how did musicians play live without hearing protection??

[darwin-bass]

Simple explanation. Young and stupid.

Let me expand on this.

Acoustic drum sets are too loud when played normally. That means the guitar, bass, keys, vocs all have to be amplified to be heard. So even the most mature and rational among us will be playing at levels that are harmful over time.

Playing loud - Crank it. Feel it in your chest. Melt your face - all of this fun is driven not by logic but by emotion. We do it because of how it feels. The rational side of our brain may say "turn it down" but our gut says "screw that"! Which, of course is a foolish choice because the fun fades quickly but hearing loss is forever. And when you're young such a foolish choice is much easier to make.

So we start at a level that is too loud and then our gut / emotions kick in and we turn it up.

 

[Vitrius Humor]

these days, you always hear the advice “wear hearing protection onstage if you don’t want to go deaf” in the situation of live shows. but… what in the hell were they doing back then??? you don’t hear every musician from the 60s and 70s saying they have significant hearing loss, apart from the odd pete townshend. but even so, they were loooooud back then, and they had to be. amplification was less reliant on venue speakers, and the power was in the amps and how loud the drummer was… which is suuuper loud. these days, playing drums without hearing protection (i don’t do it regularly, if at all) for me literally brings pain to my ears, and i don’t understand how musicians played live with such loud playing environments and loud instruments without being in constant pain. think beatles shows, cream shows, any rock show being onstage with a drummer.

Yeah, they went deaf! Messed up hearing!

 

[hrodbert696]

Hearing loss is progressive, usually not all or nothing. Usually one loses the upper frequencies first. Apparently this is because we have thousands of filaments in our cochlea, each of which is sensitive to a particular frequency. The ones that pick up high frequencies are, as one might expect, more slender and thus more vulnerable to getting killed by excess force.

Those classic rock musicians have more or less universally suffered some degree of hearing loss or acquired tinnitus.

I've found that I do just fine with a $15 set of musician's earplugs, that you can pick up in GC or any music shop. After a couple of minutes my ear adjusts to the plug and I can hear the full frequency range going on... just quieter. Unlike cheap foam plugs that make everything sound like the grownups in a Charlie Brown show. A drummer I used to play with swore by a set of custom fitted plugs, I think that was $150 or something to get done.

 

[eliascalles]

pretty much every boomer aged player I know has hearing damage, many quite severe. My father was in the same band for 35 years, he was the only one who used hearing protection and when they quit it was because the drummer and guitar player went completely deaf (like even with hearing aids could barely converse let alone play kinda deaf). I've always used protection and yeah, foamies are crap, but these days one need not spend a mint on westones or other customs. last few years I've been using Earpeace brand silicone plugs, they work great and are affordable (around $25usd). they come with different DB cut inserts and the lowest cut one is perfect for me (as a drummer and bass player). I prefer them to my IEMs unless it's a group I sing in. cheers

 

[Dave TB Killer]

Huh, WHAT?

 

[40Hz]

Wrong. You're starting with a false premise. Maybe not EVERY musician, but I've been playing for 50 years and lot of my friends are in their 50's, 60's and 70's and I don't know a single one that doesn't suffer from some hearing loss and ringing in their ears attributable to playing.

^This. Its real. It’s a thing.

 

[jdjk7]

I know exactly when I earned my hearing damage. It was kinda lame, tbh... jamming in a small room with a drummer who smashed the bell of his cymbals way too hard. It was so loud that I got vertigo and couldn't hear anything anymore, I just put my guitar down and walked out because I knew it wasn't good. I was like 16 or 17. Tinnitus all the time ever since.

 

[arbiterusa]

you don’t hear every musician from the 60s and 70s saying they have significant hearing loss, apart from the odd pete townshend.

My guitarist swears he doesn't have hearing loss.

His amp settings say he's lying every time he plays. As does his inability to hear conversations taking place behind him.

 

[arbiterusa]

Acoustic drum sets are too loud when played normally.

Define "normally". The apelike pounding approach most modern drummers take to the kit since the advent of "rock" in the 1960s is not anything remotely resembling proper drumming technique. Play with a jazz guy, hell, even a big band guy, you won't get half the decibels you do when playing with a modern rock drummer.

And regardless, even with those guys, you should still use hearing protection. Impulse noises (like rimshots or gunfire) are very bad for your hearing.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

I learned my lesson fairly early, by the time I was 30, but at the expense of a band mate, and ultimately, the band. Luckily, somehow I hadn’t suffered severe damage by then.

