your hearing) - http://www.e-musician.com/issues/9606/9606hear.html
For more information on musicians and injuries, visit April's Occupational Hazards for Musicians
April Samuels has been the drummer for Frognot for several years and was in various other bands prior to that.