Soundboards

[Travis Gordy]

Because the strings are longer, everything else being of similar
quality. Does not the top octave in a well designed small piano sound as
good as the top octave in a well designed concert instrument?

Travis Gordy


Michael Wathen wrote:
> 
> Here is a question that has bothered me for a long time.  I have no answer
> but I am interested in what anyone might have to say about it.
> 
> It is generally believed that the bigger the piano the bigger and better the
> sound. Similarly, the larger the soundboard surface the more capability for
> better and bigger sound.
> 
> To my way of reasoning that can't be so.  Assume that a piano hammer can
> give the same amount to energy to a string whether the piano is a petite
> grand or a Imperial.
> We all are clear now that the soundboard is not an amplifier.  That means we
> have the same amount of potential energy in both size grands.  It would seem
> that the piano with the bigger sound would use up all this potential energy
> much quicker than the piano with the little sound.  This would mean that the
> smaller piano would have much better sustain and the larger piano would
> decay too quickly.  So why should a concert grand sound better?
> 
> ****************************************************************************
> 
> Michael J. Wathen                       Phone:  513-556-9565
> Piano Technician                        Fax:    513-556-3399
> College-Consevatory of Music            Email:  Michael.Wathen@UC.Edu
> University of Cincinnati
> Cincinnati, OH 45221-0096
> 
> http://www.uc.edu/~wathenmj