Our lead singer/rhythm/key/sax player blew his hearing out. Permanent severe intense tinnitus. He was a few years older than the rest of us, and grew up on the family farm, never wearing hearing protection.

It’s cumulative, and everyone has a different threshold as too how many times they can bounce back from when your ears start ringing.

I got fitted for custom molded attenuators soon after that. I always wear them at concerts (at least start with them in) and rehearsals. Not as much playing live, unless I knew it was going be a situation with particularly loud stage volume. I always wear hearing protection when I’m out on the mowers/tractors (we have a 5 acre property) or when I’m running power equipment / tools.

 

[mongo2]

I've used ear protection since the late '60s and I'm very glad I did.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Unless they were playing arena rock (think Shea Stadium), musicians back then didn't need all that volume. They kept their stage volume at sensible levels, and for the most part the drummers weren't show-offs trying to emulate a Fourth of July fireworks show.

An unamplified rock drum kit can damage your hearing at close quarters even without the world's loudest drummer behind it. And hearing damage is insidious, gradual and cumulative so people don't know until it's too late...

 

[Jazz Ad]

OP you gotta be kidding. They ALL have hearing loss, severe in most case. Amongst others.


Famous Musicians With Hearing Loss & Tinnitus
Bob Dylan
Suffers from tinnitus after a highly successful and extensive career in the music industry. He is one of the most high-profile names on the planet to be affected by ringing in the eras.

Ozzy Osbourne
The Black Sabbath frontman suffers from permanent tinnitus after spending decades surrounded by the noise of heavy metal.

Barbra Streisand
Despite a fruitful career as one of the world's most recognisable voices, Barbra Streisand's tinnitus is not the result of being a musician. In fact, her tinnitus became evident when she was a child at the age of nine.

Eric Clapton
Suffering from both hearing loss and tinnitus, the former Cream guitarist's conditions are believed to be noise-induced.

Phil Collins
The former Genesis singer actually developed sudden deafness as a result of an infection in the year 2000. During the early 2010s, this had developed into some more chronic and caused a temporary retirement.

Bono
The face of U2 suffers from tinnitus and even sings about hard of hearing in the song Staring at the Sun. The real irony is that his stage name originated from a hearing aid store in Dublin.

Sting
With some real hearing aid experience, Sting's hearing loss stems from a lack of wearing a device.

Neil Young
It is widely believed that the more sombre Harvest Moon was released due to the onset of tinnitus.

Pete Townshend
The famous songwriter and The Who guitarist suffers from hearing loss and tinnitus, and it believed that he is almost deaf.

Roger Daltrey
The second member of The Who to appear on this list has been heavily impacted of late by noise-induced hearing loss.

Brian Johnson
The lead singer of rock icons AC/DC took a little break from the band to give his ears a rest but states his hearing loss comes from car racing, not loud music.

George Harrison
One-quarter of the Beatles and the most private member is rumoured to have hearing issues.

Paul Stanley
You may not recognise him without his makeup on, but the KISS frontman has had hearing problems since birth.

Chris Martin
The Coldplay star has been suffered from tinnitus for well over a decade now.

Liam Gallagher
The former Oasis singer has claimed he suffers from tinnitus.

Ted Nugent
His hearing loss may have come from shooting rather than his music but he now wears earplugs at concerts.

Mick Fleetwood
The Fleetwood Mac drummer first noticed his hearing loss way back in 1989.

Anthony Kiedis
The Red Hot Chili Pepper's vocalist details his hearing loss and tinnitus in his biography Scar Tissue, claiming the onset occurred after touring with Nirvana.

Lars Ulrich
The Metallica drummer developed hearing loss and tinnitus early on in the band's rise to worldwide fame.

Brian Wilson
The second and final Brian on this list. The Beach Boysco-founder has been partially deaf in his right ear for most of his life.

20 Musicians With Hearing Loss & Tinnitus

 

[Ostie]

None of the bands I played in back then were that loud, because we were poor musicians and didn’t own a PA or big amps. Most of the damage I’ve done came from excessively loud rock concerts that I attended. When I saw The Clash, the volume was painfully loud, so much so that it nullified my enjoyment of the show. I couldn’t wait to get out of there, because it hurt my ears. They rang for a couple days afterward.

