Hard of hearing in the session - any practical ideas?

[Tim N]

I have not yet played mandolin at a session (we're talking Irish Session) because I've been learning for the past 18 months, and have not yet got the necessary speed or accuracy, but I do feel as though I'm possibly getting there. Presently I play Irish bouzouki accompaniment, and although this will probably remain my main role, I can imagine I'd like to try playing along with melody some time on mandolin. I attend a "slow session" and think I could probably keep up, although no doubt I'd also make a pig's ear of it at first.
However, my main issue is that due to my hearing deficiencies in a crowded space, I can't hear myself play against the other instruments, and for me, at least, that makes it extremely difficult to keep track. I realised this when I tried to play in a relatively small mandolin group- I just couldn't play effectively without hearing own instrument. It's to do with the fact that I don't pick up the high tones - something a hearing test confirmed. I don't really want to go down the hearing aid route because for daily life my hearing is quite sufficient. It's just in the pub type environment that I have difficulties (and have always had). Playing rhythm is not so bad, although I sometimes have to stick my ear almost inside my bouzouki to ensure that I've got the right key, if I'm not certain what it should be.
I'm wondering how other people might have coped with this problem, and am thinking it must be possibly to rig up some kind of small simple microphone or pick up that links to an ear piece. There is no built in pick up on the mandolin as I have no need to amplify it externally, and I'd like to avoid adding unnecessary weight to the instrument.
Does anyone have any experience with this problem, and if so, have you found a lightweight solution that is not cumbersome?
Thanks for any ideas.

[HonketyHank]

I have the same problem. I have known that my high frequency hearing is deficient as long as I can remember, but I probably made it worse by a) working in some high noise environments without proper hearing protection over the years and b) by just plain getting old (I am 73).

I did spring for hearing aids a year ago. They help. But as the song says -- you never know what you've got till it's gone. One problem with hearing aids is that a plucked string produces a sound that starts very loud and immediately drops off to what we perceive as its normal sound level. That initial burst of energy can drive a hearing aid crazy unless it is programmed to filter out highs, which is opposite to what you and I would expect from a hearing aid when we have high frequency hearing loss. For that reason, you need a fairly expensive hearing that can be given a custom program for when you are playing your mandolin. My Resound brand aids can do that, but like I said, they weren't cheap.

ps: I do find that my ability to distinguish speech in a noisy setting (like a crowded pub or restaurant) is improved with the hearing aids in, but I still have trouble.

I'll be watching this thread for others' experience. Thanks for bringing it up.

[moxie]

I had the audiologist program a "music" setting into my aids, no compensation. Playing in a celtic jam is not a problem. MMc

[foldedpath]

I play mandolin in Irish and Scottish pub sessions, from small to large.

Whatever you do, don't go down the path of trying to amplify your mandolin only for yourself with an earbud so you can hear it better. That will only isolate you from the session you're trying to play along with. You need to hear all those other players to lock into sync with them in unison playing.

The key to hearing yourself among the sustaining instruments like fiddles in an Irish session, is to fixate on the "Ping" of the initial note attack on the mandolin.

That's your contribution to the group, because everything else you hear when practicing at home like the note sustain will be buried. But that "Ping" can make a good contribution to the session. I even had a player of Scottish border pipes tell me recently that he enjoys hearing that mandolin attack along with pipes, a pretty loud instrument (on the other hand, the two of us like playing obscure pipe tunes together that nobody else knows, so I'm sure that's a factor).

If you have a hearing deficiency that prevents you from hearing that "Ping" of a mandolin's note attack, then maybe look into a hearing aide? Your avatar shows what looks like a young person, and hearing problems don't get any better as you get older. Music is something you can play your whole life.

