Does it feel like it's pulling or are you just hearing noise? You will (should) here a noise as the whiskers are cut but it should not pull or be uncomfortable in any way. If your just hearing the "noise" your probably ok.

As far as cutting your ear off, take your time. Straight Razor shaving has pretty large learning curve. It took me about a month to get it down to the basic level and I continue to learn at every shave. The concepts that have helped me the most are: keep your skin streched tight. take small, short stokes with light pressure and learn to strop properly. Take it slow and don't rush and use just the weight of the razor.

Don't get discouraged and you will get it.