What is that ringing in my ears?

The irony isn’t lost on me that in the weeks since starting my blog, about my love of music, I have developed tinnitus in my right ear.

In quieter moments or when I’m not actively listening to something, I can hear a steady high pitch whine that occasionally makes me take notice.

Over the years I have been to numerous loud gigs, but in everyday life I have the volume limiter on my ipod activated.  I am always conscious of how loud I have my headphones, mainly so as not to disturb fellow commuters, but also to protect my hearing.  But despite these precautions I have still developed this annoying condition.

Many famous musicians also have tinnitus, although they are probably more susceptible due to their career choice and loud concert environments.  Phil Collins is one notable sufferer.

I have had experiences with tinnitus before over the years, but it would usually pop into notice and then fade off immediately until it was gone.  This would occur every few months or so and wasn’t excessive or cause for concern.

Thinking back to past experiences with loud music in my life maybe I shouldn’t be as surprised as I am.  I remember seeing Iron Maiden many years ago and managed to work my way into the mosh pit at the front and positioned myself in front of their rather substantial stack of speakers.  It certainly was loud, but as I head banged and stomped my feet along in ecstasy with the music and crowd atmosphere I didn’t think for one minute of my hearing.  Afterwards, when I left the venue and walked to the train station I noticed that everything sounded as if it was under water, but I put this down to euphoria and the contrast of the gig to ‘everyday’ volume.  It wasn’t until the next day that I realised I couldn’t hear very well and when people spoke to me it sounded as if they spoke through wads of cotton or they sounded like Charlie Browns teacher from the cartoon series.  This amused me at first, then as the day wore on concerned me and although my hearing gradually improved over the next few days, by the third day I was alarmed to say the least.

I vowed to never be as stupid again and my caution around loud music was born on that evening.

Then a few years ago I saw Razorlight in Brighton and I was positioned next to the edge of the venue and a large wall.  The acoustics in the venue were diabolical and the sound reflected off the wall and clashed in my ears horrible.  It also created a distortion and additional volume I think may have been lost at other parts of the venue.  By the end of the night my ears rang and I walked home feeling dizzy and disorientated.

Sometimes now when I see live music certain loud sections or frequencies will make me wince in discomfort and I guess, on reflection, the damage to my hearing may have been gradual, but it is no longer surprising.

I hope that the tinnitus I have recently experienced will ease off and as long as I am still able to appreciate and enjoy music then some of my apprehension about it will be reduced.  Of course if it gets any worse I will make an appointment to see my Doctor (as you should in the same situation) but I fear he may ruefully shake his head and say my years of carelessness may have caught up with me.  Oh the lessons we learn in hindsight.  A small part of me is embarrassed to say, that after all the superb live acts I’ve seen over the years, that I still feel it may have been worth it.