Your ears are an important part of being a musician. If you couldn’t hear anything, you wouldn’t be able to play your instrument or interact with other band members. This is why it’s important to take the necessary precautions to protect your hearing.
I would like to start by saying that hearing protection is absolutely NOT a necessity for playing live – provided that you play at an adequate stage volume. The big problem with earplugs is that they tend to cause environment isolation by blocking out frequencies we want to hear. This renders hearing protection undesirable for a lot of musicians (including myself).
Many professional musicians play at quite a low stage volume. If this is the case, there is no threat to hearing damage. There is a popular belief that any gig will put stress on your hearing but this is simply not true. Yes – you need to set a tube amplifier to a certain volume to get the best tone, but not to the point where it’s uncomfortable for your ears.
You may, however, find yourself in a situation where hearing protection is absolutely necessary. I once played with a drummer whose aim was to hit at hard as possible. In fact he even used bulletproof drum skins. After the gig I found myself feeling off balance and my ears ringing. This was a situation where earplugs was necessary, despite the fact that I don’t enjoy using them. I also find that hearing protection is required if the PA speakers are placed behind the band for stage monitoring purposes, or if the drummers crash cymbal is right next to your ear.
If you require hearing protection, I would highly recommend custom ear plugs that are molded to fit the shape of your ear. These can be obtained from an audiologist or you can check out Sensorcom.com. The only disadvantage is that they can be rather pricey (upwards of $100). I’ve tried the silicon and foam based hearing plugs, but I didn’t have much success with them.
The moral of the story is that you need to protect your hearing. Your ears know when sound is at an uncomfortable level and it’s vital to pay attention to them. The last thing you want to develop is tinnitus, which is constant ringing in your ears. Many musicians who have neglected their hearing have ended up with this condition later on down the line, and trust me – it’s the last thing you want!
