ABSTRACT
A fundamental goal of an introductory architectural structures class is to spark engagement in students who may find the technical study of structures less appealing than the visual aspects of the design studio—in other words the perception that structure is simply a necessary evil that would best be avoided and left to the engineer. In addition to observing structural actions in such commonplace items as kitchen or household tools, it is shown that familiar objects such as musical instruments have a very important physical structure, in this case designed to maximize sound quality and playability. This paper presents a perspective of musical instruments (the guitar in specific) as physical structures that can be examined in a classroom setting. Looking at structural principles common to instruments as physical objects (and including a basic study of the sonic structures in music), can be a beneficial sub-focus topic augmenting the elementary study of building structural systems.
