djm3801
151 posts
Jun 24, 2009
5:14 PM
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Anyone out there who wears hearing aids and plays with band? I did it for the first time last night and it took about 10 seconds to realize I could not hear a note I was playing. As a novice, I sort of know where I am on the harp by ear. No clue how it sounded. Folks usually say you did good. Only other time I was in public was a karaoke in a resort and at least I knew how i sounded. I guess the trick is to get the band to play lower or crank up your amp, but that can be annoying too I guess. The other solution is to stay in the woodshed. I paid 2 grand a piece for these hearing aids too, but they are an imperfect solution to good hearing.
I guess if you have been playing a long time knowing where you are on a harp becomes second nature. May be a bad time in my life to be a novice! Anyone else have this problem? I can see how it would make one throw in thw towel...
Dan
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GermanHarpist
396 posts
Jun 24, 2009
6:01 PM
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Maybe some kind of monitoring earplug could help. So that you don't have to crank up the amp...
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germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
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MJ
45 posts
Jun 24, 2009
6:26 PM
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If I am understanding your problem correctly, you have just begun to wear a hearing aid and when you play with your band , everything is now too loud.
My hearing is not what it used to be either. I do remember that my Grandmother wore a hearing aid most of her life. She was nearly deaf from the flu of 1917. She used to crank that aid up so high that sometimes I could hear the whistleing feedback kick in! Anywho, my point is that maybe when playing with the band, you turn down your hearing aid a tad. After all it is your personal,earth, stage monitor. This is a problem I will most likly be facing in the next few years, let us know how you solve the problem.
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djm3801
152 posts
Jun 24, 2009
6:45 PM
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I never played in on stage and in public and have been wearing hearing aids for 10 years. but when I played, I could not hear my own playing. Sort of like walking blindfold....
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nacoran
81 posts
Jun 24, 2009
10:14 PM
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I think GermanHarpist probably has the right idea. You might even want to put an effect into the loop to lower the pitch by an octave so you can feel the notes (or if your hearing loss is at one end or the other of the spectrum you could tune accordingly, or even try high or low tuned harps.) You might have to experiment a bit.
Bose has those noise reducing headphones that will cancel out some outside noise (and any big over ear headphones will muffle out some). Maybe you could even do some of it at the hearing aid level. The more outside noise you can get rid of the more you can control the mix that actually gets to you. Harmonica is a weird instrument though since so much of the sound happens in your mouth. I'll see if any of my friends have any ideas.
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rmiker
1 post
Jun 25, 2009
1:22 AM
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I don't play in a band but have had aids for 25yrs, however, here are my thoughts.
If the band is too loud I think your aids may have gone into 'shut down' and are working as earplugs.
Most modern aids have at least 3 switchable programme or mode settings that your audiologist would have set up for you.
1 normal hearing use.
2 noisy group or social situations
3 telephone 'loop'
plus a volume control.
I'm assuming you have tried all the settings on your aids.
Check your aid handbook or go online to see if your aids have an extra unused mode that can be setup for your particular situation.
Talk to your audiologist, explain the problem and ask what can be done.
Hope some of this helps.
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djm3801
153 posts
Jun 25, 2009
3:38 AM
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These are digital and not switchable. would hate to wear headphones. Not worth it. Perhaps it is shutting down due to noise. Maybe my hearing aid guy will have an answer. - was just wondering if anyone else has had this issue and how they dealt with it. Hell, maybe I just try talking them out. I have an old analog aid too - maybe it is less intelligent and will not cancel noise. I just started with the Philly harp club so perhaps over time I can adapt to it by practice. Perhaps I will head to my nephew's place and do a practice session with their band.
Dan
Thanks.
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mr_so&so
139 posts
Jun 25, 2009
8:48 AM
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Intersting topic. I have the opposite problem. I have hearing damage that's made my hearing more sensitive to loud sound -- gets my ears ringing really easily -- and I don't want to make that permanent. I wear musicians' ear plugs to cut the dBs, but am very leary of playing with a loud band. That's why I am not rushing to local blues jams until I'm confident that I won't do more damage.
Anyway, perhaps of relevance to djm's question, I find that the ear plugs make my playing seem louder to me. I guess this is because I'm "hearing" more sound from the inside, conducted through bone, etc? You might try the counter-intuitive thing and try plugs to see if that helps.
It also makes me squirm a bit to see people wearing hearing aids around loud music. Isn't loud sound generally the cause of most hearing loss to begin with? Seems like you might be risking greater hearing loss that way. I like GermanHarpist's suggestion of monitor earplugs, if my crazy suggestion of regular attenuating earplugs doesn't work for you. Best of luck with it.
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djm3801
154 posts
Jun 25, 2009
1:38 PM
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Ringing i the ear was my first warngin sign. One day I was building a shed and using hammer and circular saw and when i got done my ears were ringing. but that time, it never went away. That was also a sign of my hearing damage, which gradualy declined over time. I was once down at Meadowlands stadium for an Army Navy game and the military band was walking by us and hit the drums. My ears actually hurt. I always caution folks to use hearing protection when using power tools or lawn mowers, etc.
New hearng aids? These are less than 3 years old and as you know, you pay out of your pocket as major med does not cover them - it is ok to be half deaf, I guess.
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rmiker
3 posts
Jun 25, 2009
4:04 PM
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mr_so&so, as regards using hearing aids around loud music. I just turn mine down to a comfortable listening level, so no potential ear damage. When I turn them back up, I get a warning 'beep' to let me know I am back at the preset level. If I turn them right up, I am on super hearing 'eavesdrop' level.
