How bass can affect people’s views of music
Why bass is an important part of music and how it makes people feel
November 2, 2021
If you grew up with a music-obsessed dad like me, you would know the importance of a great sound system in your vehicle and quality speakers at home, no matter how big and bulky they may be.
Although acoustics and sound quality are crucial, what is arguably most important is the bass and how it allows you to feel the music.
The purpose of music is to make you feel something within your soul, but it can also physically make you feel something.
Something about bass and the physical beats it provides has the ability to hype the listener up, but the vibrations can also be soothing.
This soothing factor is inherent because it is reminiscent of how babies love vibrating swings that also play music.
According to Audioholics, an online A/V magazine, “Strong bass is crucial in achieving a full sound. The listening experience has a hollowness without the weight and foundation of palpable low frequencies, since strong bass is often described as being felt as much as it is heard.”
When subwoofers are added to a vehicle or a sound system, it isn’t because the installer wants a better hearing experience, because often, you hear less of the music. Rather, it is more about the experience of the listeners within the vehicle, and the pride they feel in allowing everyone on the street in on what they’re feeling.
Bass can also shake the floorboards of a club or a house party when placed right, allowing the entire party to be riding on the same vibrations.
Touch is also related to hearing, according to Audioholics.
“When one considers that tactile sensation stimulates portions of the auditory cortex in addition to the somatosensory cortex, it isn’t surprising how closely touching is related to hearing.
“In fact, this processing goes much further in deaf people who process touch vibrations in areas of the brain normally used for hearing by a phenomenon known as cross modal plasticity.”
It’s no surprise that people love listening music at loud volumes with a high bass, to feel the song to the full capacity: lyrically, musically and physically.
ALI SMITH
