Piano soundboards: Experimental and modeling studies
Nicholas J. Giordano · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2005
The piano has attracted the attention of many researchers, and most of that work has focused on piano hammers and string vibrations. The vibrational and radiative properties of the soundboard have drawn much less attention, but are essential for an understanding of the sound produced by the instrument. We review experimental studies of the soundboard’s vibrational modes and their radiative efficiency. We also describe modeling studies of soundboard vibrations and radiation, which aid in understanding the measurements. Prospects for future work and for applications to other instruments are suggested. [Work supported by NSF grant PHY-9988562.]