Last Updated on August 25, 2025 by Jonathan Javid Au.D.
A patient recently asked me if developing hearing loss would change their ability to sing—or make it impossible to stay on key. My first instinct was that it shouldn’t matter, but I decided to research further and talk with other audiologists to be sure.
Short answer: A typical, gradually progressing sensorineural high-frequency hearing loss usually won’t affect your ability to sing in tune. However, a significant low-frequency hearing loss, a sudden sensorineural hearing loss, or a conductive hearing loss can change how you hear your own voice—making it harder to match pitch.
Why Most Hearing Losses Don’t Affect Singing
After discussing with six of my audiology colleagues, our consensus was that most people with age-related hearing loss will not notice a major difference in their singing accuracy. Here’s why:
- Gradual adaptation: Hearing loss usually progresses slowly over years. The brain naturally adapts to changes in how you hear yourself versus others.
- High-frequency loss doesn’t derail pitch matching: To sing in tune, you match the fundamental frequency of the note. For example, middle C on a piano is 262 Hz—well within the low–mid range most people retain even with age-related hearing loss.
In most hearing tests, the lowest frequency checked is 250 Hz, and most patients retain normal hearing here even if they’ve lost sensitivity in higher frequencies.
When Hearing Changes Can Affect Singing
Three scenarios can make it harder to sing in tune:
1. Conductive Hearing Loss
This occurs when sound cannot efficiently travel to the cochlea due to an obstruction or middle ear issue—such as earwax buildup, ear infections, fluid, or otosclerosis. You’ll still hear your voice via bone conduction, but it will sound louder and “boomy” due to occlusion, which can distort pitch perception.
2. Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Caused by viral infections, inflammation, or head injury, this immediate change alters both your hearing thresholds and sound clarity. If this happens, seek urgent medical attention—quick steroid treatment may help preserve hearing.
3. Significant Low-Frequency Loss
Less common than high-frequency loss, but more impactful for singing because pitch cues live in these lower ranges.
Hearing Aids and Singing
Hearing aids can change how you hear your own voice. Open-fit RIC hearing aids usually preserve natural voice perception, while more occluding CIC aids may create more occlusion.
Some singers prefer to wear hearing aids for better pitch reference, while others remove them to avoid altered voice perception. My advice—try both and see which feels more natural. Give your brain time to adapt before deciding.
Final Thoughts
There’s surprisingly little formal research on this topic. Clinically, the effect of hearing loss on singing depends on the type, degree, and frequency range of the loss. For many people—especially with mild high-frequency loss—singing ability remains unchanged.
Singing with hearing loss requires both awareness and technique adjustments to stay in tune. To explore how hearing aids fit into music and everyday life, visit our Living with Hearing Aids guide.
Related Questions
Do musicians suffer from hearing loss? Yes, due to prolonged noise exposure, but the extent varies.
Can you sing if you are deaf? Pre-lingually deaf individuals usually cannot match pitch, but post-lingual deaf individuals can still vocalize—though not always in tune.
Can a deaf person with cochlear implants sing? Studies show poorer pitch accuracy than in normal-hearing peers, but rhythm perception is often unaffected. Read the study.