Psychology of Bass
- Thread starter joyous
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your question is perhaps a bit tootoo Ambiguous.. bass covers approximately upto 500 Hz (lower , middle and upper) and without it music would be Unlistenable.
If you meant lower bass, it provides the foundation of rhythm and personally would prefer a rolled of treble over rolled of bass.
unfortunately people try to substitute the quality of Bass By Quantity ie by pumping it up with EQ which is nothing but Gross distortion
. thats because reproducing quality Bass is very very difficult and expensive
If you meant lower bass, it provides the foundation of rhythm and personally would prefer a rolled of treble over rolled of bass.
unfortunately people try to substitute the quality of Bass By Quantity ie by pumping it up with EQ which is nothing but Gross distortion
. thats because reproducing quality Bass is very very difficult and expensive
Last edited:
avidyarthy
Well-Known Member
Do we 'feel' bass in a live concert?
It never dawned on me to notice this ever, maybe, now I would, if ever I get an opportunity. So, just putting this question here ....
It never dawned on me to notice this ever, maybe, now I would, if ever I get an opportunity. So, just putting this question here ....
Could it be that the drums were the first musical instrument and we got used to it, which evolved in to us liking them. ???
You mean to say you never felt these "big" acoustic drums?
Well they are not really low bass I am talking about, but you can still feel them.
Audio_Freek
Well-Known Member
The "Bass" is a magical word, I presume that the worlds first or Old instrument is Drums(Instrument created with Leather struck with some stick to create sound with low frequency),So normally we have some attraction towards the Bass build.
If you notice even 2-3 year kids would start to dance for the drums or bass,this shows we humans are very attached to this low frequency by birth.
I understand that only Boys\men would love bass, as Bass was the music for joy for us from the stage we were barbarians.
"Bass come from Drums normally" and if you agree the drums was played in ancient days during the celebration.
Before take 1900 A.D (where the recording and reproducing instruments are not invented) The easy affordable and available instrument should be Drums, played which is played majorly for joy.
Bass is the sound which represent the Joy,Happiness ,breaking through and mind blowing for partying.
If you notice even 2-3 year kids would start to dance for the drums or bass,this shows we humans are very attached to this low frequency by birth.
I understand that only Boys\men would love bass, as Bass was the music for joy for us from the stage we were barbarians.
"Bass come from Drums normally" and if you agree the drums was played in ancient days during the celebration.
Before take 1900 A.D (where the recording and reproducing instruments are not invented) The easy affordable and available instrument should be Drums, played which is played majorly for joy.
Bass is the sound which represent the Joy,Happiness ,breaking through and mind blowing for partying.
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
I think the word might be primeval ...but why you should leave out the ladies, I have no idea at all!
ranjeetrain
New Member
Because it is natural!
Bass (technically the lower octaves) contains all the rhythmic sounds. Rhythm sets the tone of the whole music. If you have ever attended music practice sessions, you will know that - it is the drummer who sets the tone for the whole band. If the drummer slows down the rest of the band slows down. If the drummers speeds up, the rest of the band speeds up. I know this first hand because we had a spoilt brat in our school music group who would dictate his terms and make the rest of the group work according to his pace, deliberately, annoying the hell out of us. In a practice session, or in a concert, the drummer must give the initial feed to he rest of the band to sync. The band can't sync without it.
In a passage of music, while your brain might be more interested in string sounds (strings being plucked, hands moving on the neck on the Guitar/Sitar), while your heart might be ready to sink in the depth of emotional sea created by the Violin/Cello, it is the drums (Kongo/Bongo/Dhol/Tabla/Mridangum/Pakhawaj/Western/Electronic) that sets the pace of the music. Your brain syncs to the beats. Our brain can't sync to a musical piece unless there are beats in them. Try listening to a piece only having Piano/Violin/Cello/Accordion. They sound so incomplete. Drum sounds complete the musical experience.
That, plus the fact that - only bass frequencies can be felt - makes bass an extremely important part of the whole music experience. No wonder people want more of it.
Bass (technically the lower octaves) contains all the rhythmic sounds. Rhythm sets the tone of the whole music. If you have ever attended music practice sessions, you will know that - it is the drummer who sets the tone for the whole band. If the drummer slows down the rest of the band slows down. If the drummers speeds up, the rest of the band speeds up. I know this first hand because we had a spoilt brat in our school music group who would dictate his terms and make the rest of the group work according to his pace, deliberately, annoying the hell out of us. In a practice session, or in a concert, the drummer must give the initial feed to he rest of the band to sync. The band can't sync without it.
