Losing your ear with age?

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horsehorse Frets: 1562
I'm 47. Always been able to play well by ear, could hear how chords related to each other in my head if I imagined them, know what I was hearing when listening to most popular music in terms of the relationship between the chords etc..

I think over the last couple of years I've started to lose some of that - I'm less quick when playing to be confident in the progression i'm hearing, and I guess the chords incorrectly more often when working stuff out (still fine with really obvious stuff).

I suspect it relates to my brain aging, but wondered if anybody had experienced similar?
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Comments

  • phil_bphil_b Frets: 2010
    Im affraid you start to loose everthing with age

    the only thing you gain is hair growing out of you ears and nose
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  • horsehorse Frets: 1562
    phil_b said:
    Im affraid you start to loose everthing with age

    the only thing you gain is hair growing out of you ears and nose
    Got that sorted already. Got married 10 years ago and got a barber to shave my head instead of just using my clippers myself - was a bit shocked when he just started shaving my ears as a matter of course!
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  • NeillNeill Frets: 941
    I forget who said it but I remember someone remarking that after 40 life is all about losing - your health, your looks, your sex drive, your tolerance, your friends, and so on.  Ok that's a bit gloomy but I think it's broadly true.  

    I'm 65 and I find myself turning to Youtube most of the time now if I want to learn how to play something, but I 'm not totally sure it's my "ear" that's the problem, it might just be lack of patience.  I don't mind the loss of dexterity that inevitably comes with age, what really annoys me is I seem to have lost my timing a bit, but again this might be lack of practice which is still down to loss - of enthusiasm. 

       
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4942
    It might be happening but deep down you might be mentally bored with the music you are listening to and playing. Don’t be afraid of listening to music that is way out of your normal listening to music. Classical piano if your interests are blues for example. Or vocal heavy folk if you are into rock. Refresh your brain maybe is all you need to do. Spend some time listening and your ear will be effectively rebooted and refreshed. 
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • pintspillerpintspiller Frets: 994
    Everything has to be quick or instantaneous these days. Are you caught up in that? I think I am. If I haven't worked out chords to a song by the time it finishes I usually Google it.
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  • poopotpoopot Frets: 9098
    Worked for Van Gogh!
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  • MusicwolfMusicwolf Frets: 3627
    Five past five
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    Loss of upper frequencies can make it more difficult to distinguish sounds. Get yourself referred to Nottingham Hearing Services for proper hearing test by someone who knows what they’re doing. High street opticians and hearing aid shops are not good enough for a musicians ears.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10356
    It's an age thing.  Quite a few people who had perfect pitch found they lost it as they got older and began to hear it a semitone or tone out. This can also affect your relative pitch and you can confuse your 4th for the 5th etc. 

    Getting old sucks  

    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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  • horsehorse Frets: 1562
    Roland said:
    Loss of upper frequencies can make it more difficult to distinguish sounds. Get yourself referred to Nottingham Hearing Services for proper hearing test by someone who knows what they’re doing. High street opticians and hearing aid shops are not good enough for a musicians ears.
     Thanks Roland (and for the message) - I'm fairly sure the issue is at the "brain" end rather than the hearing itself - more like my mental map or points of reference / memory of relationships between chords aren't as clear as they were.

    Possible it relates to too many other things taking up headspace, so maybe it will improve again. I've not completely lost it - just not as sharp / reliable as it was.
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  • horsehorse Frets: 1562
    Danny1969 said:
    It's an age thing.  Quite a few people who had perfect pitch found they lost it as they got older and began to hear it a semitone or tone out. This can also affect your relative pitch and you can confuse your 4th for the 5th etc. 

    Getting old sucks  

     Bugger - I never had perfect pitch, but my relative pitch awareness was always a strength in enabling my playing by ear. I suppose I'll just need to work harder to use my memory more if that's the case.
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