Semi Professional musician hoping to be able to play again after SSHL

[Rob Gellner]

Hi I have an appointment at Sunnybrook Dec 4,23 to see if I qualify for a CI.  Im hoping with time Ill be able to hear well enough to be able to start playing with others again.  Currently playing with my "good" ear and left ear is very muffled and both hearing aids dont work that great.  I used to be able to play with my hearing aids without issue but lately am considering taking a long break. I hate to use the word quit.  Anyway I just wanted to say hi and if anyone is a musician who has come back from a hearing loss Id love to hear from you.  

[Mary Beth]

Welcome @Rob Gellner

 

I will tag a few musicians here

@Kylie

@Roy

 

[Rob Gellner]

Thanks Mary Beth. Ive enjoyed your youtube videos btw.  Very helpful and informative.  looking forward to getting to know lots of people here

 

[Mary Beth]

@Rob Gellner

there are still a few spots left for our next HearPeers GoogleMeet.  I will tag you there and if interested just reply in that topic.  It’s a great way to get to know some of our HP members.

[Roy]

Well, I've kind of been there & done that. I'm a 10-year bilateral CI user with no residual hearing, and I've just spent the afternoon in my home recording studio framing up my second CD. Prior to getting CIs I spent more than 40 years gradually going deaf and 20 of those years not playing, or even listening to, music. Recovering the ability to appreciate and understand music with CIs has been both a hard slog and a joy. My sense of timing was unaffected by the CIs, I've now achieved a good sense of timbre, and my pitch is serviceable for instrumental work. Vocals are the last frontier, but I'm gaining on it. Bottom line - I'm far, far better off than I was before the CIs, but training and acclimation are absolutely critical.

So here's my life now. (The black mass in the upper left is a studio mic with a foam baffle.) There's a lot to talk about on this subject, so I suggest contacting me offline if you feel like getting some details.

[Kylie]

@Rob Gellner

HI Rob I am SSD with acoustic ear and now CI on other ear. I am a singer who very much wanted to continue singing. It was very hard when I only had 1 working ear, especially as I was performing in a capella groups.  Now with my CI I am confidently performing again, and now have also gone back to solo singing and joined a much bigger state classical choral group. I would not have done all that before the CI as my hearing was not good enough with 1 side alone, but it sure is now.  There is so much rich full sound possible with the CI.

[Rob Gellner]

Thanks for sharing.  This gives me a lot of hope.  How long did it take before things started to sound like normal music?  (if it ever does?) Did you have to do a lot of ear training?  I am two thirds of the way through my masters degree in film scoring and orchestration so at the moment doing school work is a big challenge.  its hard to listen to orchestral music as I am missing so much so I am hoping with tons of rehab and ear training I will start to hear things as or better than before.  Ive worn hearing aids all  my life in both ears so could never hear the bass in any music which was a challenge in itself.  Thanks again for replying and I am sp happy to hear you are back to singing again.  Its not only the music I miss but the social side of being with the people I play with. 

 

Thanks

 

Rob

[Kylie]

With my acoustic ear plus CI combined, music does sound completely normal, both in the 'world' and while I'm wearing headphones. But if I separate them and only listen with my CI ear, it is not the same - the sound of music for me is good but not perfect. It is not quite the full range of tones and qualities. I don't know if anyone experiences the CI ear being 'perfect' for music, but I was never led to believe that would be the goal anyway.  I am nonetheless extremely happy with what I have, and functionally I always use 2 ears together for music so as far I am concerned, I have what I need.  I get great bass sounds too! 

It is a bit different if you have 2 CIs but Roy has attested that you can still have great outcomes with that too for music.

I did a lot of rehab practise with the CI alone to build it up to the point where it is now. And I sometimes still do listen to podcasts etc with just the CI to make sure my brain still works hard with that part.  I would recommend doing dedicated music rehab early and often - there are more and better music training apps that when I first started, e.g. Meludia. 

[Rob Gellner]

Thanks again for your reply. Im kind of setting my bar low and hoping for the best but then all my life I have heard misic through ears that did nt work right anyway.  I know each time Igot a new hearing aid I had to get used to it and did.  Ill just get used to it what ever it is.  The main thing for me right now and I never thought I would say it is to have clarity and if music sounds great Ill be very happy.  Its wonderful having people who have gone through this and share their journeys.

[Kylie]

I would also recommend keeping on with music during the process and if you have understanding musical friends to hang with. My music groups really helped keep me motivated, especially in the early months after surgery when I was the most anxious about the longer term outcome. I just kept singing and getting feedback from them to help guide me. And over time my ability and confidence came back. It was an important aspect for me not losing hope.