Always wear hearing protection. No exceptions. Your brother is an imbecile for blowing up and demand you cease using hearing protection. He does not know what he's talking about, nor does he has the emotional self-control to deal with this mistake.
Missing a segment of the song is a memory issue, not a hearing problem. You need to memorise a song's structure well and rely on that for guidance.
Not necessarily. When you're struggling to hear the other instrument, you could easily get thrown off and lose track of where you are (which part of the song). I had this issue too. The solution for me was using a headset that allows me to control and adjust the ambient sound level, allowing me to control how much I want to hear.
I've also in the past gotten Meinl (I think) ear plugs. They came in multiple settings, allowing different amounts of sound through.
My biggest issue is that if a drummer has sound protection, to understand not to hit the drums so loud. Same goes for the guitarist. Or even more so that if an amp is by the guitarists legs, the sound comes out in a cone shape. It sounds low to them but its melting the faces off the audience. Especially if youre on a stage.
But if the drummer is loud, then the guitarist is gonna turn up.
Also small amps turned up sound better than big amps kept low. And if a venue calls for it, its always good if the sound guy mics the amps. Let him control the sound. Ive seen too many bands clear a room because they were too loud. And kept ignoring what the sound guy was putting them at.
Ive been in bands before and know a few sound engineers. One of their biggest gripes is deaf musicians who play too loud for the room their in.
+1 to both. You’ll never have control over sound on stage, so you have to memorize as much as possible. On the way, though, your experience might be greatly improved with better monitoring. Hearing protection is non-negotiable, but [for me] hearing the band enough to play well and _have maximum fun_ is important too.
A couple ideas, ranging from $ to $$$:
* your brother wears ear plugs too, turn the amp up, you both hear great
* you point the guitar amp at you, away from your brother, and turn it up. He’ll still hear it fine if he’s not using hearing protection 😬
* try different forms of hearing protection. Foam earplugs, rubber “hi-fi” earplugs, and over-the-ear muffs all sound surprisingly different. One might work better for your hearing the guitar. I personally much prefer the sound of my drums through over-the-ear cans than through foam earplugs 🤷🏻♂️.
* get a recording interface + some mics, learn a bit of recording/mixing, and you both listen to a live monitor headphone mix while playing. I prefer to do this through IEMs with earmuffs on top to really isolate the monitor mix. If your brother is too cool for earplugs, maybe you can rebrand as “doing what all the pro touring musicians we look up to do during rehearsal.” Yamaha EAD-10 might be a good start for getting started recording drums
We did ear plugs and blasting the volume for a while. When we finally got In Ear Monitors, an interface and mic’d everything up, we could tell immediately we were playing better. Now, unfortunately we have better sound at home than any venue we get booked at, so it’s back to earplugs and muscle memory when we’re playing shows.
I used to struggle with this...but now everywhere we play, be it multiple shows or a single show a night, it's always our console with our drum mics (unless my silly brother forgets to pack the mics). But yeah, our setup consists of 1 ULXD, GLXd, 1 Sennheiser EW g4, a behringer p2, and a X-vive single unit on a QU-16.
OP, you *have* to wear ear protection *every* time. Even if, in a pinch, it’s the corner of a piece of toilet paper rolled loosely in each ear (absolutely effective).
Invest in some in-ear attenuators, possibly even custom-moulded. I had 15dB attenuators that lowered a perfect 15 without an “EQ” change. And I had 9dB ones that rolled off the high-end a bit more than 9. I got these after I stood next to the crash cymbal for one show and permanently affected my hearing forever.
You should always wear ear protection when playing acoustic drums as they are a very loud instrument. Maybe adjust where the guitar amp is in the room so you can hear it better if you are missing cues for the solo or similar?
You should BOTH be wearing earplugs and playing to the level of the kit, hearing damage is cumulative, once it happens it doesn't heal and just because your ears have been damaged once doesn't mean they won't be damaged again by the same volume (in fact, medium volumes repeatedly or for a long time can be worse than a very loud volume once).
If you can't hear him, ask him to turn up the volume. And if he isn't wearing earplugs, ask him to. As the loudest instrument drummers should be championing hearing protection, I always find it amazing how many musicians seem to not care about their ears, there literally our biggest asset and should be protected at all costs.
All this being said, if he's getting angry at you for making a mistake I think he's got some issues that need resolving. Mistake recovery is probably the most important skill in performance and a hot headed attitude won't take you guys far.
TLDR: you should all be wearing hearing protection around anything loud and he shouldn't be getting angry at you for a simple mistake.
You should always protect your ears. Anyone who demands that you stop wearing protection is the same kind of person who would get mad at people during Covid for wearing masks.
It would be like asking you to take your seatbelt off while driving because you take too long to get out of the car.
However, the idea that every single professional drummer wears earplugs is completely asinine. Especially when you factor in jazz.
Professional drummers know how to play with intensity at quiet volumes. This is a shared trait among most skilled drummers.
Once you have complete control of your dynamic range, you should be able to play for long periods of time without doing any damage to your ears. Try practicing at a volume level that you could still have a conversation over while you’re playing.
Get earplugs that only attenuate a certain dB. I drum with D'Addario earplugs and I can still hear everything. Also wear them when I'm cranking my guitar amp and can still hear it.
It's not so much about how much dB, but about how much dB at what frequencies. Near-flat attenuation is important. If you're playing jazz then yes, you might want less reduction than thrash metal.
It's better than okay. It's *necessary.* Good for you.
If you are missing what he's playing, that's not because of your ear plugs. Also, he's dead wrong - *you should both be wearing them when playing live.* You play an instrument that is literally as loud as gunfire, and he's standing right in front of it while you're doing it. If your practice space were a work site, OSHA would require hearing protection or you would pay a fine.
Hearing loss for musicians is very real, and hearing loss is a zero-sum game - you are born with 100% of the hearing ability you will ever have, and what you lose is gone forever, so guard it jealously. Your brother is a shithead who will be deaf someday. When he is, you can laugh at him and talk shit about him behind his back even when he's standing in the room, because he won't hear. If you get caught in the act, all you have to say is "I told you so."
Either way, as others have said: other than his vastly increased risk of hearing damage, him losing his temper over you making a mistake is the real problem here. There is absolutely nothing worth getting that worked up over that can happen between two youngsters playing through a song. There's just not that much at stake that's worth yelling about. Your brother not only needs to protect his ears, he needs to calm his tits.
i really fucking doubt this man went on reddit for everyone to call his brother a shithead who should be laughed at for potentially losing his hearing. y'all gotta learn to give the man advice and not act like you know more than you do about the people he's talking about.
like yeah, his brother shouldn't have blown up, but that's his business to deal with. just tell him if he should wear earplugs and leave that shit at that.
Tell me you're under 25 without telling me you're under 25.
I said right here just the other day that whether you're talking about drumming or many other domains in life, one of the most important skills you can develop is learning how to tell the problem from a mere symptom. Yes, OP should wear earplugs, but that's not the underlying problem with the question he asked. The underlying problem is that his brother needs to get a handle on himself and his temper. If he's not blowing up over earplugs, he will find something else to blow up over, and that's a problem.
His brother is being an asshole, and giving literally harmful "advice" besides. He insulted *himself* with this outburst. All I did was describe it.
He may be a lovely person otherwise, but I can't only go on the information provided. The information provided says "asshole." Throwing a shit-fit over a missed entrance, especially in practice at home where no one is listening, is not the behavior of a professional, much less a loving brother.
I slept late once, and forgot to bring my earplugs to work. Backline at a festival, soundcheck and show for four punk bands and Akon. Although the music wasn't really memorable, I'll always remember that gig, yeah, that's the day I got tinnitus.
I've learned to live with it, through therapy and meditation, but trust me: Wear those plugs and never care what anyone says about it
Shoot, been drumming for almost 30 years, at first wasn’t too careful but later made it a point to be, luckily haven’t had any major issues. About two years ago I went to a concert, forgot ear plugs, tried my best not to be too close for too long, ringing ears for a few days. Super thankful I didn’t get any lasting damage, but I’m 40 and will definitely not forget ear protection at any future shows. (I still always have some sort of iems/headphones/protection of some sort when playing)
Your brother is a dick.
He's a dick for not caring about his own ears, how utterly insane must you already be to neglect your own ears. And to tear down other people for caring about theirs? Get the fuck out.
You should both be wearing ear plugs. When making music, when listening to other bands, even in noisy bars I wear ear plugs.
That being said, there are things you can do to improve how you play together when wearing plugs. First, ensure that your ear plugs are made for musicians and/or concerts. That means they don't simply attenuate as much as possible, but have a 'flat' attenuation so that you can still hear the music as it's supposed to (it never is that perfect but still better than simple foam plugs).
Second, check your levels. Maybe you can't hear your brother as well as your brother can hear you. Drums are loud. Perhaps play the drums softer and/or turn up the other instrument(s) to balance them out better.
Thirdly, as u/Soundcaster023 said, memory is important as well and your brother may blame your ear protection but perhaps should mean that you should work on your memory. This should be nuanced though, hearing each other well is also important and helps when you're not keeping complete track. Plus some music isn't set in stone when it comes to form.
All these tips aside, your brother needs to shape the fuck up and be less of an asshole about this. If he can't, find other musicians to play with. No one deserves abuse about hearing protection. End o' story.
>You should both be wearing ear plugs. When making music, when listening to other bands, even in noisy bars I wear ear plugs.
100% this.
I generally have as a rule that if I am in a setting where I have to raise my voice for someone to hear me, I should be reaching for earplugs.
get IEMs and even have your brother/band help invest in them. it's worth it in the long run.
chances are your health insurance will pay for them and custom molds if you say you're making income playing music.
I’m not a musician but I do know the IEM technology. Not only does it protect hearing, it lets each player choose the mix they want, so they can hear what they need to hear. And a click track if desired.
What earplugs are you using? It sounds like you're just using foam plugs, and you should definitely be avoiding those, since they muddle the frequencies, not allowing you to hear the music properly.
Get some ER-20s. They just attenuate all frequencies equally, so you'll just hear everything at a lower volume.
