Complete Encyclopaedia of Music/B/Belly of an instrument

Belly of an instrument. The belly, in a harpsichord, or piano-forte, is that smooth, thin boarding, over which the strings are distended, and which, by its vibration, greatly contributes to the tone. In a double bass, violoncello, tenor violin, and all instruments performed with the bow, as also in the guitar, it is that part of the body which lies immediately under the strings.