Poll: Do You Still Enjoy Listening to Music?

(A hat tip to @JabbingJab who was the one who thought of this question in the chat room yesterday! Thank you sir!)

I am a lifelong music lover and while tinnitus has made listening to music on earbuds very uncomfortable, I still enjoy listening to music at a low volume at my desk at work. It works both as white noise and as an enjoyable part of my daily work life.

So my question is this: do you still listen to and enjoy music? Do you listen with headphones? Have you tried different types of headphones that might result in less tinnitus irritation?

Let me know!

 

I use speakers. I hope one day I'll be able to put headphones/earbuds back on set to a reasonable volume.

 

Yes, absolutely! I also enjoy MAKING music! I sing with two choral groups and love it more than ever. I had some mild hyperacusis in the beginning that made music a little difficult, dropped out of the larger choral group for a year. But that faded and I am back now.

I listen to music both on earphones and through speakers. I use both ear buds (very cautiously) and over-the-ear headphones. The important thing is to keep the volume low. The one thing I noticed since I had tinnitus is audio device quality matters much more. I junked my old head phones/buds and purchased Bose, and am getting ready to buy better speakers.

I also purchased quality musician filtered ear plugs (Etymotics.com) for my singing and general noise control. A great investment. I had to make a few minor adjustments about where I sit during rehearsals (can't be directly next to the piano), but nothing major.

It makes me sad when I read posts from people new to Tinnitus Talk, about now they never will be able to listen to music again. By in large, that's not true. Just give it time and use common sense. And don't be afraid! I know that many of us enter a state of high anxiety if we have sudden onset tinnitus, but try to fight back against that fear and anxiousness. Believe that you are not going to have to give up everything you love.

 

That is great to hear @LadyDi! I am in a band right now and have told my bandmates that when baby #2 arrives at home, that I will likely step away from the weekly practice part of the band, but I still want to participate in recording and songwriting with them. And I want to continue to be involved in music in general. I may finally splurge on musician filtered ear plugs -- I actually have found that the generic music ear plugs have a much better feel for music than the generic foam plugs and actually fit my ears better. But a fitted plug may be even better.

I have tried Bose-style headphones at local stores the last couple months to demo them and found that the sound was much less irritating, so I may invest in a good pair of those at some point too (if baby #2 ever gives me time to sit down and listen to music on headphones, that is!)

 

Nice idea for a thread @marqualler, thanks. And blessings on your new baby! How exciting! You can write some lullabies!

 

I still find it enjoyable and it has the ability to make me feel nostaglic. Paramore is probably still my favorite band!

 

Another musician and music lover here. Yes, I still listen to, play and write music.

I haven't attended a concert in a while but plan to over the summer.

My advice is to take it slow, find out what your comfort levels are but don't give up something that you enjoy so much. One thing I have learned is that there are many professionals in the industry with tinnitus that have continued to enjoy successful careers.

 

@marqualler (re: the whole post question) and @Dr. Nagler (re: "Why in the world would somebody who loved music before tinnitus not love it just as much after tinnitus?")


I think this is an interesting thing to talk about, because I had a very interesting experience with music pre and post-tinnitus.

Both pre and post tinnitus I love music, I find it beautiful, I don't have a problem with listening to it on any platform as long as the volume is different. However, I do not enjoy music as much as I used to. I do not have misophonia or hyperacusis. I'm habituated as far as I know, my T doesn't effect much of anything in my life except I wear earplugs in loud situations.

However, before T, I would never leave the house without my headphones. I didn't listen to them loudly, but I loved music with a capital L. I couldn't bear my commute without it. I played (acoustic) guitar obsessively and it sent chills down my spine. I had a very physical and very emotional reaction to sound of all types (but in a good way.)

Now, I still find music objectively lovely, I enjoy good music on occasion via headphones or live etc. However I have rarely, if ever, had that same physical or emotional reaction or relationship with music that I had before tinnitus. I almost never listen to music on my commute, after years and years of not wanting to part with it.