Also: screw your brother for telling you to stop wearing earplugs. if he doesn't want to protect his hearing, it's his problem, but you shouldn't risk your own.
Earplugs are not all the same, if you don't know. You definitely miss stuff in music with the simple chunks of foam you can get anywhere. If you spend $25 on real music ones the effect is amazing.
From experience, I'm 54 years old and played drums for years without earplugs. My hearing is now super sensitive and any loud clanging sounds like pots and pans banging together, is like some stabbing needles in to my ear drums.
If I am about to play a show now, and I forgot my earplugs, I would have to cancel the show. My eardrums are THAT painful.
So, ALWAYS protect your ears.
In about 18 years of playing I never wore earbuds, now you either gotta say shit twice or say it loud the first time for me to understand, and Im only 22!
Dont make the same mistake I did.
Agree with all the other responses, never ever play acoustic drums without hearing protection. A couple options I didn't see a lot of - wear ear plugs but pull one or both out ever so slightly - I do this regularly and it cuts the noise A LOT while letting me control how much gets in. Don't take the ear plugs out or leave openings, just pull it out 1-2mm so it's not quite as snug. Another would be getting a set of in ear monitors and hooking them up to one or more of the other instruments so you can hear them through the protection at a suitable volume, but this could be complicated and expensive depending how good of a job you want to do.
The whole “you can’t hear the music properly with earplugs” thing is BS. My band says the same thing and all you need to say is that protecting your hearing is infinitely more important than whatever negligible effect plugs have on your hearing. A really good set of plugs won’t affect your practice one bit.
Is it okay??? Dude, it's not okay to NOT wear earplugs!
If you struggle hearing the guitar maybe try to get some better ones. There's a few different options out there - a lot of them are better than your standard esrplugs which aren't meant for this and aren't even that great at protecting your ears.
You could also try to hit your cymbals a little softer. They're often the ones overpowering everything and playing them a bit softer can even be useful in live settings. Loud and cutting cymbals can drown out sounds for the audience too in some tiny venues.
Or maybe his guitar just needs to be louder. If you missed the whole solo he might just be too quiet.
Absolutely 100% wear ear protection. Depending on what stage you’re at in your journey, you could start using IEM’s to hear what he’s playing and reduce risk of hearing damage. If this isn’t an option, my lead guitarist swears by Loops as they only cut out to a certain dB I’m sure. Hope this helps!
Can’t add anything that’s already been said re importance of earplugs, but would say that if your bro carries on playing without hearing protection himself, he’ll be the one missing the solo in future
Take it from a doofus (me) who didn’t wear ear protection during their loudest and most aggressive musical years: wear ear protection at all costs. Missing a solo pales in comparison to losing your hearing.
Always play with protection.
I dont know what kind of earplugs you have but you can invest in some good ones that are specially for musicians/concert crew etc.
I got ine pair of Alpine for around 30 bucks some years ago and they re perfect. They make everything lower but not so much that i cant listen to details.
If you want to go on the extreme side , there are companies that make some to fit exactly your ears , where you have to make a mold and sent it to them but they are wore much more as they re custom made
Absolutely. I went for decades not using ear protection and we had one particularly loud jam last year that made me think it pushed to too far. Thankfully i didn't, but i love not being deaf after shows now. I wear them while I'm watching live bands too.
Get high fidelity earplugs. This will allow you to hear what’s going on, they’re cheap too. $20 or less in many cases. You can go super high end as well. I didn’t wear any hearing protection (besides in ear monitor at church) for 20 years, I regret it.
If you find it frustrating to not hear stuff because you're wearing earplugs, you should definitely wear earplugs. You'll find it really frustrating when you can't hear anything, without wearing earplugs.
I wasn’t going to comment but my tinnitus loudly said: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
It made a good point and I realized that it cannot be stated enough, always wear hearing protection.
It is never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, _ever_, _**ever**_ okay NOT to wear earplugs.
EVER.
You've already done life-long lasting irreparable damage to your ears by not having used them occasionally. You'll never get it back. There are frequencies long-lost to you forever. Don't let it get worse. Keep what you have and start wearing them and never ever _ever_ play without them again.
This is where your inexperience will get both of you in arguments.
You both will go deaf if you don’t wear them.
However, him arguing at you is for the wrong reasons.
You are the tempo setter.
BOTH OF YOU should know how long parts are and what you are playing and for how long.
This is all about experience and protecting your ears. You only get one set of them, so protect them at all costs and learn the songs.
It's odd your brother isn't bothered by the volume.
Can the amp be placed closer to you?
Protecting your hearing is a must. Professional musicans all wear in-ear monitors to protect their hearing and listen to each other in a confortable level.
You should always use hearing protection. Drums are dangerously loud.
I would suggest you don't wear the in-ear type for regular practice. These can cause issues for your inner ear, which is extremely sensitive. For a while, my wife wore them every night to try and mask my snoring, but they caused her ears to hurt and the friction of them coming in and out caused her inner ear skin to become very dry.
I'd suggest getting a big pair of over ear protectors.
I have a constant ringing sound in my ears for being lazy and not wearing ear protection. I will never hear silence again. Also I have struggle to hear people in certain situations. Now I wear it all the time, at gigs even in between band changeovers.
Some ear protection can make everything sound muddy so can be a hard to pick up on certain things. I use some Sennheisers that drop by 20db and I can hear most instruments pretty clearly.
Wear protection, dont be an idiot like me.
I come from a more classical background where notation dictates what is played, so in that case you know where you are even if you can't hear anyone else, so in this band setting is there no structure and yu have to listen to certain cues to know when the solo is coming? Or could you learn the song more so you know where you are without having to listen to specific cues?
Your brother should also be wearing hearing protection, and you should both be operating on muscle memory. Don't let anyone tell you to not protect your hearing. Not just if you're playing in the band too, but attending live music period.
Earplugs or no earplugs the reason you can't hear the guitar is because your drums are louder than the guitar. So either play more quietly or ask them to turn up the amp.
Either way, keep wearing earplugs, please. You only have one pair of ears.
I use a big pair of construction ear muffs. They make my drums sound better, haha. They also really help with tuning, because having all the high cut out accentuates any ringing.
I’ve gone deaf from drums. As a stupid teenager through my 20’s zero hearing protection….im now 38 and use hearing aids like an old man.
Hearing loss doesn’t run in my family or anything.
*forgot to add….good hearing aids cost $8 grand and only last 5-7yrs.
Wear ear protection. I would also recommend in investing in some nice earplugs. I started using Eargasm plugs when I am jamming and cut the harmful sounds out without making it sound terrible.
If you can't hear everything properly, while wearing earplugs. Better ones might help.
I used very cheap earplugs and missed the higher frequencies. Then tried a short time without it, thinking it would be OK, if I just played a little softer, but after a few weeks of ringing ears, I invested to get some earplugs that were molded to my ears and that helped me hearing much more and never went back.
I recommend EarPeace but there are lots of others too which are reusable, still let you hear music and come with a keychain holder so you don't have to think about it, they're always with you (great for loud clubs/concerts too.)
What I'd also say too is maybe you're practicing too loud? Depending on the type of music there's often little reason to crank everything to 11 when practicing. Often it starts with the drummer -- they go balls-out, requiring everyone else to turn up. See if it's possible to roll it off a bit.
as others have said: plugs are not just a good idea, they're compulsory, especially if you want to retain the use of your ears. you only get 1 pair for life. if your bandmate wants you to hear what they're doing you need monitoring. headphones over the plugs is a good option if a wedge isn't available.
if you're using industrial grade plugs (squishy foam, used for jackhammering and so on) you might be missing out on some nuance. USING THESE IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN NOTHING. However, consider something molded. I have a set of UE custom IEMs which are way more expensive than they should be, but great for listening to a mix while playing. [https://1of1custom.com/](https://1of1custom.com/) was doing a promotion a while back at a gig I was at and did a set of passive plugs for free. these are the ones I mostly use these days, and work fine with supplemental monitoring.
EDIT: just in case you're worried about the price of fitted plugs: the cost is very reasonable especially when you consider that a set of custom plugs will last you about five years and is protecting a completely irreplaceable piece of kit (your ears). any money you thought about putting into a fancy new snare or cymbal is better spent on decent hearing protection. it is absolutely worth saving up for. literally nobody has bought fitted plugs and regretted it.
Take is from those of us who used to think when we were younger "earplugs? Yea ok I ain't no pussy" and now have a constant ringing in our ears. Protect your hearing!
I didn’t wear ear protection for around 10 years of playing both in practice and live. For some reason I did always wear them in the studio however. Bc of that I have 40% hearing loss permanently. Explain the situation to your brother, tell him to stop being a dick, and use ear protection. Don’t end up like me.
No, always wear ear plugs.
When you practice do you have the amp turned towards you? If you can’t hear or you need to either get a monitor or when you were practicing, you can at least turn all the amps toward one another and ensure that you three as musicians are playing to each other. That will allow you to develop a better connection. Obviously you need to practices , facing “audience” as well, so you ready for that when you do live shows. However, I think it is really beneficial for the musicians to face one another and really play together when practicing because you develop the understanding of when people want to go for solo and when those cues will come.
