h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don't hear it.
Why is that?

The positioning of the sond hole allows the sound to come out of the front. Therefore it's harder for the performer to hear than the audience.

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Since the wooden body of any guitar vibrates the action of the vibrating strings is transmitted to the wooden top of the guitar via the bridge.
The sound hole acts as a breather hole and if there was no sound hole the top wooden body of the guitar would be muted.

Note the 'F' breather holes holes in a violin and the viola and the bouble bass, the holes are long and narrow thus making the tone of the instrument more rich.

The holes are not randomly cut but have been sized to suit the instrument.

Stradivarious was a very clever and industrious man who long ago investigated every angle and indeed the wood before making his first Instument and indeed having built his first violin he kept on investigating how to improve it.

Some people have even tried to improve the sound of violins by glun in a wooden sound post inside the violin but one has to know where to place them to achieve the best results.

For a bit of fun the guitar and indeed any strumming/picking instrument can be enhanced by cutting a two by four inch strip of grease proof paper and threading it under and over each of the six strings tight up to the bridge .

Now when one plays a tango or fox trot rythum one gets a kettle drum affect added. Cheers T

By the way anyone interested in how to make your own electric Hawaiian guitar drop me a line. :0)