Soundboard (music): Difference between revisions

The sounding board or soundboard is the part of a string instrument that transmits the vibrations of the strings to the air, increasing the volume greatly as compared to that of the string alone. This is because the soundboard has a much greater surface area than the string, and can move a much greater volume of air, therefore producing more sound. Sounding boards are traditionally made of wood, though other materials can be used, for instance skin or plastic on instruments in the banjo family. Wood sounding board typically has sound holes in it with different shapes depending on the instrument; round in guitars, f-holes in violin family instruments, rosettes in lutes, and so on.

The sounding boards of some instruments have unique names, such as plate, or belly (the latter in a violin).

On the piano, the sounding board is a large horizontal plate at the bottom of the case in the case of a grand piano; on upright pianos, the soundboard is vertical and is at the back of the instrument. The harp has a soundboard below the strings.

More generally, any hard surface can act as a sounding board, for example when a tuning fork is struck and placed against a table top to amplify its sound.

Other meanings

• Sounding board is also a term used to describe a person whose opinion or reaction to some matter is sought.