[Randi Gormley]

A flute friend of mine has the same problem, and he has a hearing aid only for playing. It's pretty unobtrusive. On the other hand, there's always a banjolin, a resonator mandolin or some of the guaranteed-banjo-killer mandos that may cut through the other chaos, but whether the banjolin or resonator would be welcome depends on the session. I used to play a bandolim because the sound was different enough to stick out (way more bell-like than the fiddle, for instance); now I sit next to another mandolin and the two of us can pretty much cut through anything because there's strength in numbers (he also plays an old Gibson). Those sessions where we have a loud box or six fiddles, I just play along and hope, because I figure if I can't hear myself, nobody can hear when I mess up!

[Kevin Winn]

I'm going to go the other way, and suggest a set of musician's ear plugs. They are custom molded to your ear and cost a lot less than hearing aids (~$200). You can get them through an audiologist.

What these will do is trim the overall level down by 10, 12 or 15 dB, depending on the model you choose. This will bring all the other levels down so you can distinguish the various instruments more clearly.

[Ranald]

Ditto what Hank said in Post 2. I wear hearing aids for a problem like both of yours. However, while wearing with my otherwise excellent hearing aids, I can't separate sounds, so that all instruments come at me equally, and I'm unable to focus on the sound I want to dominate (the mandolin), and hear it above the other instruments. I've found myself unable to play with more than four or five musicians. I do better with my fiddle, which is louder, but have had to stop attending my regular jams, where everyone plays on every tune. Good luck.

[kurth83]

These guys might be able to help:
https://forum.hearingtracker.com

Having a music program for your HA is pretty important, a voice program won't do very well for you.

It's not an easy problem though. I find HA's don't have very good sound quality. A pair of pro-quality headphones is much better, but you need your own EQ and compressor, which conveniently our onstage monitor system (PM-16) provides. When I use headphones like that I can hear a lot better.

Also, you can learn to play ok without being able to hear yourself well, I used low monitor volumes for years so I already have that skill. My transition to headphones is still in progress, I use a monitor most of the time still, but am getting tired of not hearing what the guitar player is doing clearly.

Given the recent research linking dementia to difficulty hearing voice I don't play the low-monitor volume game there, I take my HA's with me when interacting with people, even though my hearing loss is still in the mild category.

[Cobalt]

I'm sure we're all different. I've not had a hearing test, but I'm well aware that I don't hear as well nowadays as I did in my youth. I don't have any real solutions. Recently I sat out by the edge of a session and stopped playing completely for while, but mine was a somewhat different issue, there were both musicians and ordinary pub-goers sharing the same space, and the noise coming from the non-players was the largest part of the problem.

Still, my usual solutions are twofold.

Learn where is best to sit in relation to other key players - you want to be able to hear enough of what is being played in order to lock on, but avoid being overwhelmed by any individual instrument - sound from some instruments is very directional, I avoid placing myself in the direct path of someone else's loud instrument. Also, some players are solid and dependable, I want to hear the sound from someone playing steadily. Trying to follow when the nearest/loudest player is either struggling or taking some more adventurous path through the music can be disorienting. Choose who to be near. So that's seating considerations.

The second part of the solution is to learn really well one or two (not too many!) pieces so that when they turn up, I can pretty much play the lead and others will follow me, for better or for worse.

One more I'd add. If possible, don't just practise alone, if you can find one or two others to practise with, in between sessions, that is the biggest help, certainly in the learning stages. As an alternative or variation on this, use a sound recorder, in the past a cassette tape, nowadays there are lots of digital options, capture some part of a live session, then try to play along with it in your own time.

[Mandoplumb]

Don't be afraid of hearing aids I put off getting them for years because I thought they would make the sound of my music suffer. When I finally went to an audiologist I told her that I played and she would get the HA back if they messed up my music, she said OK but you won't bring them back. I found there is a lot of music in the higher frequentcis that I had forgotten. My music sounded better. Yes they are expensive but if we can give $40 for a small piece of plastic to achieve a better sound then a few thousand for a greater sound is reasonable IMHO

[pops1]

I'm going to go the other way, and suggest a set of musician's ear plugs. They are custom molded to your ear and cost a lot less than hearing aids (~$200). You can get them through an audiologist.