 

[lfmn16]

My guitarist swears he doesn't have hearing loss.

His amp settings say he's lying every time he plays. As does his inability to hear conversations taking place behind him.

 

[the general]

I can still hear ok but I definitely have some tinnitus that's very sporadic. Most of my hearing issues are from work(mechanic for 11 years, so lots of air tools). Going to concerts without ear plugs didn't help. I bring the ear plugs with me to every concert now. It's kind of nice not having ringing ears for 2-3 days after the show.

 

[dan1952]

I saw an interview with Steve Stills and John Hall (from Orleans) and they were both deaf as a rock. They're not alone, I'm sure...

 

[fishdreams]

I didnt and dont gig much in loud rock situations but I do have tinnitus, from teaching band class back on the day at loud volumes in small spaces for hours on end.

 

[Ostie]

OP you gotta be kidding. They ALL have hearing loss, severe in most case. Amongst others.


Famous Musicians With Hearing Loss & Tinnitus
Bob Dylan
Suffers from tinnitus after a highly successful and extensive career in the music industry. He is one of the most high-profile names on the planet to be affected by ringing in the eras.

Ozzy Osbourne
The Black Sabbath frontman suffers from permanent tinnitus after spending decades surrounded by the noise of heavy metal.

Barbra Streisand
Despite a fruitful career as one of the world's most recognisable voices, Barbra Streisand's tinnitus is not the result of being a musician. In fact, her tinnitus became evident when she was a child at the age of nine.

Eric Clapton
Suffering from both hearing loss and tinnitus, the former Cream guitarist's conditions are believed to be noise-induced.

Phil Collins
The former Genesis singer actually developed sudden deafness as a result of an infection in the year 2000. During the early 2010s, this had developed into some more chronic and caused a temporary retirement.

Bono
The face of U2 suffers from tinnitus and even sings about hard of hearing in the song Staring at the Sun. The real irony is that his stage name originated from a hearing aid store in Dublin.

Sting
With some real hearing aid experience, Sting's hearing loss stems from a lack of wearing a device.

Neil Young
It is widely believed that the more sombre Harvest Moon was released due to the onset of tinnitus.

Pete Townshend
The famous songwriter and The Who guitarist suffers from hearing loss and tinnitus, and it believed that he is almost deaf.

Roger Daltrey
The second member of The Who to appear on this list has been heavily impacted of late by noise-induced hearing loss.

Brian Johnson
The lead singer of rock icons AC/DC took a little break from the band to give his ears a rest but states his hearing loss comes from car racing, not loud music.

George Harrison
One-quarter of the Beatles and the most private member is rumoured to have hearing issues.

Paul Stanley
You may not recognise him without his makeup on, but the KISS frontman has had hearing problems since birth.

Chris Martin
The Coldplay star has been suffered from tinnitus for well over a decade now.

Liam Gallagher
The former Oasis singer has claimed he suffers from tinnitus.

Ted Nugent
His hearing loss may have come from shooting rather than his music but he now wears earplugs at concerts.

Mick Fleetwood
The Fleetwood Mac drummer first noticed his hearing loss way back in 1989.

Anthony Kiedis
The Red Hot Chili Pepper's vocalist details his hearing loss and tinnitus in his biography Scar Tissue, claiming the onset occurred after touring with Nirvana.

Lars Ulrich
The Metallica drummer developed hearing loss and tinnitus early on in the band's rise to worldwide fame.

Brian Wilson
The second and final Brian on this list. The Beach Boysco-founder has been partially deaf in his right ear for most of his life.

20 Musicians With Hearing Loss & Tinnitus

Not to disagree, but in point of fact Paul Stanley was born without an ear and was mostly deaf on that side since birth. He may well have hearing loss in his other ear.

 

[yodedude2]

I didnt and dont gig much in loud rock situations but I do have tinnitus, from teaching band class back on the day at loud volumes in small spaces for hours on end.

i went to a charlie haden performance long, long ago ... before he began, he spoke briefly about his hearing loss and tinnitus issues, warned about playing & listening to loud music on a nightly basis, and apologized for having to perform behind a transparent acoustic shield (first time i'd seen one onstage, by the way). he then said, "i'm going to leave you now," and inserted some earplugs before going behind/into the 4-sided shield to perform the show.

[edit: mr haden's hearing issues resulted from repeated exposure to loud acoustic instruments, namely, drum sets and horn ensembles.]