I am no doctor or brain scientist, but I had to wonder if somewhere in the process of habituation and of my brain changing that emotional reaction to the sound of tinnitus, it changed, to a degree the emotional connection with sound in general. I am completely habituated, and believe me, I prefer that VASTLY to the horrendous suffering I was in before I habituated. However something did get lost in there. I suppose it is sad in a way, but I don't mourn it, because I am not trying to avoid music now, I'm not scared of it, I just do not care like I used to.

Another interesting thing, my father has had tinnitus (from war) since he was in his early 20s. It never really bothered him and he also enjoys music, but he had to focus in on it, otherwise it was always a bit like background noise to him. I remember taking road trips, and I would be talking about the amazing lyrics and my dad would say, "Oh what are they saying?" He just wasn't listening in that closely, and I always wondered, "How can you not listen to the lyrics?" I was the kid who couldn't study with any kind of music on because I would inevitably focus all my attention on it - get lost in it and forget everything else. I would feel it in every cell.

Now, I understand what my dad meant, when I listen to music now, I zone out easily, I don't "hear" the lyrics unless I focus in, I can study or do just about anything with sound in the background. Others ask "how can you concentrate?" I just think "huh?" People will tell me there is some annoying sound (or music, what-have-you) and I will not have even "heard" it.

Things have definitely changed with me and sound somewhere in my brain. It's not bad or good, it just is, but it is interesting. I mourned the memory of it at first, the same way I mourned the memory of "silence" pre-T, but now it's just life.

Has anyone else had an experience like this?

 

I still listen to music, just not as much as I used to.

 

Music actually brought tinnitus to my life (loud metal and rock concerts). And suprisingly music brought my life with tinnitus to normal again after some time. I don't visit ANY concerts anymore, but music is still great part of my life... I am happy I can hear it anytime I need it, even with my hissing sounds in the background. I use speakers at home and headphones at work every day.

 

All great thoughts. Thanks guys.

 

No problem. It's great to have a conversation.

 

If I didn't have music I'd be completely lost...

 

FWIW -- yesterday I was at a class at my gym called Gladiator and listened to a song in a new context that I never thought of before that made it so much more powerful. I have been in this class since both before and after T and it always makes me feel better--whether it's the endorphins or the fact that the class involves a lot of "slamming" of objects which lets my internal rage toward my T out in a constructive way, it makes me feel better.

Anyway, this is one of the songs that our teacher played while we were in class:

Muse - Uprising

These lyrics really hit me because I always envisioned my T in my head as a group of controllers trying to take control of my mind. In that moment I envisioned me and "my" controllers singing back to the T:

"They will not force us / They will stop degrading us / They will not control us / We will be victorious."

Powerful stuff indeed!

 

In the words of Jim Morrison: "When the music's over, turn out the lights."

 

I am still passionate about music, and I can still get goosebumps listening to my favourite songs. But I've had to cut out whole genres of rock music, and I miss my headphones and playing live so much.

 

Currently on Clonazepam I can listen to music. Before I started taking it the hyperacusis and tinnitus made music sound unpleasant. I don’t want to stay on Benzos, but I’m scared to go back to that. Music was an integral part of my life. I was an avid CD and record collector since a young teen. I’ve also made music on and off for years.

 

Tinnitus has cut my music enjoyment by at least 50%. I no longer feel relaxed when I listen to my records nowadays. I am just forcing myself to do it just so I can feel somewhat like my old self again.

 

My tinnitus is "screaming" tonight. Tried listening to music on YouTube. The tinnitus ruins it. It's so loud I haven't been able to enjoy music in months.

 

Former musician here. Can confirm. Since my onset I have regained the ability to enjoy music every now and again. Check out this thread, especially my comments.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/turmeric-with-curcumin-seems-to-be-helping.27603/