What these will do is trim the overall level down by 10, 12 or 15 dB, depending on the model you choose. This will bring all the other levels down so you can distinguish the various instruments more clearly.

Decades ago while working in a loud environment I started to wear ear plugs. There was concern that I wouldn't hear the machine well enough to hear if something was not running right. In a very short time not only could I hear better, I could hear other things around the shop that others not wearing ear plugs could not hear. It seemed to lower the threshold of volume allowing more precise hearing.

[dhergert]

I'd also recommend the ear plug route. I have tinnitus, and my experience with HAs about 10 years ago was that I could always hear the sounds behind me better than in front of me, and it was very confusing in both music and normal audio situations; admittedly these devices were old tech, but they were nearly free so I went with it at the time. But that experience also showed me that my tolerance for carrying and switching batteries and for adjusting hearing aid programs on the fly, even wireless, was very low, so I've never wanted HAs again.

Ear plugs on the other hand do help you focus on what you really want to hear, and of course they reduce the negative impact of loud noise, preserving what hearing you have (or have left). I'd suggest trying these out before making a jump to HAs.

Keep in mind, who you sit next to, and how loudly they are playing in a jam can make a big difference. If you know you have a problem hearing yourself play, try to find a location where your chances of hearing yourself are better.

Also, learning to play your instrument without watching either of your hands is a huge advantage, because then you can watch everyone else around you. By watching them you can better follow and anticipate what is happening in the jam, including more subtle things like body language ques, key changes in the middle of the song, or the rhythm and tempo that your jam mates are using. Watching everyone else connects you with the jam better than just about anything else you can do.

[UsuallyPickin]

OK …. look into a Tonegard for your mandolin if it is not a Neapolitan style instrument. It will focus the sound and make it slightly louder. Don't sit next to the tenor banjo player or the piano. You will get better at keeping in sync with the jam over time, be patient. Sit at the edge of the group and play the chords a couple of times through before you start with the melody. Lastly ….. some mandolins are just not very loud. You may want to shop a bit.…. R/

[Tim N]

[QUOTE Your avatar shows what looks like a young person, and hearing problems don't get any better as you get older. Music is something you can play your whole life.[/QUOTE]
That's a painting my daughter did for my 50th, and I'm now 56. I was pretty grey then, so it was always quite flattering. It's quite special to me. :-)

[Tim N]

Thanks for all the varied responses to my question! They are all really interesting and I value them. The idea of ear plugs helping to focus the sound is intriguing and sounds worth looking into. Practicing with recorded music is also do-able, but something I've barely got around to doing yet. Strategic positioning in the session is not always so easy as its always different and sometimes very crowded, but I guess sitting at the group margin might help. I do try to practice well known (to me) pieces without looking at my fingering, but still feel that the audio cue is very important here.
At the end of the day, its not the end of the world if I don't get on - sometimes I am the only accompanist in the session, or normally one of two, so playing bouzouki is more of a contribution to the whole. I love playing mandolin on my own anyway. In fact its very rare to see a mandolin at all where I play.

[Roger Adams]

Give the ear plugs a shot. They won't set you back much, and they might work.

That said, hearing aids have come a LONG way, and the technology is really very good. I put them off longer than I should have, and really regret the aggravation I put others through with repeating everything over and over for me! We wear hearing aids for other folks! My hearing aids have a "Playing Music" program that really works very well for me. Honestly, I had no idea how much I was missing! You play better when you can hear.

[Greg P. Stone]

I'm completely deaf in my left ear (auditory nerve destroyed) and am pretty good in the right. This is nothing like the OP but my experience may be helpful. I have become very conscious of room acoustics and like to position myself so that my right ear is towards the other instruments OR (and here's the part which might be helpful) with my right ear close to a hard surface where I can hear all the reflections. How you hold your instrument in proximity to a hard surface can help you to hear your own instrument above the others.