Soundboards

[Horace Greeley]

Michael,

The problem is in the assumption.

The hammer cannot "give the same energy", because there is too much else
that is
different.  The boards will have not only different impedence, but probably
also coefficients
of impedence.  The strings will be of (somewhat) different dimensions and
tension.  The hammer itself
will be different. Et cetera ad nauseum.

All of these things effect not only the amount of potential energy, but,
more on your point, they
effect the rate and quality of conversion of the potential energy to
kinetic energy.

This was part of the genius of the S&S model S at its introduction - how
did so much sound and
sustain come from so small a box?

Big question.

Best.

Horace


At 01:50 PM 6/4/97 -0400, you 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				
>
>
>
>
Horace Greeley

Stanford University
email: hgreeley@leland.stanford.edu
voice mail: 415.725.9062
LiNCS help line: 415.725.4627