Classical musicians have a higher rate of hearing loss than rock musicians because of differences in how sound is projected and experienced at their performances. In an orchestra, instrumentalists are located near the center of the sound source and experience very high sound intensity directly. However, rock musicians are positioned behind speakers, so the intensity of sound reaching their ears is much lower as they only hear a fraction of what is projected from the speakers away from them. The setup of orchestras concentrates sound in all directions equally, subjecting performers to greater exposure than rock musicians who are shielded from the full intensity by equipment.

1. Vicki Borja 22 February 2015
PHYS 101, I2 (blue)
Why do classical musicians have a higher rate of hearing loss
than rock musicians?
On page 439 in the textbook, Making Connections comments on hearing safety and mentions
that classical musicians have a higher rate of hearing loss than rock musicians. Why is that?
Without knowledge of physics, one may assume that rockers have a higher rate of hearing loss
since rock concerts are very loud. We can use our newfound conceptual knowledge of intensity
to look at this question. Make an educated guess before reading on.
A typical orchestra set up (left) and a typical stadium concert set up (right).
A rock concert uses many large speakers to get its sound through the room, no matter if the
venue is large or small. For anyone who has been to a rock concert, he noise can feel (and may
possibly be…) deafening. An orchestra concert, on the other hand, has a different reputation.
Orchestra concerts are “calm” and “sophisticated”. But an orchestra concert is also very loud,
though we may not realize it. There are no large speakers, but the concert hall is set up as a half
circle so that the sound can travel isotropically. When sound travels isotropically, the intensity
diminishes as you are farther from the source but it diminishes equally in all directions.
An instrumentalist in an orchestra will generally find himself near the center of the source,
meaning the sound intensity is very high. A rocker, on the other hand, is actually positioned
behind the speakers, so the intensity of sound that reaches his ears is far lower. He is only going
to hear a fraction of the sound coming out of the speakers since they are pointed in the
opposite direction of him.
Note: A more interesting study may be on the hearing loss in a regular (weekly) attender of
rock concerts against a professional instrumentalist (who performs weekly).