Protecting the ears of musicians

Starting last week, EU guidelines against noise pollution in the workplace now apply to orchestral musicians. The limit of 87 decibels has been set. Harald Eggebrecht overcomes his initial resistance to this threshold when applied to classical music. Because beyond that level, noise can cause irreparable damage, and when playing Wagner or Strauss levels of 110 decibels and more are easily reached. Plus: "Many think that their greatest exposure to noise comes from their colleagues' instruments. But actually, the biggest impact comes from their own. Violinists, for example, are asymmetrically affected in the left ear, due to the fact that the instrument rests on the left arm. Brass players, who are also at risk of a torn diaphragm, take the full blast of their own instruments, whose sound they nevertheless love. Even the supposedly gentle flute makes a surprising loud 'din', with its 118 decibels in fortissimo equalling the level of a jackhammer. Now, picture the flautist sitting directly in front of the trumpets, who themselves are in front of the timpanists with their thunderous potential, and you can picture the massive wall of sound hitting the ears of flautists and other woodwinds."

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