Most of the musicians that we know are the people who have sensitivities toward appreciating the beauty of musical harmony. These people have keen ears for tonal differences that make them very observant of sound patterns and combinations and thus experts in the field of music. However, it is impressive to learn that there are some musical geniuses who have achieved multiple levels of success in this field even though they have hearing problems.
Ludwig van Beethoven
This German musician who lived in the late eighteenth century was known to be completely deaf. Despite being diagnosed as completely deaf, he has contributed many musical pieces to the Western Classical music. Although he was born to a musically inclined family, he did not spend many of his years appreciating his music since he started to lose his sense of hearing when he was in his early twenties.
Michael Bolton
This former heavy metal artist is known for his tenor vocals and soft rock music. With eight albums in the top ten charts of the Billboards, Grammy Awards, and American Music Awards, it is hard to believe that he is deaf in one of his ears. Still, his talents were able to make him overcome this difficulty, as he was able to keep his fame for more than thirty years.
Pete Townshend
This singer, songwriter, and guitarist was most known for being a member of The Who, one of the most influential rock groups in history. It was rumored that his decline in hearing was due to his exposure to loud music due to the use of headphones and their loud concerts that were held in the 1970s.
Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys)
The Beach Boys remain to be one of the groups that were able to retain an audience even from the younger crowd. Their name and their songs can still be recognized by this generation as they are played from the old music collections. Brian Wilson, one of the members of the Beach Boys, was partially deaf since he was young.
It is not always necessary to have sensitive ears to become a good musician
We have seen from the examples set by the musicians with hearing impairments that a pair of good ears is not always required to become a respected musician. By having a heart for good music, composing, playing, and singing good tunes do not require possessing good ears to feel the beauty of this form of art. A reminder though is to make sure that your instruments are properly tuned and you’re good to go.
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