Musical Instruments and Wood

[Photo] Musical Instruments and Wood
[Photo] Wood used in musical instruments

Wood used in musical instruments

Many different types of wood are used in musical instruments. Here we introduce some of the characteristics of commonly used varieties.

[Photo] Main areas for producing musical instrument wood
Main areas for producing musical instrument wood
Selecting wood for good sound

Selecting wood for good sound

Like human beings, wood has its own idiosyncrasies—even the same kind of wood can be different depending on what part of the tree it is from, or where it was grown. Creating good sound begins with careful selection of materials.

[Photo] Woodwind Instruments are chosen for their appearance
Woodwind Instruments are chosen for their appearance
[Photo] Different varieties of maple used in musical instruments
Different varieties of maple used in musical instruments
[Photo] This is all Honduras rosewood
This is all Honduras rosewood
[Photo] Soundboards are chosen for their grain
Soundboards are chosen for their grain
[Photo] Crafting instruments from wood

Crafting instruments from wood

The shape of a musical instrument is the shape of its sound. A range of processes are used to transform wood into an instrument with a beautiful sound.

[Photo] Piano wood scraps
Piano wood scraps
[Photo] Embracing the material
Embracing the material
[Photo] Musical instrument wood for acoustic guitars
Musical instrument wood for acoustic guitars
[Photo] The length of the board is the pitch of the note.
The length of the board is the pitch of the note.
To avoid depleting trees
Yamaha's basic research
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