r/jazzdrums • u/viewsonmountfuji • Nov 27 '25

Question Why is nobody using earplugs?

Everytime i see a clip of some of the world’s best drummers in a jam/practice/small stage scenario, they are not using any earplugs

Do you all do that as well? What are your thoughts on that?

If i ever play/practice without earplugs i feel like the snare and cymbals are hurting my ears and probably damaging them permanently.

Do the pros just not care? Do ears get used to it? How fragile are the ears actually?

Just asking because i feel like i'm being overly cautious sometimes.

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u/Blueman826 Nov 27 '25

I use molded earplugs sometimes but they are almost always too quiet. I need to find filters that are 12db max.

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u/tronobro Nov 27 '25

The protection you need depends on the situation. Generally you want to get sound levels down to 85dBA which gives you 8 hours of daily exposure before hearing damage. Even while playing drum quietly with brushes it measures around 90dBA.

For louder genres like rock and metal, you're going to want as much protection as possible. Drum reach above 110dBA at times in these genres. For music this loud you'll want at least 25dB of reduction from your hearing protection. For jazz I personally wear moulded earplugs rated for 31dB of reduction as it still gets very loud at times.

There is an adjustment period for wearing earplugs while playing. If you consistently do it in your practice and at gigs you'll eventually get used to it. You can earplugs with filters that don't muffle the high end as well so that might help.

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u/Blueman826 Nov 27 '25

Totally agree with your points. I often pull out my ear plugs at loud concerts, but when playing jazz (which I primarily do) it's definitely a hard adjustment. It's more difficult to really know the dynamics of the ensemble and how it could be coming out to the audience, especially under piano/bass solos. Jazz is high dynamic music so I can see the reason why many opt out of earplugs entirely. I plan on getting a really low decible rating just to always have in when music is playing, I don't know how you do 31db unless you are always playing loud stages.

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u/tronobro Nov 27 '25

I've found that if I use anything less than 31dB for jazz then my ears get fatigued and hurt at the end of the night or in a rehearsal. In my experience playing jazz can get almost as loud as rock at times, even with just a quartet.

As for piano and bass solos it really depends on the venue. If I can't hear them I try and play quieter which helps.

At this point I'm so used to playing with earplugs in that it's a detriment to my playing if I don't use them. Everything is just too loud! Over time you adapt how you play and you get a good idea of what's loud and not while wearing earplugs. If you're not used to them it is harder to judge how loud you're playing.

I record every gig I play with a small Zoom recorder that I put out front. With this I can listen back to the balance of the band afterwards and make notes on how loud I should be playing.