It's official: loud music WILL make you deaf, just ask your parents

[Jode]

Earplugs, earplugs, earplugs, children! Wear your earplugs when playing or listening to loud music. You WILL go deaf. You WILL. This fact is not open to negotiation. Go ahead and be a dork for wearing earplugs - better a hearing dork than a deaf hipster. (Italics and bold type added for emphasis) ************************************************** Rockin' Baby Boomers Apt To Lose Hearing Earlier September 30, 2003 By KORKY VANN, Special to The Courant At Bruce Springsteen's recent concerts in Connecticut, audiences were packed with middle-aged fans partying to the mega-amped sounds of the Boss. No question, baby boomers still love that old-time rock `n' roll. But years of exposure to loud concerts, cranked-up stereos, blaring headphones and other environmental noises could be leading to an old age filled with silence, say experts. [i]Unlike their parents and grandparents, who typically developed age-related hearing loss in their 60s, baby boomers are experiencing the condition in their 40s and 50s, according to the National Council on Aging.[/i] More than 10 million Americans between the ages of 45 and 64 have some hearing loss, compared with just 9 million-plus who are 65 and older. The statistics were so compelling that when the council on aging undertook a new study on the emotional and social impact of hearing loss, researchers decided to drop the age of those polled to 50. "Leaf blowers, snow blowers, power equipment, motorcycles and industrial noise can all contribute to high-frequency hearing loss," says Dr. Gerald Leonard, chief of otolaryngology at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. "But you can't ignore the impact on hearing from repeated exposure to loud music. The levels at concerts, which are often 100 decibels and more, can over time cause permanent damage." [i]Music is one industry in which technology has outpaced the body's ability to cope,[/i] says Kathy Peck, co-founder of Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers, or HEAR, a California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness among musicians, technicians and fans of the dangers of repeated exposure to loud music. Peck, a former bass player and singer for the San Francisco rock band the Contractions, developed a ringing sensation in her ears, called tinnitus, and hearing loss from repeated exposure to excessive noise while performing in the '80s. [i]"You may not be deafened immediately, but the damage will show up,"[/i] says Peck, who is now in her 50s. "At rock shows, the decibel level can be as great as 140 decibels in front of the speakers and 120 decibels at the back." As a result, says Peck, many musicians, disc jockeys and concert-goers have experienced permanent hearing damage. [i]HEAR estimates that 60 percent of rock stars inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are hearing-impaired.[/i] [b]The Better Hearing Institute lists Engelbert Humperdinck, Jeff Beck, Sting, Cher, Eric Clapton, Bono (whose stage name was taken from the name of a hearing-aid store in his hometown of Dublin), Pete Townsend and Phil Collins among pop and rock stars suffering from tinnitus or hearing impairment or both.[/b] Many, including Bono's band U2, Peter Frampton and Bob Dylan, sing about their hearing problems. Bob Seger described tinnitus in his song "Turn the Page": "Later in the evening as you lie awake in bed, with the echo from the amplifiers ringing in your head..." Former President Clinton, a rock fan who was diagnosed with noise-related hearing loss in 1997, attributed his condition to a longtime passion for loud music. According to Dr. Leonard, [i]hearing loss sometimes comes on so gradually that others may notice the problem before you do.[/i] Symptoms can include a ringing or buzzing in your ears, sensitivity to loud noises and difficulty hearing others when there is background noise. Other signs are if people around you sound like they're mumbling or talking too quickly, if you always need to turn the volume on the television or radio higher, or if you hear better with one ear or the other. HEAR offers the following steps that music lovers of all ages can take to prevent hearing damage: •Pay attention to noise levels. Never sit or dance in front of speakers. [b]Use ear plugs.[/b] [i](Wadded-up tissues or cotton balls provide no protection.)[/i] •Don't try to talk to someone while music is playing - you can damage someone's hearing by shouting in her ear. Take 30-minute breaks to move to an area where sound levels are lower. Pass up alcoholic beverages, since drinking lowers your sense of pain from excessive noise, which increases the risk of hearing damage. •When listening to music at home or in the car, turn down the volume. Don't blast music through headphones or speakers, and give your ears a rest for 24 hours after exposure to dangerous levels of noise.

[doc taz]

Yep. Good advice here. I own two pairs of earplugs, and never fail to wear them at excessively loud concerts and even sporting events. I've even read of orchestral musicians wearing custom earplugs, so this isn't limited to those of us in the electronically amplified arena. If you're in the audience of one of these things, you can usually escape the harsh volume levels by sitting back about 15 rows or more from the front. Some houses use discretely placed speakers, and in some cases, that may make these concerts too loud, which is a shame, because proper engineering when designing the hall would avoid such unnecessary measures. Not to mention killing the nuances that makes that type of music great to listen to.