Fortunately, I don't get ringing ears from loud music/sound damage. My hearing loss is caused by blocked eustachian tubes, I've had since childhood.
Mike
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GermanHarpist
405 posts
Jun 25, 2009
4:38 PM
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Maybe this could help: there is this bone conduction headset - link. You could attach it to your blues hat... :)
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germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
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mr_so&so
142 posts
Jun 26, 2009
10:58 AM
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@GH I doubt that those bone conduction headsets are of any use at all.
The biggest problem with most headsets is that they let in extraneous noise, hence the ones that try to reduce that electronically, etc. I've heard recently (e.g. http://www.hear-it.org/page.dsp?page=3939) that ear bud type headphones are basically hazardous because they require the listener to crank up the volume to drown out environmental noise they let in. A good set of ear muff type headphones is the best despite the bulk. Those bone conduction gizmos leave the ear completely unobstructed, which has to be the worst option.
BTW, that web site is the first one that came up when I Googled. I'd not seen it before, but it looks useful.
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GermanHarpist
413 posts
Jun 26, 2009
3:01 PM
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Well, you could then combine it with some high-tech earmuffs.
"ear bud type headphones are basically hazardous" - definitely. Negating my first suggestion...
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germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
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djm3801
157 posts
Jun 26, 2009
5:55 PM
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gee by the time I got done wearing stuff on my heard, I'd have to join "Village People" as the construction worker. Lots of gizmos out there. Perhaps one specialized hearing aid combined with getting a band to play a little lower.
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rmiker
4 posts
Jun 27, 2009
5:52 AM
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Dan,
I have reread all the above posts and there have been some interesting suggestions. However, I am sure all you want are hearing aids to compensate for your hearing loss, that work.
You said in an earlier post your current hearing aids are less than 3yrs old. Could it be that your hearing needs have changed and your hearing aids might need re-programming?
Assuming your hearing aids are 'in the ear' digitals I think you have done really well making them last so long. I never did.
Here in the UK I was advised to go back to the cheaper,'behind the ear' digitals. I now have the 3 programmables modes I mentioned in an earlier post, plus the all important volume control.
Mike
Last Edited by on Jun 27, 2009 7:28 AM
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Bluzdude46
66 posts
Jun 27, 2009
7:44 AM
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This is probably no help to you, Dan but I have trouble hearing myself amongst the band also. I have a tendancy to play with very out front and loud bassists and guitarists. It's particularly hard in Jam formats where dynamics isn't a very big priority. Mentioning that to the guys you're playing with may remind them and they could ease up in spots you play hell you may even convince the guitarists to turn down a lil bit. Doubtful but it could happen.
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djm3801
158 posts
Jun 27, 2009
7:01 PM
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Thanks for all the good input. Actually I had them reprogrammed. They are pretty fine tuned. Think I just have to play around and see how bad it actually impacts me. All, PLEASE preserve your hearing. There are worse things than being hard of hearing, but it is a very frustrating thing and it tends to isolate you. I know people get ringing permanent and sometimes folks have a hard tim coping with that. It never bothered me much but the hearing issue does piss me off.
Dan
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mr_so&so
143 posts
Jun 29, 2009
9:05 AM
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I second Dan's plea: "PLEASE preserve your hearing". I'm glad that this topic has had quite a bit of comment, but I suspect that many of our members who do not yet have any hearing issues may be in denial. It's well documented that a large percentage of musicians experience hearing loss, so please invest in some hearing protection.
I want to say a bit more about ear plugs. Fit is the key for in-ear devices. My musicians' ear plugs were purchased from an audiologist. They were made from molds of my ear canals, and fit snuggly, deep in there. The filters attenuate without distorting the sound. The cost is under US $200, comparable to the price of a custom harp. I have two pairs, one with 15 dB filters and one with 25 dB filters. The audiologist said that 15 dB should be sufficient to prevent hearing damage. I use them at work and in noisy restaurants, etc. The perception is that a lot of the background rumble is removed, while letting voices through. I find that the 25 dB ones don't attenuate too much, so I use them when listening to live music, for insurance. Well worth the investment.
@GH, I suspect that in-ear monitors, at least good ones, are also fitted to the ear canal to block external noise leakage, but I have no knowledge of them, or experience with them. Perhaps someone here who has could comment?
Last Edited by on Jun 29, 2009 9:06 AM
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djm3801
161 posts
Jun 29, 2009
4:06 PM
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Mr S&S... That is very cool $200. Hmm. I also was thinking - putting the amp for the harp Behind me?? Hmm. Thanks. Yes, hear loss is more than people think it is. It sort of changes your personality. I have become very isolated. At home I stay in the rec room with close caption. My wife and sister are in the living room with the big screen. At work, I rarely initiate conversation. Once I get started, IN an environment where I hear well, I talk like hell. I have a Denon sound system in the living room. People say it kicks ass. EVen with hearing aids it does not sound special. Plus you cannot really tell which direction sound is coming from. I hear a phone at work, i do not know if it is mine unitl I am on top of it, but when I make a move to answer it, folks will say "it is not your phone,..." With $4000 work of hardware in the ears! Oh well. There are worse things but, as they say, do not let this happen to you. I am sure the poor person with the prosthetic leg would gladly trade for two good legs and poor hearing. Everthing is relative.
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