Editing Sound box

{{Short description|Open chamber in the body of a musical instrument}}
[[File:Guitarist girl.jpg|thumb|Soundbox of a [[classical guitar]]]]
A '''sound box''' or '''sounding box''' (sometimes written '''soundbox''') is an open chamber in the body of a [[musical instrument]] which modifies the sound of the instrument, and helps transfer that sound to the surrounding air. Objects respond more strongly to vibrations at certain frequencies, known as [[resonance]]s. The frequency and strength of the resonances of the body of a musical instrument have a significant impact on the [[tone quality]] it produces. The air inside the chamber has its own resonances, and these interact with the resonances of the body, altering the resonances of the instrument as a whole. The sound box typically adds [[resonance]]s at lower frequencies, enhancing the lower-[[frequency response]] of the instrument.<ref>Rossing, Thomas D. [https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0387304460 ''Springer Handbook of Acoustics.''] Springer Publications, 2007, p. 582 "The use of a resonant air cavity to boost the low-frequency response has been a common feature of almost every stringed instrument from ancient times."</ref>

The distinctive sound of an instrument with a sound box owes a lot to the alteration made to the [[Timbre|tone]]. A sound box is found in most [[string instrument]]s.<ref>[http://www.trouvere.co.uk/String%20instruments.htm Medieval and Tudor string instruments]</ref> The most notable exceptions are some electrically amplified instruments like the [[solid body]] [[electric guitar]] or the [[electric violin]], and the [[piano]] which uses only a [[Sound board (music)|sound board]] instead. Drumhead lutes such as the [[banjo]] or ''[[erhu]]'' have at least one open end of the sound box covered with animal skin (or a skin-like acrylic material). Open back banjos are normally used for [[clawhammer]] and frailing, while those used for [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]] have the back covered with a resonator.

In some arrangements, [[loudspeaker]]s are also mounted on a sound box to enhance their output, particularly bass speakers. One notable example of this arrangement is called the [[bass reflex]] enclosure. However, in these cases the box resonance is carefully tuned so as to make the sound more equal across frequencies, rather than to impart a particular character to the reinforced sound.

* [[Acoustic guitar]]
* [[Basic physics of the violin]]
* [[Filter (signal processing)]]
* [[Frequency response]]
* [[Resonance chamber]]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:String instrument construction]]


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