Musicians are awesome! Their performances bring us so much enjoyment. The drawback is that music is almost always loud, in fact, many individuals prefer it that way. The musicians themselves are at an increased risk of hearing damage since they are subjected to loud music just about every day.
Whether your income relies on music or not, you’ll still want to be able to hear your favorite songs when you’re in your later years of life. For musicians, safeguarding their hearing is the key to a long and successful career. For the rest of us, hearing protection is the key to a lifetime of musical enjoyment and enrichment.
Music is surprisingly loud
If you ask most individuals whether a jet engine is loud, they’ll likely say yes.
But what about music? People may not be so fast to answer that question if you ask them if a violin or acoustic guitar is loud. Usually, when they hear the answer, they’re pretty surprised: That can also be very loud music! Your ears can even be harmed by classical music which can reach fairly loud volumes.
A violin, for instance, can produce sounds in excess of 90 dB. That’s around as noisy as a leaf blower. To put that into context, the European Union laws stipulate that any workplace louder than 85 dB requires the use of ear protection.
And if you’re working with music day in and day out, continuous exposure to that kind of volume, especially without hearing protection, can severely damage your hearing over time.
Can you protect your ears from noise damage?
Okay, musicians who want to preserve their hearing for years to come need to protect their hearing. So what can musicians do to safeguard their hearing and still take pleasure in the music they love so much?
Here are a couple of strategies:
- Take breaks: Much like any part of your body, your ears can become tired and may need a little break. So give yourself “hearing breaks” frequently. This will help prevent your ears from getting overpowered with sound (and damage). Duration is almost as relevant as volume when it comes to hearing health. Taking breaks can be the difference between just enough stimulation and too much!
- Track your volume: Knowledge is power, right? So being aware of volume levels of noises around you will help you safeguard your hearing. Keeping track of the volume on amps and PA systems is one factor. But you can also monitor day-to-day volume levels of environmental noises using a volume meter app that you can download on your cellphone. If the meter detects volumes above 85dB regularly, you’ll want to do something about this.
Use ear protection
Using ear protection is the number one most effective way to safeguard your hearing. Many musicians are hesitant to use hearing protection because they’re worried it will effect the quality of sound they hear, as well as muting the volume. That’s not always the case, depending on which kind of hearing protection you use.
- Ear plugs made specifically for musicians: Disposable earplugs are something that’s likely very familiar to most people. They’re fairly good at blocking a lot of sound though they sometimes don’t fit very well. They aren’t hard to get, aren’t expensive, and can be disposed of easily. For musicians, they aren’t an ideal solution. However, by spending just a little more money, you can purchase high-quality earplugs made chiefly for musicians. A special material and modern engineering are utilized to help these earplugs fit comfortably in the ear and minimize external noise by about 20% while preserving the audio fidelity. This solution is perfect for musicians who need a light to moderate level of protection (and who don’t have a ton of money to invest in earplugs, or are likely to misplace them).
- Electronic earplugs: The same general functionality found in non-electronic earplugs can also be found in electronic earplugs. Most of the sound will be blocked by the earplug itself. But the earplug itself will pipe in the sound you hear. For individuals who work in very loud environments and need better control of the volume, these earplugs are ideal.
- In-ear monitors: The majority of music is electronic now, or at least amplified by electronics. An in-ear monitor takes those electronic signals and conveys them directly to a device placed inside of your ear (called an in-ear monitor). Most monitors are little speakers that fit snugly and block out the majority of sound while playing sounds you want to hear at safe volumes. This means you can hear exactly how you sound, at a volume you control. In-ear monitors are useful for individuals who work mainly with electronically amplified instruments.
Safeguard your career by protecting your hearing
It’s never too late to take measures to protect your hearing, but it’s definitely a good idea to begin sooner rather than later. Everybody can safeguard their hearing and future with hearing protection solutions at all price points. Remember that you’re investing in your career by using hearing protection for musicians. By doing so, you will be able to enjoy creating music for as long as you want to.
Contact us so we can help you get started.