STOP THRASHING
YOUR (EAR)DRUMS
AKARSH SHEKHAR
A hearing protection guide for musicians
According to Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich : “If you get a scratch on your nose, in a
week that’ll be gone. When you…damage your hearing, it doesn’t come back, it’s gone,
and there’s no real remedy.”
Several factors contribute to this type of
degradation, including volume, frequency
distribution, duration of exposure,
individual susceptibility (genetics), and
age. Ongoing exposure of the cochlea’s
hair cells to these high SPLs causes
physical wear and destruction, and
ultimately they can no longer carry the
sound movement to the nerve cells.
Warning signs
Most of us have experienced that
hollow or ringing sense after enjoying
a live concert that was just a bit too
loud. Although it usually goes away
after several hours, inevitably there
is some degree of permanent damage,
and it’s an example of one of the earlier
signs of hearing loss, called tinnitus.
Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, has
battled tinnitus for about 10 years, and
since he started protecting his ears it
hasn’t gotten any worse…but he wishes
that he’d thought about it earlier.
There is the natural assumption that
this is a rock star-only problem, but
classical and orchestral musicians are
at equal (and in some studies, greater)
risk. For example, violin players can
develop asymmetric hearing loss
because of the proximity of the left
ear vs. the right to the instrument.
Damage can be present even without
perceptible symptoms — but a formal
hearing test can reveal defects
even before the symptoms start
showing up. Many sound engineers
get their hearing tested annually to
discover defects before they become
symptomatic, and likely irreversible.
Prevent with musicians earplugs
Unfortunately, once your hearing is
damaged, there’s nothing science or
medicine can do. This irreparable damage
is the main reason that we should focus on
protecting and preserving our hearing:
• If you enjoy “feeling” the loud music
at a rock concert, make sure you wear
ear protection. Get a cheap pair of
foam earplugs to wear to concerts.
• Develop the habit of paying attention
to the volume levels around you by
using a dB meter. If you don’t have a
dedicated device, such as the Galaxy
Audio Check Mate CM-130 SPL Meter,
you can easily use a smartphone
app, many of which are free.
• Start a habit of using earbuds or plugs
when you’re in any loud environment
(not just music venues). Put them in when
using power tools, shooting firearms,
mowing the grass, or going to that
monster truck rally or sporting event.
• When you do use in-ear protection,
be sure they seal well around your ear
canals. A leaky seal defeats the purpose
of using them in the first place.
• While foam earplugs are better than
nothing, they usually reduce higher
frequencies and subsequently produce
a muffled or muddied sound.
• Earplugs made for musicians minimize
all frequencies equally and protect the
musical soundscape in its entirety,
though at a safer volume. They can be
made of softer silicone, or some are
made from more rigid materials that
will soften inside the ear canal from
your body heat and lead to a stable seal.
High-fidelity Etymotic earplugs such
as the Etymotic Research ETY-Plugs,
maintain the natural frequency response
while minimizing noise exposure.
• Never leave one in-ear monitor (IEM)
out and one in; that’s a sure-fire way
to damage your hearing over time.
• If you’re shopping for in-ear monitors
for hearing protection, consider how
much isolation they provide and decide
whether you want universally fitting
IEMs or custom-molded monitors.
In this increasingly noisy world we
live in, we’d suggest keeping some
type of earplugs with you all the time.
Just toss a set of foam plugs in your
backpack, purse, or briefcase.
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
41