In a passage of music, while your brain might be more interested in string sounds (strings being plucked, hands moving on the neck on the Guitar/Sitar), while your heart might be ready to sink in the depth of emotional sea created by the Violin/Cello, it is the drums (Kongo/Bongo/Dhol/Tabla/Mridangum/Pakhawaj/Western/Electronic) that sets the pace of the music. Your brain syncs to the beats. Our brain can't sync to a musical piece unless there are beats in them. Try listening to a piece only having Piano/Violin/Cello/Accordion. They sound so incomplete. Drum sounds complete the musical experience.
That, plus the fact that - only bass frequencies can be felt - makes bass an extremely important part of the whole music experience. No wonder people want more of it.
heliumflight
Well-Known Member
I agree with what Ranjeet train has to say. In hindi it is called "Taal" and all the accompanying instruments follow the pace of the drums.
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Yes, Yes, indeed yes! 
It's this bit I was querying...
Girls/women have a different kind of music?
It's this bit I was querying...Girls/women have a different kind of music?
I guess bass rejuvenates or tickles some part of brain which sleeps otherwise. As the bass go deeper, punchier and tighter, the typical circuitry of the brain get more and more active and the 'feel good' chemicals get produced more...
Audio_Freek
Well-Known Member
Thad,
Ladies i think more towards string and Pipe base music not more into Bass.
Am not married,so unable to comment on wife section. but my mother likes ,listens more Melody soft music and try to be away from Hard Bass.I have noticed the same from some Girls too.
When i turn the volume to feel the Bass the will say " Oh god am feeling Head ace"/ Are you mad/Are you Deff/Dont make the neighbors to complaint on you about Volume" /My heart is pumping too much Blood" bla bla
So out of my experience i mentioned that statement
,I believe we have freedom to share the thought out of experienceSo what was your experience in Women+Bass combo? Does it sound too bright or warm or neutral
?Audio_Freek
Well-Known Member
Yes, Yes, indeed yes!
Girls/women have a different kind of music?
Girls/Women,
Mostly love or like music on soft nature and and at low volume.In my previous post i have experienced the same. And out of 100% 100% girls\woman avoids the high bass and prefer vocals-- noticed in m experience
Someone in the Forum please share if you have different experience in Woman+Bass combo.
:clapping:
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
I think it is individual. If what you say is the case, then I am with the ladies on this one!
Everyone responds to rhythm. Do the ladies in those African villages sit down when the drums get going? I don't think they do!
There are cultural aspects which may be imposed and then become accepted, or even "traditional." On the carnatic stage, gender is completely irrelevant on the violin side, but how many ladies does one see on the mridangam side? How man ladies even in the mridangam classroom? There will be some, and they will be there to sharpen their laya skills as dancers, or even vocalists, rather than with any intention of attempting to perform. They might even meet with the same resistance as the left-handers of a couple of generations ago did.
Everyone responds to rhythm. Do the ladies in those African villages sit down when the drums get going? I don't think they do!
There are cultural aspects which may be imposed and then become accepted, or even "traditional." On the carnatic stage, gender is completely irrelevant on the violin side, but how many ladies does one see on the mridangam side? How man ladies even in the mridangam classroom? There will be some, and they will be there to sharpen their laya skills as dancers, or even vocalists, rather than with any intention of attempting to perform. They might even meet with the same resistance as the left-handers of a couple of generations ago did.
there is a big difference in Quality and Quantity of bass...
many of us pump up the bass as it gets the adrenaline flowing but is it being true to the instruments sound ? i presume not.
If you retain the sound to how it us supposed to sound i dont think there is a difference between being male and female as Thad above alluded to..only personal preferences.
eg I too get a headache with too much bass..but use 2 subs to get the right bass in my setup.
many of us pump up the bass as it gets the adrenaline flowing but is it being true to the instruments sound ? i presume not.
If you retain the sound to how it us supposed to sound i dont think there is a difference between being male and female as Thad above alluded to..only personal preferences.
eg I too get a headache with too much bass..but use 2 subs to get the right bass in my setup.
Audio_Freek
Well-Known Member
I haven't been too africa
,so unable to comment.But they would respond very less compared to men as per opinion If you ask which is first or primary source of Bass instrument ,then answer would be "Parai",I recon this is the first instrument invented by man(Any opposition or second thoughts then please clear my ignorance .
As the first instrument of man was a purely Bass, we got addicted to it.
Chanda melam is next to parai, i have felt more bass(low freq) in Tabla more than Mirdangam.
Basically mirdangam is ment for classic,so its properly designed not to trouble the raga and vocal, so we cannot expect mirdangam to sound in low freq.
ketansethi1987
Active Member
We can definitely feel the bass, as a matter of fact low frequency sound can be more felt than heard.
At live concerts we feel the bass indirectly but there are ways to feel it directly as well.
Check out the tactile transducer thread:
http://www.hifivision.com/av-enhanc...popularly-known-bass-shakers-buttkickers.html
Though these things are not available in India but they are awesome without them our audio experience is incomplete.
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