You Can Be Hard of Hearing but Not Tone Deaf
I normally wear hearing aids because I was told I need them by two experts, my wife and my audiologist.
I’ve always wondered why some organization to help the hard of hearing doesn’t put an initial screening program on the web.
But Mental Floss provided a link to a test to see if you are tone deaf.
Researcher Jake Mandell has created an online test which measures pitch perception as well as musical memory. The test plays two brief passages of very similar music back-to-back, and you press a button to indicate whether you think the tunes are the same or different.
It’s not an easy test, the differences are sometimes very subtle. Don’t take this test if you can be distracted by activities or other sounds. I took it without earphones, but will try it with earphones to see if I can improve.
I scored a 72.2% which is in the normal range.
I thought my tinnitus might effect the results, so I was pleased with being normal.
Check it out, it’s fun and apparently the results are being kept in a database.
There also is a rhythm test if you fancy yourself to be Phil Collins (who also has a hearing loss.)
If my wife would only sing her conversations with me, I think I could ditch the hearing aids.
UPDATE: 83.3% in quieter room and with my eyes closed to concentrate better.
I think the great thing about being a married person with hearing aids is that when your spouse starts getting on your nerves, you just turn off your hearing aids.
If only it worked that way! Take my word for it, it doesn’t. I guess if you are totally def leppard, it might.
Oh good, now you give the young kids another mean thing to say to me:
“You’re as old as Donald Duck!” thanks
Donald Duck is 70+ sorry if I didn’t make that clear. So you’re good to go for a while.
Update: Redneck Diva is driving Paul nuts by responding to questions with, idk my bff, jill?
http://redneckdiva.blogspot.com/2007/06/not-much-really-you.html
I haven’t given in and purchased the hearing aids that the doctor told me that I need. But I was fascinated when I was told that you could “set” them by using your computer.
Interesting, I haven’t heard of those. I have to have mine dehumidified regularly (free.)
I normally jump all over the internet because I have the tendancy to read too much (which isn’t always a good thing because most blogs just copy from each other) but I have to say that yours contains some great substance! Thanks for stopping the trend of just being another copycat site! 😉