Andrew wrote

>If you consider a harpsichord, the actual sounding area of the soundboard
>is really only a long strip running on each side of the bridges, not the
>whole wing shaped visible area. Harpsichords in effect have a much smaller
>active working area than it appears. 

Actually it is the whole of the soundboard which vibrates including the dead area around the rose. See John Rawsons research on Chladni patterns in a Galpin journal somewhere in the 80,s. After all the bass end of the bridge doesn't have much soundboard to to be effective so it has to use most of the soundboard as well as the air inside the case. 

Richard

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Note:  opinions  expressed on HPSCHD-L are those of the  individual con-
tributors and not necessarily  those of the list owners  nor of the Uni-
versity of Iowa.  For a brief  summary of list  commands, send mail to
[log in to unmask]  saying  HELP .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::