The different shapes of the brace are shown to affect different modeshapes by various degrees. It is shown that any brace affects modeshapes for which the brace does not run along a nodal line. For clarity, the modeshapes are analysed in 2D at different locations and along both the x and y directions of the plate. The results are plotted together for three cases: the plate by itself, the plate with a rectangular brace and the plate with a scalloped brace. A simple analytical model composed of a plate and brace is analyzed in order to see these effects. This paper demonstrates how the shape of the braces affects the modeshapes of the vibrating system. However, a higher adjustment resolution is required in order to specify the frequency spectrum of the musical instrument. These bracing patterns stimulate the modeshapes that are specific to the soundboard of the instrument. Various bracing patterns have successfully been used to create different-sounding wooden stringed musical instruments. Reasons for these methods are scientifically not well understood. University of Ottawa, Department of Mechanical Engineeringġ61 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N - Shaping the soundboard braces on a wooden stringed musical instrument has long been a way in which instrument makers optimize their musical instruments. Linked References Effects of a Scalloped and Rectangular Brace on the Modeshapes of a Brace-Plate System