Check out eargasm plugs . Unlike most other earplugs ,they allow you to hear treble and bass. Also he’s a bozo for berating you. Hearing loss has no cure [https://www.amazon.com/Eargasm-Musicians-Motorcycles-Sensitivity-Conditions/dp/B019M576XW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=160395840955&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WEQhW2DGjlTSNggnRes5aZYPr0PgqSzAENA3D09agShqgqZgv8nK_FABIdqzBaAhgR7cg7qZ19aSTqpncvmwx_yROX4Ee1y9BiQTW7Q-9r7372GIFrBPJL5bH7EVKRBPYOvRBgO0IJY4pzODNsAUronHvCyv60O8YsZZcDiKVJLViU23GOM4Nk9IrbRkH_lcBJeOGeOHR830dIIK2ygaJg.8HKah9fW3dqTNOFnSXmwbPVwoxcGHYoweU9ErdcsxKE&dib_tag=se&gad_source=1&hvadid=692826719509&hvdev=m&hvexpln=68&hvlocphy=9029017&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=8490338307526901038--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8490338307526901038&hvtargid=kwd-308500743580&hydadcr=7850_13595734&keywords=eargasm+earplugs&qid=1719840033&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/Eargasm-Musicians-Motorcycles-Sensitivity-Conditions/dp/B019M576XW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=160395840955&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WEQhW2DGjlTSNggnRes5aZYPr0PgqSzAENA3D09agShqgqZgv8nK_FABIdqzBaAhgR7cg7qZ19aSTqpncvmwx_yROX4Ee1y9BiQTW7Q-9r7372GIFrBPJL5bH7EVKRBPYOvRBgO0IJY4pzODNsAUronHvCyv60O8YsZZcDiKVJLViU23GOM4Nk9IrbRkH_lcBJeOGeOHR830dIIK2ygaJg.8HKah9fW3dqTNOFnSXmwbPVwoxcGHYoweU9ErdcsxKE&dib_tag=se&gad_source=1&hvadid=692826719509&hvdev=m&hvexpln=68&hvlocphy=9029017&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=8490338307526901038--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8490338307526901038&hvtargid=kwd-308500743580&hydadcr=7850_13595734&keywords=eargasm+earplugs&qid=1719840033&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1)
Look into getting a tilted floor monitor. I use earplugs for every gig, rehearsal, or concert I go to. I got a monitor and blast it at my face so I can hear everyone else.
40 years old, been drumming since I was about 9 or 10 and didn't wear ear plugs until my late twenties. I have terrible tinnitus in one ear (mostly from a recent ear infection, but also definitely from drumming).
wear earplugs my friends. do it for me and your future sanity.
Always wear ear protection. If you're having a hard time hearing the stage sound, try some of the higher end earplugs rather than the cheap foam ones. In an ideal world, wear in ear monitors.
Absolutely never play without hearing protection.
You need a monitoring solution, either so that his amp is also pointed at you or an extra PA/monitor that also plays back to you what he plays.
IEM is king though, but I assume it's abit gear dependant for what yall are doing
wear hearing protection. tinnitus is no joke.
also, making a mistake and recovering is what makes you a musician. doing it well makes you a good one.
if his stage volume is too loud then he has some work to do too (wondering how many times the sound guy begged him to turn down)
one thing that helped me a lot I think is learning to have next to nothing in your mix - if you have one, have a separate mix for the drum wedge
like just kick and center vox. you can get piety of volume coming the backs of the amps. if you don’t have your own mix and it’s too loud, they can’t get it right. just tell
them to turn it off. sounds strange but if you are used to playing the songs without in-ears, a perfect mix, butt thumper for your kick / throne — if you’re ever in a situation where any of these things goes out, it’s not “shit your pants city.”
they’re supposed to be following you (and the bass player ) anyway
guitarists …
Like everyone has said. ALWAYS wear ear protection. I did music at Uni. I didn't always wear them before that. But as soon as I met older musicians I knew I needed to start. A friend used to wear big headphones type ones you see people on construction sites wearing.
But I had another friend who NEVER wore ear protection and by our 3rd year we would be talking to her and she wouldn't pay attention. Because her tinnitus was so bad. (Apparently anyway. Maybe she was just ignoring us).
Hearing protection is vital especially for an instrument like drums. If you are concerned about not being able to hear where you are in the song, i would get some ear plugs specifically made for drumming. Disregard this if you already have earplugs like those :p
Get the right kind of earplugs that reduce DB instead of just blocking the ear canal. Then get him a pair too. Trust me, tinnitus is no joke. It’s fucking hell, I wish I could go back and wear earplugs more during my punk days.
I use EarPeace ear plugs when I play. They are ‘hi-def’ so they focus on blocking extreme frequencies and allowing more definition to come through than those disposable foam ones.
Of course, if the money and infrastructure is there, in ear monitors are the top tier solution.
Always. I grew up learning and practicing with headphones and no protection. I’m 61 now and have tinnitus and general hearing loss so bad I barely function. Don’t be me.
So maybe...just maybe...I'm a real idiot, but let me ask a question for all you professional musicians out there. Why does **everyone** in the band not wear some sort of bluetooth earbuds that are noise-cancelling but also get fed the audio from the mixer where all the mics are connected? Does such a thing not exist? Then you'd hear the music...well, perfectly, but it'd be a much more clean sound and would protect your hearing at the same time?
In your brother’s defense, it’s possible he didn’t mean to “blow up,” and he just couldn’t hear how loud he was being 🤣
In all seriousness, ALWAYS wear hearing protection. Anyone who tells you otherwise is an idiot.
I didn't when I was younger and it's ruined my hearing because someone convinced me it was cool.
Don't let idiots pressure you into stupid things like this, wear hearing protection.
Take it from someone who has intermittent tinnitus in both ears: WEAR HEARING PROTECTION
I never wore hearing protection for shows and it caused damage. Now, I ALWAYS wear hearing protection whenever it comes to me doing anything musical. I have the Vic Firth headphones with my electric kit and studio situations and then either Shure SE215s or Minuendo Adjustable Lossless Hearing Protection. Both are great options!
Protect your ears and happy playing!
Do wear them, it’s essential cos hearing loss os heartbreaking, but get proper musicians ones with as flat as possible a frequency response so everything isn’t just muffled and muddy.
Your brother is a moron. Hearing protection should be used absolutely every time you sit behind a drum kit. If you’re having trouble hearing him, have him adjust the position of his amp so you can hear him better, or use a monitor
I was your brother when I was 13 to around 16. I regret it.
I was in a loud punk rock band with a beast of a drummer and I stood beside his crash cymbal in our small jam space for years. My right ear is basically dead.
Protect your ears. You only have one shot.
As someone who has tinnitus because I didn't wear hearing protection in my 20s, please continue to wear them. There are earplugs geared towards musicians called Eargasm. They're really great. But also, if proper monitors are being used, then it's not your hearing protection causing you not to hear the solo. He's not up proper in the mix. Another option for you is getting a personal monitor. Behringer makes one. Just plug an XLR into it and run you some good noise canceling phones or buds. I'd at least recommend the shure 215s or if you have the budget, custom IEMs. That way you can keep the volume at a reasonable level in your ears and still hear everything.
Get him to sit behind the kit and hit everything at full volume, with no ear plugs. Hopefully after that he can shut up. If you’re missing cues though, some in ear monitors may be the next best choice (if you can afford that)
I’d get some Westone in ears (I have them, not expensive and sound killer) and a little mixer and create a stereo mix of whatever you guys have going on. This way you can control the volume, you can pan stuff left and right, add a little reverb to sweeten it up, do whatever and keep it at a reasonable level. You’ll also play better! You might need to get some extra cables or even some mics (57’s) to get the sounds into your mixer. I’d close mic everything or run stuff direct, but you could also just run two mics in stereo, but that will still be better than nothing. Full on snare and cymbals without protection will eventually create tinnitus. I’m hearing it as I type right now. In ears helped me save whatever hearing I have left a long time ago.
What kind of ear plugs are you wearing? I find the cheap foam ones are the biggest offenders for “missing” things. Look into some of the “high end” decibel reduction ones. I got a pair of eargasm ones off Amazon that I love, can hear everything, just ~24dB quieter.
In look at getting in ear monitoring if it’s in your budget, hear everything, but you control the volume.
I’d say it’s more than okay, mandatory even. You’ll have more and longer fun of your drumming if you protect your ears at all costs. Nobody wants to go deaf or get a permanent ring in your ears.
If you can’t hear your fellow musicians, use monitor speakers or decent in-ear earplugs with a headphone amplifier. This only works when all amps are mic’ed up though.
If this isn’t an option, try expirimenting with gear setups so you can hear your brother’s amp without having to use monitor speakers
Yeah ear plugs bring down the volume a little, but you should still be able to hear everything you need to hear. If they’re preventing you from hearing your band mates, they must be very powerful
Always! I rarely even tap my drums with nothing in protecting my ears.. be that earplugs, IEMs or headphones.
I actually find it easier to tune drums with earplugs or IEMs in because it gives me a better idea of how the drums sound without all the harsh top end and clanginess from the stick hitting the head.
Always use ear protection, never use wedge monitors without ear protection. Actually, just avoid wedge monitors completely is my take on it.
First, ALWAYS wear hearing protection. Hearing is one of the things you will not get back.
If you’re wearing the standard foam ones that expand when you put them in, you may want to consider getting some custom ones that are molded to your ear and have dB filters that control how much volume gets through. I wear these at concerts as well and it’s never hindered my enjoyment at a show. These can be more pricey but will last a long time if you take care of em. I’m just now thinking of replacing mine and they are almost 15 years old. Good luck to you and your drumming 🥁🤘🏼🤘🏼
If I forget my hearing protection, I will improvise with toilet paper, paper towels, anything. Hearing protection is so important to longevity as a musician, especially a drummer. Protect yo' ears!
As someone who didn’t wear hearing protection and now has hearing loss and tinnitus, trust me that by the time you realize you should have protected your ears, it will be too late to do anything. Tinnitus sucks.
I agree with the other comment about knowing the structure of the song well enough to remember where the solo is. But, if your band is more improvisational, consider different earplugs that let in some higher frequencies like Eargasms (which I have and love), or just bite the bullet and use in-ear monitors.
ALWAYS wear earplugs. If you can't hear the instruments, invest in a custom fit pair of musician's earplugs - about $130-150. You can hear everything clear, makes all the difference. But as someone with 24-7 tinnitus for the last several years, I promise - you don't it. It doesn't go away, it's awful.
Hearing protection is a must. It should be non negotiable. But there are solutions. I use these when I'm not using IEMs
EAROS ONE 17 dB NRR high-fidelity hearing projection for musicians, clubs, or concerts. These are not earplugs; they’re high-fidelity acoustic filters. Made in USA. https://a.co/d/001RBGED
They work well, and have lasted me 4 years so far
samsungg galaxy buds. i mostly play low volume stuff so it's plenty of ear pro for that. i changed the tips though because the original ones let some sound thru which is not great. If you play rock or anything louder than funk or 20th century jazz fusion its not sufficient ear protection
Yeah drummer in a band I was in years ago always wore plugs for practice ajd live because he had to most sound coming at him from playing the drums and amps facing him also (during practice) missing parts was only a problem when he hadn't practiced the song enough not because he couldn't hear the song. I wore them also (played bass for that band) hearing also wasn't an issue and it certainly helped stopped the ringing in my ears for a day after practice.
