Question for all guitar players only?

Question

I've been playing guitar for about four months, and ever since I started playing I noticed my ears started to develop inner pain. I'm not a great guitar player, but I can jam once in a while. But ever since I started playing guitar I can't stand deep pain in my ears. Like if somebody is stabbing them, I put my finger in it and when I take it out it feels like somebody poked the drum with a pencil. it hurts so bad. Could it be ear infection or due to the guitar amplifier to loud? My ear pain doesn't go away, it's with me all day and night.

The amplifier is not even loud to begin with. So why in the heck do my ears hurt so much from it?

What measures do you take to protect your earring from damage that could be done to them from playing the guitar? All advice is deeply appreciated, thank you! Should I stop playing guitar or what would you do in my scenario.

Thanks in advance

- Alex

would hate to have to put down my guitar playing process because I've invested so much money on it and it would be disappointing.

Both my left and right ear hurt at the same time, not just one. What could be the problem?

Update: When I say the amplifier is ''not even loud''. I mean I turn it down down to the point where I can barely hear anything. Also I turn the amplifier away from me. I have a 10 foot guitar cable.

Answer 1

You may have sensitive ear drums. get an acoustic. when playing electric turn the amp down or use hearing protection.

Answer 2

When you say your amp "isn't loud", do you mean, say, that you can't hear it in a nearby room with the door shut? Or just not rock-concert loud? Instrument amplifiers often create much louder sound than you realize, and don't limit high frequencies which do the most damage. But if it was purely a volume overload problem, you'd probably have ringing in your ears or a cottony/muffled feeling more than pain. The only other guitar-related thing I can think of would be if you are clenching your jaw or holding your neck stiff while you play, which might cause pain.

But if your volume is under control and your playing is relaxed, the most likely explanation is that it has nothing to do with your guitar playing and the timing is coincidental.

No matter what, if you are having pain you need to see a doctor. Answers is great, but I wouldn't get medical advice here.

Answer 3

In short, you should be asking a doctor about this. There may or may not be a connection to the guitar - for all you know you have an ear injury or infection.

As for hearing protection? If you are not playing "loudly," then there really shouldn't be any issue... and if you are playing on your own, there isn't much need to be overly loud. If you are playing in a band and need the volume due to drums or the size of the room, the best best would be to invest in some good ear plugs - there are a number of makes which are good for decreasingly volume without frequency bias, and they generally can cut the volume down 10-15db (you should be able to find these at any music store).

Answer 4

Your just playing a tad too loud. Either turn it down, step away from the amp, get a longer cable or go acoustic. Learn a little Jimmy Buffet on acoustic. Whatever you do, keep rocking and don't put that guitar down.

Answer 5

im a intermediate guitar player and i find guitar hero games more difficult than playing the real guitar. for one, you have six strings on a guitar, where as the game has 5 buttons. the game actually has you moving your finger further when you play single notes than actually playing real guitar. where a note on a real guitar might have you just fretting a lower or higer string. the game makes you fret a button that further. i like playing chords on the game. in that, it does feel like your actually playing chords. another thing is that you dont really have to look at a screen when playing a real guitar. so you do need more hand eye cordination to play the game. the songs in the game are set up pretty good. its not just random button presses, the game does have repeatable patterns. its defintely fun. its just easier to play real guitar.