Musical instrument wood

Types of Musical Instrument Wood

The ideal wood for musical instruments should be dense, hard, and preferably variegated with very fine, straight grains, as well as be responsive to musical vibrations, producing a lovely tone. Below is a list of some of the common woods used in making musical instruments.

Rosewood

Rosewood is prized for its rich, resonant tone and attractive dark variegated grain. It is denser than most hardwoods and oily to the touch. Hardlands, which take decades to grow, supply rosewood. The wood is used to make the fingerboards, bridges, backs, and sides of guitars, pianos, and violins. Rosewood is good for making percussive items due to its dense and oily nature. However, its availability is becoming harder due to the regulations imposed on CITES.

Spruce

Dense and fine-grained, spruce wood is known for its strength-to-weight ratio. Spruce has a straight grain and a light color. It is also available in many varieties, including Sitka, Engelmann, and Adirondack. It is commonly used for the soundboards of string instruments like guitars, violins, and cellos. The tree grows abundantly in Europe and North America. Its excellent acoustic properties give instruments a bright and powerful tone that is ideal for musical output.

Maple

Maple is a hard, dense wood with a tight, even grain. It always has a light color, although some have darker streaks. Broad-leafed wood that can be found in North America and Europe gives good projection and brightness to the tone, which is why it is used for violin backs, sides, and even for flooring. Curly and quilted maple are often used in premium guitars due to their stunning visuals as well as excellent acoustic properties.

Cedar

Cedar has a rich, warm tone and is softer than spruce. It has a reddish-brown color and a fine, even grain. Red cedar grows abundantly in the Americas. Its soft yet resonant quality is especially valued in classical guitars and acoustic-bass soundboards. It also gives great depth and warmth to the sound of any instrument.

Properties of Musical Instrument Wood

Musical instrument wood must possess some of the following properties and hence be considered suitable for use.

• Internal damping: Instrument wood should ideally possess high internal damping properties that help dissipate vibrations, as this affects the tone. Such wood gives warm, less overtones, thus preferable for quiet, softer music.
• Density: Dense wood will be hard and heavy, and such instruments will have lower resonance. However, some dense instrument woods, like rosewood, are oily and dense and massively embedded into the instrument, producing massive sounds.
• Stability: High moisture content causes musical instrument wood to warp and lose its tonal qualities. Wood types that are stable under changing environmental conditions eliminate the effects of humidity. This property is commonly known as stability. A reliable sound will ensure better performance and retention.
• Workability: The suitability of musical instrument wood also depends on how easily the wood can be cut, shaped, and polished without compromising mechanical strength and acoustic properties. This directly refers to when the craftsmen use various woodworking methods applicable to the specific wood types to make the different musical instruments.
• Sound propagation: This refers to the ability of musical instrument wood to carry sound waves across it. Wood types with tight and straight grains will have high sound propagation. Such types also have good clarity and resonance.

Durability of Musical Instrument Wood

Musical instrument wood has high durability. The type of wood chosen for a musical instrument will affect how well it will perform regarding sound quality and how long the instrument will last with good maintenance.

• Wear resistance: This resistance is crucial to the durability of some wooden musical instruments, like guitars. Some wooden instruments go through vigorous play and handling; thus, hard-wearing woods like rose and mahogany will last longer.
• Resistance to climatic changes: Musical instrument wood has great resistance to changes in humidity and temperature, causing it to swell and crack. This is especially important for instruments kept in non-climate-controlled environments.
• Proper seasoning: Before using wood in making instruments, it is properly cured or seasoned in a way that its moisture content is reduced to ensure stability. Correct seasoning goes a long way in ensuring durability as the wood will not warp or crack easily during use.

Commercial value of Musical Instrument Wood

The species, quality, and availability of the musical instrument wood will determine its commercial value. Brazilian rosewood and ebony are among the most valuable due to their rarity and acoustic properties. They are often used in making high-end instruments. Sitka spruce is widely used in the industry, and its demand keeps driving its value. Commonly used woods like maple and mahogany have lower values because they are more accessible. While local regulations govern some of the woods used in the musical instrument industry, they still feature heavily in illegal trade, associated with high prices, which further increases their value. Their acoustic properties enhance the instrument's sound quality, increasing demand and their commercial value. New uses for musical instrument wood are constantly being sought after, increasing their market value and pushing them into different industries like automotive and aerospace.

Uses of Musical Instrument Wood

Musical instrument wood makes various musical instruments ranging from violins, pianos, and guitars to drums and even some brass instruments. The type of wood used will affect the sound, resonance, and tonal quality of the instrument.

• Body and soundboard: Acoustic guitars and violins use spruce and cedar for their soundboards, which enable clear sound propagation. The body of acoustic guitars and piano cases use mahogany and maple to provide balance and richness to sound.
• Hardware: Maple is tough and dense, making it ideal for a wood used in making drum shells and clarinet mouthpieces that can withstand any form of mechanical stress.
• Percussion instruments: Rosewood and birch have a greater density, which is used in making musical instrument wooden percussion instruments like xylophones, cymbals, and tambourine for a sharper and more powerful sound.
• Wind instruments: Dense and fine-grained woods like ebony, grenadilla, and rosewood are used to make clarinet and oboe bodies. They impart deep, warm tones that have good sounds.
• Furniture cases: Stronger woods like oak and mahogany are ideal to use in making violin cases, viola cases, and piano cabinets and thus protect the instruments and enhance their aesthetics.
• String instrument fittings: Less commonly, ivory and various hardwoods are still used in making premium violin and cello pegs, bridges, and endpins due to their hardness and density, which help transfer vibrations efficiently and increase the quality of the musical notes.

Q&A

Q1. What makes wood suitable for making drums?

A1. Various woods used for making drums possess high density and hardness. They also have tight, even grains, ideal for producing clear and powerful sounds.

Q2. How does the type of wood used in a guitar affect the sound?

A2. The type of wood used in a guitar will determine the brightness, warmth, and sustain of the sound. The soundboard will significantly contribute to the tonal quality.

Q3. What kind of wood is used to make a xylophone?

A3. Xylophone wooden bars are commonly made of rosewood, padauk, or grenadilla due to their density, hardness, and excellent sound-propagating qualities.

Q4. How to enhance the durability of wooden instruments?

A4. One can enhance the durability of wooden instruments by regulating the climate, proper storage, and using protective cases when not in use to minimize contact with external elements.

Q5. Which wood is preferred for making premium musical instruments?

A5. Hornbeam wood is prized for its density, hardness, and fine grain, making it ideal for musical instruments requiring hard-wearing and durable material.