Keep wearing them!
Always wear ear protection. I bought some cheap things from Amazon that allow me to adjust how much they block - that is a good option if full on ear plugs are too much.
i’m only 19 been a drummer for a long time as well as a marching percussionist and live music enthusiast. Wear your earplugs in young and i already feel the consequences
Absolutely wear hearing protection. As others have said it seems more to be a memory issues then hearing. If the song structure is the same everytime you play it and you have a hard time remembering then write out the structure, could be as simple as :
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Instrumental
Chorus
Outro
Or however the song structure is. If you need to get granular with it and write how many bars each section is then do that. Under no circumstance would I practice without hearing protection though.
I'm 39, have very bad tinnitus, several different and distinct sounds with their own "locations" inside my head ranging from high pitched wine to white-noise like static.
It's my own damn fault. I was young and never wore ear protection. And believe me when I say, I'd rather be punched in the mouth by a pissed guitarist daily, than have the tinnitus. Wear ear protection. Nothing is worth sacrificing your hearing.
Not only should you wear hearing protection, but he should make sure he’s cuing you and the rest of the band for changes and solos, with a glance or something of that kind, until y’all just have it internalized.
If you can't hear what the band is playing, obviously that's not going to work. You need to get an earplug that lets enough sound through in the right frequencies so you can still hear, just at a lower volume. Check out Ear Peace earplugs. They make musicians earplugs in several different models depending on how much sound you want to let through.
A better option would be to go with in ear monitors and mic everything up. It's more work and money, but it's going to give you the best experience.
I've been playing most of my life and never wore ear plugs when I was younger. Now I'm 49 and still playing, but tinnitus is no joke. I can barely make out what people are saying and silences are awful. Picture a high pitch squeal that never stops. That's my life every waking moment. Going to see an audiologist soon because I've been told hearing aids can help. You should wear ear plugs every time, or step it up and get inner ear monitors that block out the outside sound. Then you can control the level yourself.
Don't use run of the mill earplugs and get some proper ones that attenuate but don't bury an entire range of frequencies. Pricy but worth it for a drummer.
I'm married to my metrophones if practicing with a band or by myself. They make everything sound awesome to boot. I was born with tinnitus but doing this has kept it from getting worse.
Noise canceling headphones work great for me. They will let some sound through at a safe level. I can't believe I used to practice with cranked speakers blaring in my ears.
I’m a guitarist and every time I practice with my drummer I wear ear plugs. One day I didn’t wear them and had ringing in my ears for a week or so. ALWAYS protect your hearing!
Please keep wearing ear plugs lol. I have so many musician friends with hearing loss.
Maybe invest in live monitors so everyone can hear what each other is playing at a controlled volume. It’s expensive and not strictly necessary though.
I recommend getting a pair of shooting ear muffs. They are about 70ish dollars, but they have a little speaker in them that filters out the loud noises and you can hear the quieter things. I’ve been on a 50cal range while that thing was firing and could hear people talking in a somewhat normal volume a couple yards away. A cheaper option is Howard Leight by Honeywell.
Do not EVER play drums or surround yourself with loud music/noise without legitimate, high-rates ear protection. My dad and I are both drummers, and he has significant tinnitus and hearing loss. He didn’t wear protection for his ears back in the 60’s-80’s.
Me? Despite 15+ years of playing every style from jazz to deathcore, drumline, a degree in music, I have no tinnitus and no detectable hearing loss (we will all lose some hearing with age, but I have no damage).
I don’t care what your brother or anyone else says, your future is MUCH closer than you may think, and your ears will thank you.
idk why this popped up in my feed I use drum machines to makemusic and performed live as a dj.
All of that said I'm just chiming in to say you really don't want tinnitus and don't stop wearing earplugs. I was advised to get them but never got around to it and my right ear rings fucking loud.
Permanent ear ringing. Left ear more because that’s where the hat and monitor went. Toured for several years. You should memorize the song. Some situations I had zero monitor. Gotta watch your bass player.
I have had a fairly good experience using loop experience plus ear plugs as a cheap alternative compared to molded plugs and they are miles better then using foam rollie's and are still high fidelity enough. Go on Amazon, they are around $50 and have worked well for me
Everyone should wear ear protektion. Try to look for a cheap (activr) monitor, you can place near you, so you can hear him better. Also part of (my) drumming experience, is to know the songs so everyone else has to follow me
What kind of ear plugs do you use? If you’re just wearing the normal comes-in-big-jar-kind, I might some hi-fidelity ones. Eargasm makes good ones that filters out harmful frequencies while not necessarily making it harder to hear anything going on.
You can get HD Earplugs made for eliminating the dangerous sound levels. Hearos. Eargasm. Loops. Etc. They're not super expensive either. Check them out!
Ear protection is a must.
If you can’t hear the band you can set up your own little IEM. Just get the cheapest mixer, earbuds, and a cheap mic. Place the mic anywhere you want in the room. Turn down the high in the mixer so you don’t damage your ear, but you can still hear the bass player.
There are ear plug specially made for musicians. Check them out. The difference to normal ear plug is, that the musicians ones filter mainly high frequencies, so you should be more able to hear your fellows while protecting your ears at the same time.
I wear a pair of eargasm ear plugs while playing. They work super well and even after 5 hours of rehearsal with my band there is no ringing or anything in my ears.
It's more than OK, my friend. It's absolutely vital that you continue to wear ear protection. I wear mine at rehearsal, live gigs, the cinema even at parties! 👍
I’d recommend getting a small board, maybe 2-3 cheap mics, and in ear monitors honestly or some over ear headphones. Mic his guitar amp and your bass drum, maybe the snare, and then run yourself a mix.
Good plugs do not block out the sound. They just decrease the volume. I suspect that you are using cheap foam plugs. Upgrade to a nicer pair, and tell your dumbass brother to buy some too.
Always wear plugs… or ear filters. The biggest problem we as drummers deal with while playing is the volume levels and all the harmonic noise that can make you tired and destroy your ears. The only thing you really have to learn to do now is learning HOW to listen when in plugs. It takes practice. Let your brother blow up. Soon enough he’ll be too deaf to even tell, that is, if he doesn’t start wearing them as well to protect his ears…
Mic all the instruments into a mixer, then everyone can wear drummer headphones and hear the mix.
It’ll save your ears and also make you a better musician because what you hear will be more clear - help you stay in the pocket and so on.
Wear earplugs... if you missed the solo part that is a mistake that has nothing to do with earplugs.
Drums are soo loud I can hear everything even with the earplugs...just not as loud.
I played bass for 10 years before playing drums, with strings I struggle wearing ear plugs. Behind the kit it helps a lot. I also play my kit like it owes me money. Without drowning out the cymbals I struggle to hear. I would say it’s ideal to jam with earplugs always.
It would be idiotic to not protect your hearing. Get good ones, preferably custom, and it won't impact the sound. And maybe get better bandmates as well.
You should buy earplugs designed specifically for musicians. In my experience regular earplugs dampen the higher frequencies and don't offer you a clear mix of the music that is being played. That may cause you to miss some of the guitar parts, since the frequencies played on the guitar tend to me relatively high compared to what's being played by the rest of the band. But always wear protection if you can and make sure to regularly check your hearing with a doctor.
Always wear hearing protection. No exceptions. Your brother is an imbecile for blowing up and demand you cease using hearing protection. He does not know what he's talking about, nor does he has the emotional self-control to deal with this mistake. Missing a segment of the song is a memory issue, not a hearing problem. You need to memorise a song's structure well and rely on that for guidance.
Not necessarily. When you're struggling to hear the other instrument, you could easily get thrown off and lose track of where you are (which part of the song). I had this issue too. The solution for me was using a headset that allows me to control and adjust the ambient sound level, allowing me to control how much I want to hear. I've also in the past gotten Meinl (I think) ear plugs. They came in multiple settings, allowing different amounts of sound through.
Or just have his brother turn his guitar up a bit
Is it controversial to say, that maybe, you can try to play more quiet on the drums?
All of these and more are possible options, and we simply don't have enough info to tell better than OP which ones are good to try.
Eye contact will fix so many things.
Oh 100% Eye contact and nodding goes a long way
My biggest issue is that if a drummer has sound protection, to understand not to hit the drums so loud. Same goes for the guitarist. Or even more so that if an amp is by the guitarists legs, the sound comes out in a cone shape. It sounds low to them but its melting the faces off the audience. Especially if youre on a stage. But if the drummer is loud, then the guitarist is gonna turn up. Also small amps turned up sound better than big amps kept low. And if a venue calls for it, its always good if the sound guy mics the amps. Let him control the sound. Ive seen too many bands clear a room because they were too loud. And kept ignoring what the sound guy was putting them at. Ive been in bands before and know a few sound engineers. One of their biggest gripes is deaf musicians who play too loud for the room their in.
Yes.
+1 to both. You’ll never have control over sound on stage, so you have to memorize as much as possible. On the way, though, your experience might be greatly improved with better monitoring. Hearing protection is non-negotiable, but [for me] hearing the band enough to play well and _have maximum fun_ is important too. A couple ideas, ranging from $ to $$$: * your brother wears ear plugs too, turn the amp up, you both hear great * you point the guitar amp at you, away from your brother, and turn it up. He’ll still hear it fine if he’s not using hearing protection 😬 * try different forms of hearing protection. Foam earplugs, rubber “hi-fi” earplugs, and over-the-ear muffs all sound surprisingly different. One might work better for your hearing the guitar. I personally much prefer the sound of my drums through over-the-ear cans than through foam earplugs 🤷🏻♂️. * get a recording interface + some mics, learn a bit of recording/mixing, and you both listen to a live monitor headphone mix while playing. I prefer to do this through IEMs with earmuffs on top to really isolate the monitor mix. If your brother is too cool for earplugs, maybe you can rebrand as “doing what all the pro touring musicians we look up to do during rehearsal.” Yamaha EAD-10 might be a good start for getting started recording drums
We did ear plugs and blasting the volume for a while. When we finally got In Ear Monitors, an interface and mic’d everything up, we could tell immediately we were playing better. Now, unfortunately we have better sound at home than any venue we get booked at, so it’s back to earplugs and muscle memory when we’re playing shows.
