| 3s | |
| 4s | The lowest part of a harmony in a musical composition. |
| 7s | For centuries, we’ve all shared a similar response to low frequency sound, regardless |
| 12s | of our particular preference in music. |
| 14s | Across cultures and genres, what is it about bass that sends chills to our soul and gives |
| 20s | |
| 26s | We as humans are deeply rooted to rhythm before we are even born. |
| 30s | According to cognitive scientist, Karin Stromswold of Rutgers University, once the hearing part |
| 35s | of the brain starts to function, |
| 37s | a fetus hears mostly low frequency sounds, like its mother’s heartbeat and the rhythm |
| 41s | |
| 42s | Higher frequency tones that come from outside the mother’s body are drowned out. |
| 46s | Scientists think that these low frequency sounds may be a crucial factor in a baby’s |
| 50s | early language acquisition. |
| 52s | After birth, this connection to rhythm continues and is apparent everywhere. |
| 57s | Bass in music has a unique impact on the human body, it can even cause changes in our adrenaline |
| 62s | |
| 64s | When listening to music, our brains track the rhythm through a process called neural |
| 68s | |
| 69s | Upper and lower bass notes range from about 32 to 512 Hz, and these low frequency sounds |
| 75s | direct our interpretation of the beat. |
| 77s | And if you are wondering why the beat is so important to a song, ask yourself why are |
| 82s | bones so important to the body. |
| 84s | |
| 86s | The bassline is the foundation that the melody hangs upon. |
| 90s | Last year, Canada's McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind conducted a study to test |
| 95s | the human brain’s response to high and low frequency tones in music. |
| 99s | High and low pitched piano notes were played simultaneously for 35 participants. |
| 104s | Occasionally, one of the two notes was played 50 milliseconds off beat. |
| 109s | When participants detected these breaks in the rhythm, it triggered spikes in their brain |
| 113s | response, otherwise known as mismatch negativity. |
| 117s | These spikes happened much more often with changes in the low notes. |
| 120s | The study found that the human brain is a lot more sensitive to timing deviations in |
| 125s | |
| 126s | which is why we’re more accepting of fluctuations within a song’s melody, and more easily |
| 131s | confused by fluctuations within a song’s bassline. |
| 135s | The director of this institute, neuroscientist, Dr. Laurel Trainor concludes that, |
| 140s | "Virtually all people will respond more to the beat when it is carried by lower-pitched |
| 144s | |
| 146s | Although these studies are fairly new, musical composers have played off of people’s organic |
| 151s | response to bass since the stone age. |
| 154s | So next time the beat drops, consider the fact that you are reacting to a connection |
| 158s | with sound that you’ve had before you were born. |
| 160s | It’s something that connects us all, and it’s all about the bass. |