[BP3]

Not only do I wear earplugs but I always have a box of 'em handy to give to those who come to hear us play. I only wish that more people would take advantage of the free earplugs. If you buy them by the box, the price is about .10 a pair.

[strat0124]

My bandmates tell me "if its too loud, you're too old". However, I have started using earplugs especially at rehearsal in an enclosed space. One thing I have noticed is, using earplugs help me sing harmony in tune better.

[Tedster]

Huh? Whadja say, sonny?

[Gato]

Tinitus is a bad illness :(

[Jode]

[quote]Originally posted by Geenard Skeenard: [b]My bandmates tell me "if its too loud, you're too old". However, I have started using earplugs especially at rehearsal in an enclosed space. One thing I have noticed is, using earplugs help me sing harmony in tune better.[/b][/quote]Funny how it's turned out to be the other way around: if it's not loud enough, you're too old (and you listened to it too loud for too long). As for earplugs helping with singing, your skull is one big round soundboard, and earplugs help you listen to it like a built-in monitor. Be careful, though: the pitch is slightly detuned by traveling through all that bone and grey matter, so watch your intonation.

[Ouizel]

Damn! The Tedster Hoffmonster from the Black Lagoonster beat me to it! :D

[G. Ratte]

For band practice, I like wearing those "gun muffs" a lot better than regular earplugs. They're like big closed-ear headphones, about, I dunno, $15? from Wal-Mart. Foam earplugs are a PITA to take in and out of your ears and get situated just right; they're fussy. Which you have to do between tunes for discussions and whatnot to avoid all those "HUH? WHAT?!" moments when not playing. With the gunmuffs, you can pop them up over year ears so they're just chillin' on your head. Looks cool too, in sci-fi sort of way. Ear damage sucks. When I was in my teens and ignorant of such things, I was at this TX-regional thrash metal show marathon thing... half-dozen bands that went on for hours and hours. The lunkhead running sound was playing music through the PA at full show volume in between the bands, so it was NON-STOP DECIBEL MAYHEM. ooh crap. My ears rang literally for a week after that. Also really bad was the Def Jam Tour '87 which was insanely loud and my ears were ringing for at least 3 days later. Did shows used to be louder in the 1980s? Is there more awareness 'bout "ya know, when your eardrums are making that crunching sound, that's not so cool."

[_Sweet Willie_]

Here's a site that's always a good resource when the earplug/tinnitus/hearing protection discussion comes 'round: [url=http://www.hearnet.com/index.shtml]H.E.A.R.[/url] Peace.

[demarc]

Yeah, hearing loss sucks big time if you are into music. Between those concerts when I was young, jet noise from End Of Runway duty, and 20+ years in machine shops, I am trying real hard to keep the hearing I have. I like the ear muffs for most stuff (table saws,etc.). I also like this style: [url=http://www.buysafetysupplies.com/store/~SH321-2101.jpg]comfy ear plugs[/url] They are real nice to keep in your carry on baggage, in case you are blessed with a seat next to the engine.

[Mark V]

The last "serious" band I was in I used to park my amp in the same room as everyone else but I would stand with my keyboards out in the hallway or sometimes out in the kitchen,I could hear everything quite nicely balanced at half the volume,it got lonely sometimes.

[IZCool]

I'm only 19, and 2 years ago i decided to invest in some custom fit musician's earplugs (not the etymotics, a cheaper australian brand). Bloody fantastic I say. I've had tinnitus for at least 5 or 6 years, possibly due to learning piano on a loud american upright, but I'm not sure. Now I wear my earplugs when i go out to the bar (when they're playing music) or when playing with an amplified band. Most people don't notice them, or at least they don't say anything. If they do notice them, most people reckon they are hearing aids or something. It doesn't worry me. I take them out at the end of the night and my ears don't ring :D

[flyscots]

Also, if you can, get a regular audiology test so if something is wrong you can compensate for it. This one's more for engineers than musicians but still important.

[Dak Lander]

Well I waited, what, a couple of days??? Poundin' yer pud'll make ya deaf too. :eek: Jist akx yo' momma. :D

[Phait]

Any research into ear damage via moderate headphone use at moderate (not loud) volumes? I actually like using headphones when I play my Fantom rather than the speakers sometimes.. I always said I'd never use headphones unless I needed to be more quiet around others.. but hear I am lovin' em. (Sony MDR-300's)