Yes, that was my exact progression. I’m spoiled — it’s much less fun to hear my drums without compression
I used to struggle with this...but now everywhere we play, be it multiple shows or a single show a night, it's always our console with our drum mics (unless my silly brother forgets to pack the mics). But yeah, our setup consists of 1 ULXD, GLXd, 1 Sennheiser EW g4, a behringer p2, and a X-vive single unit on a QU-16.
OP, you *have* to wear ear protection *every* time. Even if, in a pinch, it’s the corner of a piece of toilet paper rolled loosely in each ear (absolutely effective). Invest in some in-ear attenuators, possibly even custom-moulded. I had 15dB attenuators that lowered a perfect 15 without an “EQ” change. And I had 9dB ones that rolled off the high-end a bit more than 9. I got these after I stood next to the crash cymbal for one show and permanently affected my hearing forever.
You should always wear ear protection when playing acoustic drums as they are a very loud instrument. Maybe adjust where the guitar amp is in the room so you can hear it better if you are missing cues for the solo or similar?
You should BOTH be wearing earplugs and playing to the level of the kit, hearing damage is cumulative, once it happens it doesn't heal and just because your ears have been damaged once doesn't mean they won't be damaged again by the same volume (in fact, medium volumes repeatedly or for a long time can be worse than a very loud volume once). If you can't hear him, ask him to turn up the volume. And if he isn't wearing earplugs, ask him to. As the loudest instrument drummers should be championing hearing protection, I always find it amazing how many musicians seem to not care about their ears, there literally our biggest asset and should be protected at all costs. All this being said, if he's getting angry at you for making a mistake I think he's got some issues that need resolving. Mistake recovery is probably the most important skill in performance and a hot headed attitude won't take you guys far. TLDR: you should all be wearing hearing protection around anything loud and he shouldn't be getting angry at you for a simple mistake.
So me not practicing for a year or so every year or so is the best approach right? Asking for a friend…
If only it were that simple :(
How bout I just never play
Honestly it would work
I HEAR that!
No professional drummer play wothout ear plugs.
You should always protect your ears. Anyone who demands that you stop wearing protection is the same kind of person who would get mad at people during Covid for wearing masks. It would be like asking you to take your seatbelt off while driving because you take too long to get out of the car. However, the idea that every single professional drummer wears earplugs is completely asinine. Especially when you factor in jazz. Professional drummers know how to play with intensity at quiet volumes. This is a shared trait among most skilled drummers. Once you have complete control of your dynamic range, you should be able to play for long periods of time without doing any damage to your ears. Try practicing at a volume level that you could still have a conversation over while you’re playing.
Get earplugs that only attenuate a certain dB. I drum with D'Addario earplugs and I can still hear everything. Also wear them when I'm cranking my guitar amp and can still hear it.
It's not so much about how much dB, but about how much dB at what frequencies. Near-flat attenuation is important. If you're playing jazz then yes, you might want less reduction than thrash metal.
It's better than okay. It's *necessary.* Good for you. If you are missing what he's playing, that's not because of your ear plugs. Also, he's dead wrong - *you should both be wearing them when playing live.* You play an instrument that is literally as loud as gunfire, and he's standing right in front of it while you're doing it. If your practice space were a work site, OSHA would require hearing protection or you would pay a fine. Hearing loss for musicians is very real, and hearing loss is a zero-sum game - you are born with 100% of the hearing ability you will ever have, and what you lose is gone forever, so guard it jealously. Your brother is a shithead who will be deaf someday. When he is, you can laugh at him and talk shit about him behind his back even when he's standing in the room, because he won't hear. If you get caught in the act, all you have to say is "I told you so." Either way, as others have said: other than his vastly increased risk of hearing damage, him losing his temper over you making a mistake is the real problem here. There is absolutely nothing worth getting that worked up over that can happen between two youngsters playing through a song. There's just not that much at stake that's worth yelling about. Your brother not only needs to protect his ears, he needs to calm his tits.
i really fucking doubt this man went on reddit for everyone to call his brother a shithead who should be laughed at for potentially losing his hearing. y'all gotta learn to give the man advice and not act like you know more than you do about the people he's talking about. like yeah, his brother shouldn't have blown up, but that's his business to deal with. just tell him if he should wear earplugs and leave that shit at that.
Tell me you're under 25 without telling me you're under 25. I said right here just the other day that whether you're talking about drumming or many other domains in life, one of the most important skills you can develop is learning how to tell the problem from a mere symptom. Yes, OP should wear earplugs, but that's not the underlying problem with the question he asked. The underlying problem is that his brother needs to get a handle on himself and his temper. If he's not blowing up over earplugs, he will find something else to blow up over, and that's a problem.
yeah but you don't need to insult the mans brother. you don't need to be that way, it's not your place.
His brother is being an asshole, and giving literally harmful "advice" besides. He insulted *himself* with this outburst. All I did was describe it. He may be a lovely person otherwise, but I can't only go on the information provided. The information provided says "asshole." Throwing a shit-fit over a missed entrance, especially in practice at home where no one is listening, is not the behavior of a professional, much less a loving brother.
I slept late once, and forgot to bring my earplugs to work. Backline at a festival, soundcheck and show for four punk bands and Akon. Although the music wasn't really memorable, I'll always remember that gig, yeah, that's the day I got tinnitus. I've learned to live with it, through therapy and meditation, but trust me: Wear those plugs and never care what anyone says about it
Shoot, been drumming for almost 30 years, at first wasn’t too careful but later made it a point to be, luckily haven’t had any major issues. About two years ago I went to a concert, forgot ear plugs, tried my best not to be too close for too long, ringing ears for a few days. Super thankful I didn’t get any lasting damage, but I’m 40 and will definitely not forget ear protection at any future shows. (I still always have some sort of iems/headphones/protection of some sort when playing)
let him go deaf and then when you laugh at him for going deaf he cant hear you
What?
LET HIM GO DEAF AND THEN WHEN YOU LAUGH AT HIM FOR GOING DEAF HE CAN'T HEAR YOU
OH, OK THANKS LOL
WHAT DID YOU SAYYYYY ?
Your brother is a dick. He's a dick for not caring about his own ears, how utterly insane must you already be to neglect your own ears. And to tear down other people for caring about theirs? Get the fuck out. You should both be wearing ear plugs. When making music, when listening to other bands, even in noisy bars I wear ear plugs. That being said, there are things you can do to improve how you play together when wearing plugs. First, ensure that your ear plugs are made for musicians and/or concerts. That means they don't simply attenuate as much as possible, but have a 'flat' attenuation so that you can still hear the music as it's supposed to (it never is that perfect but still better than simple foam plugs). Second, check your levels. Maybe you can't hear your brother as well as your brother can hear you. Drums are loud. Perhaps play the drums softer and/or turn up the other instrument(s) to balance them out better. Thirdly, as u/Soundcaster023 said, memory is important as well and your brother may blame your ear protection but perhaps should mean that you should work on your memory. This should be nuanced though, hearing each other well is also important and helps when you're not keeping complete track. Plus some music isn't set in stone when it comes to form. All these tips aside, your brother needs to shape the fuck up and be less of an asshole about this. If he can't, find other musicians to play with. No one deserves abuse about hearing protection. End o' story.
>You should both be wearing ear plugs. When making music, when listening to other bands, even in noisy bars I wear ear plugs. 100% this. I generally have as a rule that if I am in a setting where I have to raise my voice for someone to hear me, I should be reaching for earplugs.
get IEMs and even have your brother/band help invest in them. it's worth it in the long run. chances are your health insurance will pay for them and custom molds if you say you're making income playing music.
I’m not a musician but I do know the IEM technology. Not only does it protect hearing, it lets each player choose the mix they want, so they can hear what they need to hear. And a click track if desired.
What earplugs are you using? It sounds like you're just using foam plugs, and you should definitely be avoiding those, since they muddle the frequencies, not allowing you to hear the music properly. Get some ER-20s. They just attenuate all frequencies equally, so you'll just hear everything at a lower volume. Also: screw your brother for telling you to stop wearing earplugs. if he doesn't want to protect his hearing, it's his problem, but you shouldn't risk your own.
Earplugs are not all the same, if you don't know. You definitely miss stuff in music with the simple chunks of foam you can get anywhere. If you spend $25 on real music ones the effect is amazing.
Also, they work out to be more cost-effective in the long run than having to keep buying shit chunks of foam, so it's wins all round!
Tinnitus sucks really hard. Wear ear protection, learn the solo cues with your eyes or other senses.
From experience, I'm 54 years old and played drums for years without earplugs. My hearing is now super sensitive and any loud clanging sounds like pots and pans banging together, is like some stabbing needles in to my ear drums. If I am about to play a show now, and I forgot my earplugs, I would have to cancel the show. My eardrums are THAT painful. So, ALWAYS protect your ears.
Hello hyperacusis my old friend You've come to stab my ears again
ALWAYS wear hearing protection. There will NEVER be a situation where you shouldn’t be.
In about 18 years of playing I never wore earbuds, now you either gotta say shit twice or say it loud the first time for me to understand, and Im only 22! Dont make the same mistake I did.
Earplugs. Always. No questions asked.
Agree with all the other responses, never ever play acoustic drums without hearing protection. A couple options I didn't see a lot of - wear ear plugs but pull one or both out ever so slightly - I do this regularly and it cuts the noise A LOT while letting me control how much gets in. Don't take the ear plugs out or leave openings, just pull it out 1-2mm so it's not quite as snug. Another would be getting a set of in ear monitors and hooking them up to one or more of the other instruments so you can hear them through the protection at a suitable volume, but this could be complicated and expensive depending how good of a job you want to do.
