Wood for sound

TLDR

Wood’s unique mechanical and acoustic properties, combined with its aesthetic appeal, make it the preferred material for musical instruments and concert hall interiors, and a wide variety of species have been selected over generations for specific instrument applications. The study aims to analyze and explain the species selection rationale for key instrument components such as spruce soundboards, tropical xylophone bars, pernambuco bows, and hornbeam/birch piano actions. The authors use material property charts that plot acoustic parameters—speed of sound, characteristic impedance, sound radiation coefficient, and loss coefficient—against each other for various woods. The analysis shows that spruce is preferred for soundboards, tropical species for xylophone bars and woodwinds, pernambuco remains the bow material of choice for violinists, and hornbeam and birch are selected for piano actions.

Abstract

The unique mechanical and acoustical properties of wood and its aesthetic appeal still make it the material of choice for musical instruments and the interior of concert halls. Worldwide, several hundred wood species are available for making wind, string, or percussion instruments. Over generations, first by trial and error and more recently by scientific approach, the most appropriate species were found for each instrument and application. Using material property charts on which acoustic properties such as the speed of sound, the characteristic impedance, the sound radiation coefficient, and the loss coefficient are plotted against one another for woods. We analyze and explain why spruce is the preferred choice for soundboards, why tropical species are favored for xylophone bars and woodwind instruments, why violinists still prefer pernambuco over other species as a bow material, and why hornbeam and birch are used in piano actions.