How to Identify a Crack in the Soundboard of a Grand Piano

Using a Chickering grand piano, I briefly show how to identify a crack in the soundboard. We observe the crack from the top and from underneath. Soundboard cracks do not render the piano untunable or unplayable, though they may affect the sound quality of the instrument. If a rib separates from the soundboard because of the crack, it may cause buzzing. Cracks in the soundboard occur by fluctuations between an environment that is very humid (65%RH or higher) to an an environment that is very dry (30%RH or lower), the usual culprits that cause any wood to develop cracks and splits. Cracks are NOT caused by tuning the piano or movers dropping the piano.