f-holes
Stringed instrument openings
F-holes are the curved, f-shaped sound holes cut into the top of stringed instruments like violins, cellos, and some guitars.
The openings allow air to move in and out of the body as the instrument resonates, affecting tone and projection.
Their distinctive shape has remained largely unchanged since the 17th century: The luthier carved elegant f-holes into the spruce top.
Bowed string instrument
- celloDeep-voiced bowed instrument
- violaMidrange bowed instrument
- bassDeep pitch or fish
- mandolinPlucked eight-string lute descendant
luthier · soundpost · purfling · bridge · tailpiece · pegbox · fingerboard · scroll
violin
Bowed string instrument
mandolin · luthier · soundpost · purfling · bridge · tailpiece · pegbox · fingerboard · scroll · varnish
shape
External outline of something
scroll · cutout · bilateral · proportion · alignment · silhouette · contour · placement · spacing · aesthetic
resonance
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- amplificationIncrease in intensity
- projectionSomething that extends outward
timbre · tone · harmonics · overtones · sustain · frequency · sonority · volume · loudness · reverberation
- violinviolin, bowing, violin bow, strings, fingerboard
- luthieryluthier, luthiers, violin making, violin maker, bow making
- sound holessound holes, rosette, rosettes
- string acousticsstring tension, string length, soundboard, resonance, harmonics
- violin makingluthier, violin, Stradivari, Cremona, arching
- stringsviolin, guitar, viola, cello, double bass