Resonant Wood

a wood milled from hardwoods and conifers that intensifies but does not distort musical tone. The resonance of wood is characterized by the acoustic constant C, where E is the modulus of elasticity and ρ is the density of the material. Spruce and Nordmann fir have the best resonance, while nut pine, sycamore maple, and hornbeam are somewhat inferior in quality. Resonant woods are used chiefly in making the soundboards for keyboard instruments and stringed instruments that are plucked or bowed.