I'm deaf in my right ear, could this affect my playing?

[ptro]

I've been playing bass for 5 months. Would being deaf in one ear present any troublesome obstacles other than not being able to fully appreciate stereo headphones?

This is my first post on Talkbass by the way

[Dave Muscato]

Welcome to TB. Yes; being deaf in one ear will prohibit you from hearing stereo mixes. You can mix down to mono (just get some mono headphones, or a combiner adapter), but if you're going to be doing any recording/mixing, make sure you have a producer with stereo hearing help you out.

This is a great forum with a lot of great guys & gals... I'm sure you'll learn a lot here. Where are ya from? We're happy to have you

edit: Are you 100% deaf in that ear? If so, I would be *extremely* careful with the hearing you have left in your other ear. Make sure you *always* wear ear plugs when you will be exposed to sound above 85 dB for any length of time - remember, exposure to sound pressure levels above 120 dB will cause *immediate,* permanent damage.

Check out this thread:

Excessive volume at shows

[ptro]

My audiologist said the same thing about protecting the hearing in my left ear. Are there any alternatives to earplugs other than the $100 ones?

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by ptro

My audiologist said the same thing about protecting the hearing in my left ear. Are there any alternatives to earplugs other than the $100 ones?

Small price to pay to save your hearing.

We used to use these ear plugs made for hunters. They let sound thru and closed down for high SPL such as shotgun fire. But if I only had hearing in one ear I would be protecting at any cost.

[brendanbass]

I agree, your hearing is invaluable, especially (obviously) for musicians, so and investment like that might save you a lot of pain later.

Course Beethoven was deaf, and he was a darn good musician, but wouldn't you want to avoid total deafness if you could?

Good luck, and welcome to TalkBass!

Brendan

[JAUQO III-X]

Marcus Miller does it.

[Dave Muscato]

There are plenty of cheaper earplugs that are effective and blocking sound. The nicer ones are more comfortable and provide better attenuation (that is, they are better at simply making what's in the room quieter, and better at accurately representing the music the way it's supposed to sound). A set of $6 Hearos will work just fine, but they sound like crap.

Really, though, $100-200 is a small price to pay when it comes to your hearing. I would sell my rig if I had to choose between it and earplugs (fortunately, that's not necessary) - but to a musician, there is nothing more important than your hearing.... and you can always borrow an amp or run direct, but *don't* play out without plugs.

[Dave Muscato]

These are $5

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ers?sku=421210

I use them and love them.

These provide slightly more accurate sound for a few dollars more:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ers?sku=421214

[js1]

Guess I'll have to come out of the closet on this one for a fellow (new) TB'er.

Deaf in left ear here. Nerve deafness from measles at age 7 has me about 85 db down minimum acceptable hearing >1KHz (about 40 db down below 1KHz). Audio to me sounds like its coming from everywhere (or nowhere), not from the right.

So, here are the differences you'll encounter, particularly playing live. First the bad ones:

- You'll need to be always to the left of everyone, especially the drummer. This will usually be the guitarist's spot.
- When the guitarist trots out his new stereo rig so he can bathe in the stereo chorus/delay/flange, just nod your head up and down.
- People will yell over the loud music in your deaf ear, and you'll have to tell 'em the whole story.

Now the good:

- If you record, your mixes will always be mono compatible.
- When there's squealing feedback, you can turn your deaf ear to it.

All minor kidding aside, there's a few things to deal with. The biggest PITA is that you'll have a much harder time pulling out individual parts out of the mess of noise. There's something known as the "cocktail party effect" which lets the dual eared pull out an individual conversation out of many. You and I don't have that benefit.

Fortunately, the bass is in its own frequency range, so you can hear yourself. But if the band isn't tight, you may lock into the wrong part. Concentrate, and stay focused on the drummer.

The second problem is that each half of the brain hears music a different way. The left side of the brain is wired to the right ear, and there's some research that says that the left brain is the one that is sensitive to pitch. So, in my case, I have to fight that. Oddly enough, I have good sensitivity to pitch except with my own voice. Hearing issue, or lack of talent - I'll never know.

There are musician ear plugs in the $10-$20 range you can buy. Go here for a selection:

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/nasopl.html

One thing that having only one ear does (and the fear of loss) is make you incredibly appreciative of the wonder of sound and music. Every day,

js

[meev992]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

Marcus Miller does it.

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by brendanbass

Course Beethoven was deaf, and he was a darn good musician, but wouldn't you want to avoid total deafness if you could?

Beethoven went deaf late in life and if you have ever been around pro arranger/composers over time they know what things sound like in their head and do most their work away from the piano. I used to work for great arranger/composer and would amazes me how he would how he would sit in his office writing all day no instruments. Then call me to setup to record the piano in another room. He would play the tunes and they'd sound great, occasionally he would change a note, but most the time what he heard in his head was what was on the score.

It takes a long time but you develop your ear to point of just knowing what your instrument sounds like in your head.