Im worried that the most important thing a musican needs is starting to fade. my hearing, i feel like i can't hear anything like i use to, i now can't concentrate if there is more then one person talking, the only thing i am happy for right now is that i do not have a ring in my ears. this is a question to the older people (no offense) how is your hearing? do you hear ringing in your ears always? did you wear earplugs? have you seen alot of loud or played in alot of loud concerts? sometimes i feel like there is somone holding mear ears and i feel alot of pressure in them, like after you see a loud concert. please help me out im worried im going to be deaf by the time i hit 40.
If you can, go to see an audiologist and get a professional opinion on what to do.
Best regards
If it's just due to loud volumes, the good news seems to be that it doesn't have to get worse -- definitely use the earplugs. In my early twenties, I played in a band that practiced in a small basement room and only occasionally used my earplugs. The results was a definite loss of high frequency hearing. As you describe, this makes hearing conversations in noisy areas (restaurants, bars ...) very difficult. Nevertheless, over time, my hearing in lower and mid frequency ranges has become more sensitive -- compensation, as told to me by a psycho-acoustics expert. It doesn't help the conversation problem, but I am very good at hearing quiet sounds in the remaining frequency range.
Music is the last thing HF hearing loss appears to effect, as most musical instruments, save percussion and "edgier" reed instruments don't have a lot of HF content. In fact, when tested for hearing and perceptual ability as a candidate for judging the quality of high rate audio codecs (similar to MP3), I qualified as an expert listener despite the hearing loss -- and it was confirmed that my usable range hear was indeed far more sensitive than the average "young" person.
In any case, as suggested above, you should see a hearing specialist to determine the cause, as it could be many things.
... and always wear the earplugs.
-Greg
-=tension & release=-
I don't know how long this is going on, but it could even be some kind of infection that can be cleared up. But it could do permanent damage if untreated. Definitely you must get a Doctor to look at it.
peaveywolfgang5150,
I recently turned 42, and during my last check-up, my doctor informed me that i had a definite loss of high frequency hearing( what ). He asked weither i could heard ringing in my ears. After several years, you don't notice it unless you really concentrate. The only difficulty i can see is conversations in noisy areas and maybe wanting to increase the treble knob. I agree with DemoEtc, go to see an audiologist and get a professional opinion. 8)
Jim
A 15 dollar sound meter from Radio Shack can help you to know when you need protection. I beleive it's anything over 70 DB for more than a few minutes can cause loss...
-Metaellihead
