Quick Tip #21: Protect Your Hearing (Guitar Lesson QT-021)

Hi, how are you doing?

Justin here, with another
quick tip for you.

It's not kind of really
a quick tip this week,

it's urging you
with some advice.

Please protect your hearing.

Now, our ears are really
really important, obviously.

If you are getting into music, that's how
music communicates with us.

We hear it, so by damaging your ears

you are really,
really putting a big blocker

between you and enjoying music.

I've got a bunch of friends
with tinnitus,

which is this really severe
ringing in the ears

that can be permanent.

So, 24 hours a day - I mean you probably
don't notice it so much

when you're asleep,

but all the time there is
a ringing in your ears if you get that.

That is, I mean I don't have it
but it sounds awful.

Really, it can be a bad thing.

I know plenty of guys
who no longer play live anymore

because tinnitus is so bad they are scared

of going back into a live environment
for fear of it becoming even worse.

There are some simple things
that you can do to protect yourself.

The first thing, the really,
really obvious thing is,

just don't go ridiculous
with the volume, right?

If you are listening to ear buds,
listen to them at a reasonable level.

Don't just listen to it up flat out.

The same is if you are playing
in a band or whatever,

you are recording or you are
in a rehearsal studio,

you don't need to have your amp up
really, really loud.

There are times where being
really, really loud

gives you a certain sound,
which is kind of useful.

In that sort of environment
I've got a different room here

where I put my loud amp
and I sit in the control room.

That room is kind of separate.

We've all done it,
I've quite enjoyed a few times

playing with a cranked up Marshall

but you can't be doing it regularly

or you are really
going to damage your ears.

It's kind of serious.

If you speak to somebody
who's got tinnitus, it's just terrible.

Even if you don't get tinnitus,
which is the big evil,

you do stuff like you lose the high end,

you no longer hear the really high sounds
in music in general.

Especially if you are a guitar player,

you end up putting
too much top end on the sound

which will sound fine to you because
you won't be hearing the top end

but anyone around you will be thinking
that that sound

is really grating and unpleasant.

You've got to watch out for that as well.

It might even lose you a gig.

The most obvious thing to do
to protect your hearing

is to get ear plugs.

I definitely recommend you do that.

Either just the little cheap foam ones

that you kind of rub
between your fingers and put in.

They are okay.

But you can buy slightly more
expensive ones which are a lot better,

that cut out more of the really
dangerous high frequencies.

Or if you can afford it,
the things that I use are these kind of

custom made ear plugs.
They are kind of expensive.

Mine were about 100 pounds,
which is a lot of money.

But if you are really serious about music

and you are going regularly
to loud concerts or whatever,

investing in a pair of these things
is incredible

because it takes the whole volume down

rather than just cutting out
the top end or whatever.

So when you are listening to stuff
it sounds the same, just quieter,

which is really what you want
because sometimes

those cheap ear plugs change the sound.

I understand why people don't want to
wear them if it's changing the sound

because it's changing their enjoyment
with the music.

That's why spending
that bit of extra money

on posh ear plugs is kind of a good idea.

I know it's a lot of money
but if you are serious about music,

you are serious
about listening at volume,

then you probably need to invest in those.

One thing that I have found is that

when you listen to good quality
headphones or speakers,

you don't need the volume
to be quite so loud.

When I listen to headphones now,
I've got these KRK brand headphones,

the big ones that cover your ears as well,

I think you can generally
get a better sound

than you get with those little ear buds.

And because the sound is better,
I can listen at a lower volume,

I don't have to really blast myself,
I can really hear clearly,

it kind of cuts out
some of the outside noise as well,

which means that I can have it
at a lower volume

and still hear the music nice and clearly.

I really want to urge you to go
and check it out

because it will make a big difference.

The last thing you want to do
is be a massive music fan

and going out and doing gigs
and that sort of stuff

and suddenly get plagued
by tinnitus or hearing loss.

It can be pretty severe.

I've got slightly less hearing
in my left ear

because I quite often stood
on stage right, next to the drums

and cymbals are a bad one.

When you are close to a drummer
and they are bashing away

on a crash cymbal a lot,

that can really do some damage
to your hearing.

Guys, if you are into your music,
go and get yourselves some ear plugs,

the best that you can afford
and look after them.

They might be expensive but I don't think
your ear changes shape that much.

At least I've had my set
for a good five years

and they still seem to fit fine
so go and check them out.

I'll stick some links to some
of the companies I've used in the past

for the in ear things, in London

but you've kind of got to go somewhere

where they make a little mould of your ear
when you get the posh ones done.

I hope you'll heed my advice
and just protect your hearing,

it's really important.

I'll see you for plenty more
lessons, tips,

tricks, songs and all sort of stuff
very soon.

Take care of yourselves, bye bye.