The Scientifically Proven Importance Of Bass In Musical Performances

Music consists of a number of sounds harmoniously synchronized to produce a melody. One of the often underemphasized sounds in music is bass. Even though it is not played on its own, a bass instrument is fundamental to any musical performance. Try listening to music without bass and one with it and you’ll notice the difference. For more clarity, if you have a sound system, you will notice that the music is complete when the bass is enhanced and sounds hollow without it. Why is this so? Research has been carried out to find out what role bass plays in music and how it should be appreciated. The following insights from Josh Jones give a clear understanding of what bass is all about: The Human Perception of Sound Studies show that there is a range of frequencies within which human beings discern sounds. Below this range, we are not able to clearly distinguish the sounds produced. The only way we are able to discern them is through our other senses – not by hearing. Another interesting fact about low pitched sounds is that even deaf people can discern them. This is because they aren’t perceived through the ears. At the lower range of hearing, it’s said humans can hear sound down to about 20 Hz, beneath which we encounter a murky sonic realm called “infrasound,” the world of elephant and mole hearing. But while we may not hear those lowest frequencies, we feel them in our bodies, as we do many sounds in the lower frequency ranges—those that tend to disappear when pumped through tinny earbuds or shopping mall speakers. Via Open Culture An Overview Of Bass Sounds Interestingly, even though bass is not usually given much attention (probably because whether you give it attention or not, it is critical for your music), it is universally considered vital in any musical composition. It is true that it doesn’t feature as much as other instruments like the guitar or piano in the melody of a given song, but its sounds give the music its bedrock. The sounds of a drum are low frequency and together with the bass instruments, are used sparingly in most songs, with reason. Studies show that the human brain detects low frequency sounds faster compared with high-frequency sounds. Here’s how: Trainor and her colleagues have recently published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggesting that perceptions of time are much more acute at lower registers, while our ability to distinguish changes in pitch gets much better in the upper ranges, which is why, writes Nature, “saxophonists and lead guitarists often have solos at a squealing register,” and why bassists tend to play fewer notes. Via Open Culture Why Bass Is Essential From the findings mentioned in the excerpt above, it’s clear that without the bass components of a song, it is likely that it will not follow a time structure. Can you imagine a song being performed out of time? The rhythms will […]

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