Photo courtesy of me.
The above picture of the violin is only one example of creating sound, which in this case creates a standing wave. Moving the string, whether with a bow or by plucking, will cause the string to propagate. Sound waves are then created, which go in every direction and will hit the human ear.
Sound as we know it is not detected until the sound wave hits the human ear. The sound travels through the auditory canal and causes the eardrum to vibrate, which causes the ossicles in the ear to move and eventually turn the vibrations into electric impulses, which can then be perceived by the brain.
As will be explained, the microphone works in a similar manner to the human ear.
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