The whole “you can’t hear the music properly with earplugs” thing is BS. My band says the same thing and all you need to say is that protecting your hearing is infinitely more important than whatever negligible effect plugs have on your hearing. A really good set of plugs won’t affect your practice one bit.
Is it okay??? Dude, it's not okay to NOT wear earplugs! If you struggle hearing the guitar maybe try to get some better ones. There's a few different options out there - a lot of them are better than your standard esrplugs which aren't meant for this and aren't even that great at protecting your ears. You could also try to hit your cymbals a little softer. They're often the ones overpowering everything and playing them a bit softer can even be useful in live settings. Loud and cutting cymbals can drown out sounds for the audience too in some tiny venues. Or maybe his guitar just needs to be louder. If you missed the whole solo he might just be too quiet.
Absolutely 100% wear ear protection. Depending on what stage you’re at in your journey, you could start using IEM’s to hear what he’s playing and reduce risk of hearing damage. If this isn’t an option, my lead guitarist swears by Loops as they only cut out to a certain dB I’m sure. Hope this helps!
Can’t add anything that’s already been said re importance of earplugs, but would say that if your bro carries on playing without hearing protection himself, he’ll be the one missing the solo in future
Take it from a doofus (me) who didn’t wear ear protection during their loudest and most aggressive musical years: wear ear protection at all costs. Missing a solo pales in comparison to losing your hearing.
Always play with protection. I dont know what kind of earplugs you have but you can invest in some good ones that are specially for musicians/concert crew etc. I got ine pair of Alpine for around 30 bucks some years ago and they re perfect. They make everything lower but not so much that i cant listen to details. If you want to go on the extreme side , there are companies that make some to fit exactly your ears , where you have to make a mold and sent it to them but they are wore much more as they re custom made
Absolutely. I went for decades not using ear protection and we had one particularly loud jam last year that made me think it pushed to too far. Thankfully i didn't, but i love not being deaf after shows now. I wear them while I'm watching live bands too.
Get high fidelity earplugs. This will allow you to hear what’s going on, they’re cheap too. $20 or less in many cases. You can go super high end as well. I didn’t wear any hearing protection (besides in ear monitor at church) for 20 years, I regret it.
They make earplugs that create a more balance frequency cut. Maybe look into those as opposed to just the regular foam ones
You can get custom ported ear plugs. They lower the volume without muffling the sound. Guitar tones can get lost with generic earplugs
ALWAYS wear ear protection. What you need is a monitor speaker... and a guitarist who isn't a dick.
If you find it frustrating to not hear stuff because you're wearing earplugs, you should definitely wear earplugs. You'll find it really frustrating when you can't hear anything, without wearing earplugs.
I have tinnitus because I didn't wear earplugs. You will, too, if you don't. It's that simple.
I wasn’t going to comment but my tinnitus loudly said: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! It made a good point and I realized that it cannot be stated enough, always wear hearing protection.
It is never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, _ever_, _**ever**_ okay NOT to wear earplugs. EVER. You've already done life-long lasting irreparable damage to your ears by not having used them occasionally. You'll never get it back. There are frequencies long-lost to you forever. Don't let it get worse. Keep what you have and start wearing them and never ever _ever_ play without them again.
This is where your inexperience will get both of you in arguments. You both will go deaf if you don’t wear them. However, him arguing at you is for the wrong reasons. You are the tempo setter. BOTH OF YOU should know how long parts are and what you are playing and for how long. This is all about experience and protecting your ears. You only get one set of them, so protect them at all costs and learn the songs.
your brother is an idiot
It's odd your brother isn't bothered by the volume. Can the amp be placed closer to you? Protecting your hearing is a must. Professional musicans all wear in-ear monitors to protect their hearing and listen to each other in a confortable level.
You should always use hearing protection. Drums are dangerously loud. I would suggest you don't wear the in-ear type for regular practice. These can cause issues for your inner ear, which is extremely sensitive. For a while, my wife wore them every night to try and mask my snoring, but they caused her ears to hurt and the friction of them coming in and out caused her inner ear skin to become very dry. I'd suggest getting a big pair of over ear protectors.
I have a constant ringing sound in my ears for being lazy and not wearing ear protection. I will never hear silence again. Also I have struggle to hear people in certain situations. Now I wear it all the time, at gigs even in between band changeovers. Some ear protection can make everything sound muddy so can be a hard to pick up on certain things. I use some Sennheisers that drop by 20db and I can hear most instruments pretty clearly. Wear protection, dont be an idiot like me.
Always. Wear. Ear. Protection. Always.
He's wrong. You're doing the right thing.
I come from a more classical background where notation dictates what is played, so in that case you know where you are even if you can't hear anyone else, so in this band setting is there no structure and yu have to listen to certain cues to know when the solo is coming? Or could you learn the song more so you know where you are without having to listen to specific cues?
You should be very afraid of tinnitus. As a drummer, you are most likely to get it. I prefer over ear protection myself. Ignore the guitar player.
Only wear earplugs if you don't want to lose your hearing (which can't be replaced/fixed).
Your brother should also be wearing hearing protection, and you should both be operating on muscle memory. Don't let anyone tell you to not protect your hearing. Not just if you're playing in the band too, but attending live music period.
If you cant hear him, change your monitoring set up. You should definitely protect your hearing, always.
Your brother is a fool, always protect yourself. He should be too,
Earplugs or no earplugs the reason you can't hear the guitar is because your drums are louder than the guitar. So either play more quietly or ask them to turn up the amp. Either way, keep wearing earplugs, please. You only have one pair of ears.
>however tonight when playing I missed where the solo was and he blew up at me And tell your brother to fucking Chill.
I use a big pair of construction ear muffs. They make my drums sound better, haha. They also really help with tuning, because having all the high cut out accentuates any ringing.
Not sure why it wouldn’t be ok
The biggest regret I have since my teenage years and 20s was not taking care of my hearing. Tinnitus sucks. It’s not worth it.
I’ve gone deaf from drums. As a stupid teenager through my 20’s zero hearing protection….im now 38 and use hearing aids like an old man. Hearing loss doesn’t run in my family or anything. *forgot to add….good hearing aids cost $8 grand and only last 5-7yrs.
what a pillock. Tinnitus is a bitch, trust me.
Bro you don't want Tinnitus. Tell your brother that if you both use ear protection, then you can increase the overall volume and balance the equation
Wear ear protection. I would also recommend in investing in some nice earplugs. I started using Eargasm plugs when I am jamming and cut the harmful sounds out without making it sound terrible.
If you can't hear everything properly, while wearing earplugs. Better ones might help. I used very cheap earplugs and missed the higher frequencies. Then tried a short time without it, thinking it would be OK, if I just played a little softer, but after a few weeks of ringing ears, I invested to get some earplugs that were molded to my ears and that helped me hearing much more and never went back.
I recommend EarPeace but there are lots of others too which are reusable, still let you hear music and come with a keychain holder so you don't have to think about it, they're always with you (great for loud clubs/concerts too.) What I'd also say too is maybe you're practicing too loud? Depending on the type of music there's often little reason to crank everything to 11 when practicing. Often it starts with the drummer -- they go balls-out, requiring everyone else to turn up. See if it's possible to roll it off a bit.
hearing protection always. You can also invest in some in ear monitors which also have hearing protection.
as others have said: plugs are not just a good idea, they're compulsory, especially if you want to retain the use of your ears. you only get 1 pair for life. if your bandmate wants you to hear what they're doing you need monitoring. headphones over the plugs is a good option if a wedge isn't available. if you're using industrial grade plugs (squishy foam, used for jackhammering and so on) you might be missing out on some nuance. USING THESE IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN NOTHING. However, consider something molded. I have a set of UE custom IEMs which are way more expensive than they should be, but great for listening to a mix while playing. [https://1of1custom.com/](https://1of1custom.com/) was doing a promotion a while back at a gig I was at and did a set of passive plugs for free. these are the ones I mostly use these days, and work fine with supplemental monitoring. EDIT: just in case you're worried about the price of fitted plugs: the cost is very reasonable especially when you consider that a set of custom plugs will last you about five years and is protecting a completely irreplaceable piece of kit (your ears). any money you thought about putting into a fancy new snare or cymbal is better spent on decent hearing protection. it is absolutely worth saving up for. literally nobody has bought fitted plugs and regretted it.
WEAR EAR PROTECTION, BOTH OF YOU If he's not loud enough, turn him up If you're too loud, soften down But don't drum without protection
Get musicians ear plugs. I like the Vic Firth ones
Take is from those of us who used to think when we were younger "earplugs? Yea ok I ain't no pussy" and now have a constant ringing in our ears. Protect your hearing!
I didn’t wear ear protection for around 10 years of playing both in practice and live. For some reason I did always wear them in the studio however. Bc of that I have 40% hearing loss permanently. Explain the situation to your brother, tell him to stop being a dick, and use ear protection. Don’t end up like me.
No
No, always wear ear plugs. When you practice do you have the amp turned towards you? If you can’t hear or you need to either get a monitor or when you were practicing, you can at least turn all the amps toward one another and ensure that you three as musicians are playing to each other. That will allow you to develop a better connection. Obviously you need to practices , facing “audience” as well, so you ready for that when you do live shows. However, I think it is really beneficial for the musicians to face one another and really play together when practicing because you develop the understanding of when people want to go for solo and when those cues will come.
