Figure 1: Right Ear = 0, Left Ear = X

In 1994, I had my hearing tested as I seemed to have developed difficulty hearing out of my left ear. As a drummer, monitors are always, at every venue and at practice, placed on the left side. Apparently, my hearing started to show signs of strain. I tried to start wearing conventional ear plugs, but as you may know, while decreasing the overall decibel level, they mostly muffle your ability to hear. This does not make for a good performing environment. In 1998, my hearing seemed to have gotten so bad in my left ear that if someone wanted to whisper to me, I had to direct them to my right ear or else they were not understood. Finally, on June 18, 1999, I visited my family practitioner for a hearing test (Figure 1). It was your standard headphone test of tones. From the test, the doctor determined that I had pretty much lost all of my high frequency hearing in my left ear. She described it like this: "If you were to plug your right ear and have someone sing soprano, you probably would not hear it." This was startling. I have since researched the Internet to find alternative ways to reduce the amount of sound I am exposed to at our shows.

I plan to make an appointment with an audiologist to have custom ear plugs fitted. These earplugs do not muffle, they simply bring down the volume to a safe level.

Related Sites:
Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.)
Sensaphonics

Return to Occupational Hazards for Musicians by April Samuels