A notch can only remove sound that is there. The best songs are ones you love and that have plenty of sound around your tinnitus pitch. For most pitches, almost any well-recorded music works. Above about 6,000 Hz, favor bright, crisp recordings with cymbals, strings, acoustic guitar or brass. Avoid muffled, bass-heavy or very old recordings.
Why the song matters
Notched music works by leaving a quiet gap at your tinnitus pitch while everything around it stays active. If a song has very little sound near your pitch to begin with, cutting the notch changes almost nothing, and there's little activity at the edges of the gap to do the work.
That's why the original researchers chose each person's favorite music. They gave two reasons: music naturally covers a wide range of pitches, including most people's tinnitus frequency, and people actually enjoy listening to music they love, which keeps them coming back. Later work with high-pitched tinnitus showed why the first reason matters. In a 2011 study, notched music helped people whose tinnitus sat at or below 8,000 Hz but not those above it. Researchers explained that partly by how little musical sound there is above 8,000 Hz. Their largest trial went a step further and boosted the higher pitches of every song before notching it. Choosing naturally bright recordings gets you part of the way there.
Matching songs to your pitch
| Your pitch | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Below about 2,000 Hz | Nearly any music works: voices, piano, guitar and horns all carry plenty of sound here. |
| 2,000–6,000 Hz (the most common range) | Most well-recorded music works. Vocals, guitars, strings, piano and snare drums all fill this range. |
| 6,000–8,000 Hz | Pick bright, crisp tracks: cymbals and hi-hats, acoustic guitar, violins, brass, choirs and modern studio mixes with clear top end. |
| Above 8,000 Hz | Music thins out up here, and studies have not shown a benefit at these pitches. The brightest recordings you have give the best chance, and a notched rain or noise recording carries more sound in this range than most music. |
Songs that tend to work well
- Acoustic and folk with steel-string guitar, which rings with high overtones.
- Orchestral and chamber music with violins, flutes, brass and cymbals.
- Rock, pop, soul, gospel and jazz with live drums, especially lots of cymbal and hi-hat.
- Choirs and layered vocals, which carry crisp consonants and breathy overtones.
- Modern, well-produced recordings in any style, which usually keep a clear, open top end.
Songs that give the notch less to work with
- Mixes dominated by bass and low drums, where little is happening above the low end.
- Old, muffled or low-fidelity recordings: early records, home-taped copies, phone recordings of concerts.
- Solo low instruments, such as unaccompanied bass, tuba or a low organ drone.
- Very soft ambient tracks that sit mostly in the low and middle range.
None of these are forbidden. If a song keeps you listening, it earns its place. Just make sure most of your playlist has some brightness to it, especially if your pitch is high.
Use the best file you have
You need songs you own as files: music you've bought as downloads, ripped from your own CDs, or recorded yourself. Tracks that live only inside a streaming app are locked by that app and can't be notched. When you have a choice between copies of the same song, use the higher-quality one. Very low-quality files and old rips can lose some of their top end, which matters most if your pitch is high.
Enjoyment beats perfection
The research schedules ran to about two hours a day for months. You will only manage that with music you genuinely like. A slightly less ideal song that you'll happily hear a hundred times is worth more than a technically perfect one you skip. Aim for variety, too: about 30 songs makes a two-hour playlist, which keeps any single track from wearing thin.
A quick way to check a song
Before you save a song, Notch Music plays a short preview and lets you toggle the notch on and off to compare. On a song with plenty of sound near your pitch, you may hear a slight loss of brightness or sparkle. If your hearing is reduced around your tinnitus pitch, which is common, you may hear little difference on any song. That's normal, and it isn't a sign the notch isn't there.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of music is best for notched music therapy?
Music you love that has plenty of sound around your tinnitus pitch. For most people that is almost any well-recorded music. If your pitch is high, choose bright recordings with cymbals, strings, acoustic guitar or brass.
Does notched music work for high-pitched tinnitus?
Research has not shown a benefit for tinnitus pitched above about 8,000 Hz, partly because music carries little sound that high. If your pitch is up there, use the brightest recordings you have, consider notched rain or noise, and talk with an audiologist about other options.
Can I notch songs from Spotify or Apple Music?
No. Streaming apps lock their tracks, so they can't be opened or changed by other tools. Use songs you own as files, such as purchased downloads or tracks ripped from your own CDs.
Does the file format or quality matter?
Common formats such as MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC and OGG all work. When you have a choice, use the higher-quality copy, since very low-quality files can lose some of their top end.
Why can't I hear a difference in the notched version?
If your hearing is reduced around your tinnitus pitch, which is common, the missing band may be hard to notice on any song. It can also mean a particular song has little sound in that range. Try a brighter recording to compare.
Sources
- Okamoto H, Stracke H, Stoll W, Pantev C. Listening to tailor-made notched music reduces tinnitus loudness and tinnitus-related auditory cortex activity. PNAS 2010;107(3):1207–10. doi:10.1073/pnas.0911268107
- Teismann H, Okamoto H, Pantev C. Short and intense tailor-made notched music training against tinnitus: the tinnitus frequency matters. PLoS ONE 2011;6(9):e24685. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0024685
- Stein A, Wunderlich R, Lau P, et al. Clinical trial on tonal tinnitus with tailor-made notched music training. BMC Neurology 2016;16:38. doi:10.1186/s12883-016-0558-7