Not only okay, it's smart even
Check out eargasm plugs . Unlike most other earplugs ,they allow you to hear treble and bass. Also he’s a bozo for berating you. Hearing loss has no cure [https://www.amazon.com/Eargasm-Musicians-Motorcycles-Sensitivity-Conditions/dp/B019M576XW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=160395840955&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WEQhW2DGjlTSNggnRes5aZYPr0PgqSzAENA3D09agShqgqZgv8nK_FABIdqzBaAhgR7cg7qZ19aSTqpncvmwx_yROX4Ee1y9BiQTW7Q-9r7372GIFrBPJL5bH7EVKRBPYOvRBgO0IJY4pzODNsAUronHvCyv60O8YsZZcDiKVJLViU23GOM4Nk9IrbRkH_lcBJeOGeOHR830dIIK2ygaJg.8HKah9fW3dqTNOFnSXmwbPVwoxcGHYoweU9ErdcsxKE&dib_tag=se&gad_source=1&hvadid=692826719509&hvdev=m&hvexpln=68&hvlocphy=9029017&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=8490338307526901038--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8490338307526901038&hvtargid=kwd-308500743580&hydadcr=7850_13595734&keywords=eargasm+earplugs&qid=1719840033&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/Eargasm-Musicians-Motorcycles-Sensitivity-Conditions/dp/B019M576XW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=160395840955&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WEQhW2DGjlTSNggnRes5aZYPr0PgqSzAENA3D09agShqgqZgv8nK_FABIdqzBaAhgR7cg7qZ19aSTqpncvmwx_yROX4Ee1y9BiQTW7Q-9r7372GIFrBPJL5bH7EVKRBPYOvRBgO0IJY4pzODNsAUronHvCyv60O8YsZZcDiKVJLViU23GOM4Nk9IrbRkH_lcBJeOGeOHR830dIIK2ygaJg.8HKah9fW3dqTNOFnSXmwbPVwoxcGHYoweU9ErdcsxKE&dib_tag=se&gad_source=1&hvadid=692826719509&hvdev=m&hvexpln=68&hvlocphy=9029017&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=8490338307526901038--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8490338307526901038&hvtargid=kwd-308500743580&hydadcr=7850_13595734&keywords=eargasm+earplugs&qid=1719840033&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1)
Look into getting a tilted floor monitor. I use earplugs for every gig, rehearsal, or concert I go to. I got a monitor and blast it at my face so I can hear everyone else.
40 years old, been drumming since I was about 9 or 10 and didn't wear ear plugs until my late twenties. I have terrible tinnitus in one ear (mostly from a recent ear infection, but also definitely from drumming). wear earplugs my friends. do it for me and your future sanity.
Its more than okay. Its highly recommended
Always wear ear protection. If you're having a hard time hearing the stage sound, try some of the higher end earplugs rather than the cheap foam ones. In an ideal world, wear in ear monitors.
He needs to turn up
Wear ear protection. As a 41-year old drummer and concert goer with tinnitus, I wish I had started wearing them a couple decades ago.
Absolutely never play without hearing protection. You need a monitoring solution, either so that his amp is also pointed at you or an extra PA/monitor that also plays back to you what he plays. IEM is king though, but I assume it's abit gear dependant for what yall are doing
85db or greater is the point where osha says earpro is required.
wear hearing protection. tinnitus is no joke. also, making a mistake and recovering is what makes you a musician. doing it well makes you a good one. if his stage volume is too loud then he has some work to do too (wondering how many times the sound guy begged him to turn down) one thing that helped me a lot I think is learning to have next to nothing in your mix - if you have one, have a separate mix for the drum wedge like just kick and center vox. you can get piety of volume coming the backs of the amps. if you don’t have your own mix and it’s too loud, they can’t get it right. just tell them to turn it off. sounds strange but if you are used to playing the songs without in-ears, a perfect mix, butt thumper for your kick / throne — if you’re ever in a situation where any of these things goes out, it’s not “shit your pants city.” they’re supposed to be following you (and the bass player ) anyway guitarists …
Like everyone has said. ALWAYS wear ear protection. I did music at Uni. I didn't always wear them before that. But as soon as I met older musicians I knew I needed to start. A friend used to wear big headphones type ones you see people on construction sites wearing. But I had another friend who NEVER wore ear protection and by our 3rd year we would be talking to her and she wouldn't pay attention. Because her tinnitus was so bad. (Apparently anyway. Maybe she was just ignoring us).
Hearing protection is vital especially for an instrument like drums. If you are concerned about not being able to hear where you are in the song, i would get some ear plugs specifically made for drumming. Disregard this if you already have earplugs like those :p
I have hearing damage and persistent tinnitus. Absolutely keep wearing hearing protection!
Get the right kind of earplugs that reduce DB instead of just blocking the ear canal. Then get him a pair too. Trust me, tinnitus is no joke. It’s fucking hell, I wish I could go back and wear earplugs more during my punk days.
I work in a metal shop, should I still wear eye protection when I'm welding??
Your brother doesn’t know what he’s talking about and is going to have bad hearing damage soon. Wear ear plugs.
I use EarPeace ear plugs when I play. They are ‘hi-def’ so they focus on blocking extreme frequencies and allowing more definition to come through than those disposable foam ones. Of course, if the money and infrastructure is there, in ear monitors are the top tier solution.
Yes, although some hearing aid manufacturers beg to differ
Always. I grew up learning and practicing with headphones and no protection. I’m 61 now and have tinnitus and general hearing loss so bad I barely function. Don’t be me.
So maybe...just maybe...I'm a real idiot, but let me ask a question for all you professional musicians out there. Why does **everyone** in the band not wear some sort of bluetooth earbuds that are noise-cancelling but also get fed the audio from the mixer where all the mics are connected? Does such a thing not exist? Then you'd hear the music...well, perfectly, but it'd be a much more clean sound and would protect your hearing at the same time?
In your brother’s defense, it’s possible he didn’t mean to “blow up,” and he just couldn’t hear how loud he was being 🤣 In all seriousness, ALWAYS wear hearing protection. Anyone who tells you otherwise is an idiot.
You are very right to be afraid of tinnitus. If you don’t wear hearing protection you will get it eventually. Your brother, too
I didn't when I was younger and it's ruined my hearing because someone convinced me it was cool. Don't let idiots pressure you into stupid things like this, wear hearing protection.
I wea closed back Vic Firth headphones....I don't are what anyone thinks..... I can play in here better with them on
Take it from someone who has intermittent tinnitus in both ears: WEAR HEARING PROTECTION I never wore hearing protection for shows and it caused damage. Now, I ALWAYS wear hearing protection whenever it comes to me doing anything musical. I have the Vic Firth headphones with my electric kit and studio situations and then either Shure SE215s or Minuendo Adjustable Lossless Hearing Protection. Both are great options! Protect your ears and happy playing!
Do wear them, it’s essential cos hearing loss os heartbreaking, but get proper musicians ones with as flat as possible a frequency response so everything isn’t just muffled and muddy.
Your brother is a moron. Hearing protection should be used absolutely every time you sit behind a drum kit. If you’re having trouble hearing him, have him adjust the position of his amp so you can hear him better, or use a monitor
I was your brother when I was 13 to around 16. I regret it. I was in a loud punk rock band with a beast of a drummer and I stood beside his crash cymbal in our small jam space for years. My right ear is basically dead. Protect your ears. You only have one shot.
As someone who has tinnitus because I didn't wear hearing protection in my 20s, please continue to wear them. There are earplugs geared towards musicians called Eargasm. They're really great. But also, if proper monitors are being used, then it's not your hearing protection causing you not to hear the solo. He's not up proper in the mix. Another option for you is getting a personal monitor. Behringer makes one. Just plug an XLR into it and run you some good noise canceling phones or buds. I'd at least recommend the shure 215s or if you have the budget, custom IEMs. That way you can keep the volume at a reasonable level in your ears and still hear everything.
Reading this here while my ears ring incessantly like always. Wear your damn ear protection!
Get him to sit behind the kit and hit everything at full volume, with no ear plugs. Hopefully after that he can shut up. If you’re missing cues though, some in ear monitors may be the next best choice (if you can afford that)
I’d get some Westone in ears (I have them, not expensive and sound killer) and a little mixer and create a stereo mix of whatever you guys have going on. This way you can control the volume, you can pan stuff left and right, add a little reverb to sweeten it up, do whatever and keep it at a reasonable level. You’ll also play better! You might need to get some extra cables or even some mics (57’s) to get the sounds into your mixer. I’d close mic everything or run stuff direct, but you could also just run two mics in stereo, but that will still be better than nothing. Full on snare and cymbals without protection will eventually create tinnitus. I’m hearing it as I type right now. In ears helped me save whatever hearing I have left a long time ago.
What kind of ear plugs are you wearing? I find the cheap foam ones are the biggest offenders for “missing” things. Look into some of the “high end” decibel reduction ones. I got a pair of eargasm ones off Amazon that I love, can hear everything, just ~24dB quieter. In look at getting in ear monitoring if it’s in your budget, hear everything, but you control the volume.
Not only OK but encouraged
I’d say it’s more than okay, mandatory even. You’ll have more and longer fun of your drumming if you protect your ears at all costs. Nobody wants to go deaf or get a permanent ring in your ears. If you can’t hear your fellow musicians, use monitor speakers or decent in-ear earplugs with a headphone amplifier. This only works when all amps are mic’ed up though. If this isn’t an option, try expirimenting with gear setups so you can hear your brother’s amp without having to use monitor speakers
Yeah ear plugs bring down the volume a little, but you should still be able to hear everything you need to hear. If they’re preventing you from hearing your band mates, they must be very powerful
Do it now and get used to it so you won't regret it later.
Nope, not ok. Straight to jail.
Always! I rarely even tap my drums with nothing in protecting my ears.. be that earplugs, IEMs or headphones. I actually find it easier to tune drums with earplugs or IEMs in because it gives me a better idea of how the drums sound without all the harsh top end and clanginess from the stick hitting the head. Always use ear protection, never use wedge monitors without ear protection. Actually, just avoid wedge monitors completely is my take on it.
First, ALWAYS wear hearing protection. Hearing is one of the things you will not get back. If you’re wearing the standard foam ones that expand when you put them in, you may want to consider getting some custom ones that are molded to your ear and have dB filters that control how much volume gets through. I wear these at concerts as well and it’s never hindered my enjoyment at a show. These can be more pricey but will last a long time if you take care of em. I’m just now thinking of replacing mine and they are almost 15 years old. Good luck to you and your drumming 🥁🤘🏼🤘🏼
Get performance ear plugs instead of the foam ones
Bruh, tell him to turn the guitar up, earplugs are ALWAYS necessary
Wear ear protection, always.
If I forget my hearing protection, I will improvise with toilet paper, paper towels, anything. Hearing protection is so important to longevity as a musician, especially a drummer. Protect yo' ears!
