Book excerpt: All the steps involved in planning, executing, interpreting and applying the results from a modal test are described in straightforward terms. This edition has brought the previous book up to date by including all the new and improved techniques that have emerged during the 15 years since the first edition was written, especially those of signal processing and modal analysis. New topics are introduced, notable amongst them are the application of modal testing to rotating machinery and the use of scanning laser vibrometer.