Journal of Vibration and Sound

Journal of Vibration and Sound

Morphological Development and Acoustic Analysis of Sound Hole Designs Across Oud Instrument

Document Type : research article

Authors
Mohammad Mahdi Karbasbaf 1
Ghazaleh Ezaan 2
1 Alumnus of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Qazvin Islamic Azad University, Iran
2 Faculty of Social Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Iran
Abstract
This investigation employs both historical morphological analysis and controlled acoustic experimentation to evaluate the influence of sound hole configurations on the resonance characteristics of short-necked lute instruments. Through systematic comparison of single-aperture versus triple-aperture designs across geographically diverse instrument traditions, we demonstrate significant quantitative differences in acoustic output parameters. Experimental measurements reveal that the triple-hole configuration (Mode 3) produces 55.35% higher RMS amplitude values compared to the fully enclosed configuration (Mode 1), and approximately 25% higher compared to the single-hole configuration (Mode 2).

These findings indicate substantial improvements in sustained resonance, perceived loudness, and overall acoustic energy output in multi-aperture designs. The morphological survey traces sound hole evolution across Middle Eastern, European, and East Asian lute traditions, revealing consistent trends toward increased aperture complexity in performance-oriented instruments. Our results provide empirical validation for historical design preferences while offering quantitative metrics for contemporary instrument optimization. The enhanced amplitude characteristics and extended resonance of triple-hole configurations demonstrate clear advantages for applications requiring wide dynamic range and sustained tonal projection, with implications for both historical instrument reconstruction and modern acoustic design principles.
Keywords
Musical acoustics
resonance analysis
cultural organology
sound hole morphology
amplitude dynamics
Subjects
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