Text: 21) The sound of the piano, violin, etc., is only in a small measure due to the actual vibration of the strings themselves. The latter communicate their own motion to the sound board of the piano, and to the front, back, and enclosed air of the violin. In the latter instrument communication is made to the surrounding air from that within it by means of the holes. If a string were merely stretched between two pegs firmly fixed in a stone wall and caused to vibrate, scarcely any sound would be heard at all, owing to the mass and rigidity of the wall, which would refuse to be thrown into vibration by so small an amount of energy as that which the string would possess. On the other hand, the sound board of a piano readily answers to the vibrations imposed on it when the string is struck, and having a large surface in contact with the air, every point of which originates a system of waves, it causes a full and powerful sound.

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