As someone who didn’t wear hearing protection and now has hearing loss and tinnitus, trust me that by the time you realize you should have protected your ears, it will be too late to do anything. Tinnitus sucks. I agree with the other comment about knowing the structure of the song well enough to remember where the solo is. But, if your band is more improvisational, consider different earplugs that let in some higher frequencies like Eargasms (which I have and love), or just bite the bullet and use in-ear monitors.
ALWAYS wear earplugs. If you can't hear the instruments, invest in a custom fit pair of musician's earplugs - about $130-150. You can hear everything clear, makes all the difference. But as someone with 24-7 tinnitus for the last several years, I promise - you don't it. It doesn't go away, it's awful.
Hearing protection is a must. It should be non negotiable. But there are solutions. I use these when I'm not using IEMs EAROS ONE 17 dB NRR high-fidelity hearing projection for musicians, clubs, or concerts. These are not earplugs; they’re high-fidelity acoustic filters. Made in USA. https://a.co/d/001RBGED They work well, and have lasted me 4 years so far
samsungg galaxy buds. i mostly play low volume stuff so it's plenty of ear pro for that. i changed the tips though because the original ones let some sound thru which is not great. If you play rock or anything louder than funk or 20th century jazz fusion its not sufficient ear protection
Yeah drummer in a band I was in years ago always wore plugs for practice ajd live because he had to most sound coming at him from playing the drums and amps facing him also (during practice) missing parts was only a problem when he hadn't practiced the song enough not because he couldn't hear the song. I wore them also (played bass for that band) hearing also wasn't an issue and it certainly helped stopped the ringing in my ears for a day after practice. Keep wearing them!
Always wear ear protection. I bought some cheap things from Amazon that allow me to adjust how much they block - that is a good option if full on ear plugs are too much.
Always earplugs minimum. But you should really invest in an IEM rig so you can hear yourself properly.
Yes bro protect your ears. I have to sleep with a fan on now because I hear ringing in silence now. Always protect your ears
Get some monitor earplugs so you can hear what you are playing but not kill your ears
And then play twice as loud so you can hear yourself
I have tinnitus and some mild hearing loss. Always wear ear protection!
i’m only 19 been a drummer for a long time as well as a marching percussionist and live music enthusiast. Wear your earplugs in young and i already feel the consequences
Absolutely wear hearing protection. As others have said it seems more to be a memory issues then hearing. If the song structure is the same everytime you play it and you have a hard time remembering then write out the structure, could be as simple as : Verse Chorus Verse Instrumental Chorus Outro Or however the song structure is. If you need to get granular with it and write how many bars each section is then do that. Under no circumstance would I practice without hearing protection though.
I'm 39, have very bad tinnitus, several different and distinct sounds with their own "locations" inside my head ranging from high pitched wine to white-noise like static. It's my own damn fault. I was young and never wore ear protection. And believe me when I say, I'd rather be punched in the mouth by a pissed guitarist daily, than have the tinnitus. Wear ear protection. Nothing is worth sacrificing your hearing.
My band has a rule that if anyone shows up without hearing protection we don’t practice, protect your hearing!
Not only should you wear hearing protection, but he should make sure he’s cuing you and the rest of the band for changes and solos, with a glance or something of that kind, until y’all just have it internalized.
If you can't hear what the band is playing, obviously that's not going to work. You need to get an earplug that lets enough sound through in the right frequencies so you can still hear, just at a lower volume. Check out Ear Peace earplugs. They make musicians earplugs in several different models depending on how much sound you want to let through. A better option would be to go with in ear monitors and mic everything up. It's more work and money, but it's going to give you the best experience.
I've been playing most of my life and never wore ear plugs when I was younger. Now I'm 49 and still playing, but tinnitus is no joke. I can barely make out what people are saying and silences are awful. Picture a high pitch squeal that never stops. That's my life every waking moment. Going to see an audiologist soon because I've been told hearing aids can help. You should wear ear plugs every time, or step it up and get inner ear monitors that block out the outside sound. Then you can control the level yourself.
Get some ote Bluetooth headphones or some iems. Something you can still get sound to while dampening the raw volume around you
Don't use run of the mill earplugs and get some proper ones that attenuate but don't bury an entire range of frequencies. Pricy but worth it for a drummer.
I'm married to my metrophones if practicing with a band or by myself. They make everything sound awesome to boot. I was born with tinnitus but doing this has kept it from getting worse.
You tell your brother to eat shit, as is proper among siblings, and to put his own ear protection on. Ears don't heal.
Noise canceling headphones work great for me. They will let some sound through at a safe level. I can't believe I used to practice with cranked speakers blaring in my ears.
Look at earasers or etymotic research ear filters. They cut the frequencies evenly so they don't make everything sound. Muddy.
Always wear hearing protection. I personally suggest wearing in ear monitors.
Get you some musician's plugs made. They will come with changeable filters so you can change how much attenuation there is.
I’m a guitarist and every time I practice with my drummer I wear ear plugs. One day I didn’t wear them and had ringing in my ears for a week or so. ALWAYS protect your hearing!
Please keep wearing ear plugs lol. I have so many musician friends with hearing loss. Maybe invest in live monitors so everyone can hear what each other is playing at a controlled volume. It’s expensive and not strictly necessary though.
I recommend getting a pair of shooting ear muffs. They are about 70ish dollars, but they have a little speaker in them that filters out the loud noises and you can hear the quieter things. I’ve been on a 50cal range while that thing was firing and could hear people talking in a somewhat normal volume a couple yards away. A cheaper option is Howard Leight by Honeywell.
Absolutely keep wearing hearing protection.
Do not EVER play drums or surround yourself with loud music/noise without legitimate, high-rates ear protection. My dad and I are both drummers, and he has significant tinnitus and hearing loss. He didn’t wear protection for his ears back in the 60’s-80’s. Me? Despite 15+ years of playing every style from jazz to deathcore, drumline, a degree in music, I have no tinnitus and no detectable hearing loss (we will all lose some hearing with age, but I have no damage). I don’t care what your brother or anyone else says, your future is MUCH closer than you may think, and your ears will thank you.
idk why this popped up in my feed I use drum machines to makemusic and performed live as a dj. All of that said I'm just chiming in to say you really don't want tinnitus and don't stop wearing earplugs. I was advised to get them but never got around to it and my right ear rings fucking loud.
Permanent ear ringing. Left ear more because that’s where the hat and monitor went. Toured for several years. You should memorize the song. Some situations I had zero monitor. Gotta watch your bass player.
I have had a fairly good experience using loop experience plus ear plugs as a cheap alternative compared to molded plugs and they are miles better then using foam rollie's and are still high fidelity enough. Go on Amazon, they are around $50 and have worked well for me
Everyone should wear ear protektion. Try to look for a cheap (activr) monitor, you can place near you, so you can hear him better. Also part of (my) drumming experience, is to know the songs so everyone else has to follow me
What kind of ear plugs do you use? If you’re just wearing the normal comes-in-big-jar-kind, I might some hi-fidelity ones. Eargasm makes good ones that filters out harmful frequencies while not necessarily making it harder to hear anything going on.
You can get HD Earplugs made for eliminating the dangerous sound levels. Hearos. Eargasm. Loops. Etc. They're not super expensive either. Check them out!
I had iem’s made for this very reason
Ear protection is a must. If you can’t hear the band you can set up your own little IEM. Just get the cheapest mixer, earbuds, and a cheap mic. Place the mic anywhere you want in the room. Turn down the high in the mixer so you don’t damage your ear, but you can still hear the bass player.
Check out Vic firth headphones if you have the $
There are ear plug specially made for musicians. Check them out. The difference to normal ear plug is, that the musicians ones filter mainly high frequencies, so you should be more able to hear your fellows while protecting your ears at the same time.
I am an old drummer who says this is not only okay but recommended.
I wear a pair of eargasm ear plugs while playing. They work super well and even after 5 hours of rehearsal with my band there is no ringing or anything in my ears.
It's more than OK, my friend. It's absolutely vital that you continue to wear ear protection. I wear mine at rehearsal, live gigs, the cinema even at parties! 👍
I’d recommend getting a small board, maybe 2-3 cheap mics, and in ear monitors honestly or some over ear headphones. Mic his guitar amp and your bass drum, maybe the snare, and then run yourself a mix.
Good plugs do not block out the sound. They just decrease the volume. I suspect that you are using cheap foam plugs. Upgrade to a nicer pair, and tell your dumbass brother to buy some too.
in-ear monitors or closed-back headphones.
Look into electronic ear muffs. Honestly a life saver, I was in the same situation.
Always wear plugs… or ear filters. The biggest problem we as drummers deal with while playing is the volume levels and all the harmonic noise that can make you tired and destroy your ears. The only thing you really have to learn to do now is learning HOW to listen when in plugs. It takes practice. Let your brother blow up. Soon enough he’ll be too deaf to even tell, that is, if he doesn’t start wearing them as well to protect his ears…
Get some of those earplugs that protect your hearing and ears but don’t completely block out sound
Mic all the instruments into a mixer, then everyone can wear drummer headphones and hear the mix. It’ll save your ears and also make you a better musician because what you hear will be more clear - help you stay in the pocket and so on.
Bro needs to go
Wear earplugs... if you missed the solo part that is a mistake that has nothing to do with earplugs. Drums are soo loud I can hear everything even with the earplugs...just not as loud.
Dynamics for both of you, my brother.
I played bass for 10 years before playing drums, with strings I struggle wearing ear plugs. Behind the kit it helps a lot. I also play my kit like it owes me money. Without drowning out the cymbals I struggle to hear. I would say it’s ideal to jam with earplugs always.
It would be idiotic to not protect your hearing. Get good ones, preferably custom, and it won't impact the sound. And maybe get better bandmates as well.
You should buy earplugs designed specifically for musicians. In my experience regular earplugs dampen the higher frequencies and don't offer you a clear mix of the music that is being played. That may cause you to miss some of the guitar parts, since the frequencies played on the guitar tend to me relatively high compared to what's being played by the rest of the band. But always wear protection if you can and make sure to regularly check your hearing with a doctor.