whoa. this is kinda scary. i dont think i have tenitis. at least not to the extent you describe. i stand close the drummer often and the drummers i play with are often loud! anyway, i do notice time to time that my ear has that high pitch ring. however for me, it will just come in out of nowhere! but then totally go away after about an hour. i'm not sure what that's about. anyway. i do wear earplugs now. only thing i hate is that the earplugs make me play the bass differently. at least it feels like it. i think cuz i can't hear all the nuances going on.
Hi Root Soup,
You
"do wear earplugs now" and props to you on that. What was
was.... You're moving forward! Agonizing over the past leads to anxiety and depression, potentially. Avoid such thoughts. As for the episodic
"out of nowhere" sensation of
"high pitch ring," this happens to many people from time to time, folks who are not exposed to the thunder that we are
It can be a sign of...nothing at all.
You state that you hate
"that the earplugs make me play the bass differently...." Are those hi-fi (even "generic" ones like the ER-20s) that you're using? I suspect, from your description, that they are not. However, regardless of what kind of hearing protection you wear, yes, indeed, there's no free lunch:
Even with the best hi-fi custom musician-earplugs, things will sound different, but you adapt:
SPECIFICALLY, WITH MUSICIAN EARPLUGS:
(a) The overall volume you perceive will drop a number of dBs, depending on the particular filters; (b) While
INFINITELY (pretty much) better than foam plugs and the usual drugstore suspects, the hi-fi plugs do cut more hi-freq (in dBs) than they do lows and mids. (c) Subsequently, as bassist11 wrote earlier, the sound "feels" differently, partially because of the cut in the lows, the frequencies that one is prone to feel in addition to hear. You become more attuned to the
PHYSICAL sensation of the vibrations producted by the bass. I'm with
bassist11: I find it very nice--the Thunder of the Bass is more present than ever (for you)
. (d) All musicians today (classical included) have been determined by massive amounts of research in the fields of otology, audiology, etc. to need custom earplugs. You are a musician, so you've got to get the plugs, too. They cost less than the cheapest Squire and
even if they didn't, your hearing-health is worth, well, how much to you? Good. Moving right along.
To get the custom plugs, you must go see an audiologist & ENT @ your friendly (best) local clinic, preferably one located in a teaching hospital. You will let them know ahead of time that you are a musician and wish to be fitted with musician's-earplugs. To set your mind at ease, speak to the audiologist and ENT/otologist to determine whether they have experience working with musicians.
If they don't, look elsewhere. At the clinic, your hearing (sensitivity, ability to properly hear softly spoken words, and what not) will be examined as well as your ears (ear canal, tympanic membrane AKA "eardrum,", etc.).
After that, regardless of the results (unless you have, say, an infection that's got to be treated before anything is inserted in your ears), your friendly audiologist will insert this absolutely great-feeling (forreal) soft material into your ears, and wait for it to harden. That's the rough mold. It'll then be sent to an appropriate company where the mold will be "smoothed out" and fitted with the filters of your choice (usually 9, 15, or 25 dB). Unless you play "acoustic" sets in small coffee houses exclusively and never go to live-band concerts,
I very very strongly urge you to get custom molds with 25 dB filters.
(e) On that happy day (usually 2-wks later) when you get your plugs (and pay for them), you'll immediately start using them. And, yes, things will sound different to you, right. The sound of your bass as your auditory cortex (and thus, you) perceives it will be altered as a result of less volume and somewhat altered frequencies entering your ear. And therefore, you'll feel somewhat clumsy for a short while (it's confusing!). Your ears will feel different (it's like getting used to wearing eye-glasses, the "feeling part"). However, virtually all musicians, after a period of adaptation, have no trouble with perceiving their instruments' output properly. Indeed the vast majority of them report that, if anything, their playing has improved because they can concentrate better and don't have to struggle with "noise fatigue." You got it: Many enjoy how the ambient (background) noise is much reduced, and how the shredding guitars and ear-splitting tricked-out drums are so much less distracting. In time, you will be immensely glad you bought the plugs. Your ears, auditory nerve, auditory cortex, and associated auditory "accessories" you were born with will be glad immediately.
Please don't delay!
Good Luck,
PD
Note: The information provided herein should never be misconstrued as a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with a licensed, graduate-level hearing professional.
(c) Ultimately, only you can measure how risky the acoustic environment is in that room during practice, using the tools (TURN IT DOWN + measurement) I recommended. See, so many factors influence the acoustics of your room: The exact size, of course, but also the presence or absence of sound-dampening what-nots, etc. (d) If the guitar-heroes aren't considerate of you after you explain your needs to them, I'd recommend finding another band. You deserve to play with people who care about others, anyhow. A band should be like family, not a bunch of narcissists.
