A
fascinating article in the scientific journal Current Biology details a new study by researchers at McMaster University (a public research university in
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada), which showed that the presence of
very-low-frequency sound increased dancing at a live concert. That might not
sound too surprising at first; dance music tends to have plenty of bass, and
bass instruments like kick drums and bass guitars often provide the musical
pulse that dictates how and when dancers move. But this study found that the
presence of extreme low-frequency bass — frequencies so low that they can’t be
heard by the human ear — increased
dancing. The researchers effectively turned a live electronic music concert
into a lab study by introducing these frequencies using specialized subwoofers,
and monitoring the crowd’s movements. The scientists found that people danced
11.8% more when the very-low-frequency bass was present. The study was part of
a broader research effort to understand how different aspects of music
influence the human body.
The
explanation as to how “undetectable” low frequencies influence dancing is
interesting. If you’ve ever experienced an infrasonic
subwoofer (or an earthquake), you know that low-frequency sound is processed
not only by auditory
pathways, but also by vibrotactile
and vestibular pathways. (Vibrotactile feedback
is “feeling” sounds, such as the physical sensation of having your whole
skeleton rattled by a Perlisten subwoofer. The vestibular system refers to
those parts of the body, starting with the inner ear, that help us maintain
postural balance and spatial orientation in response to changes in the
environment.) The study found that the stimulation of these “non-auditory modalities,”
in the context of a concert, increased what the researchers refer to as
“groove” — the pleasurable urge to move to music.
The
study’s head author, a neuroscientist
named Daniel Cameron,
conducts research at the McMaster LIVELab, a unique research theater that
connects science with live performance. The theater is equipped with a Meyer
sound system that can replicate various concert environments, and specialized
subwoofers that can reproduce frequencies well below 20Hz. The theater also has 3D motion
capture capability, which helps the
researchers study the movement of the concertgoers. For this study,
participants wore motion-sensing headbands during a performance by the electronic
musical duo Orphx.
Participants provided additional information before and after the event via
surveys that helped to ensure that the low-frequency sound was indeed
undetectable. Participants were also asked to rate how much they enjoyed the
concert, and how the music felt physically.
I’m
trained as a drummer, and most of my research career has been focused on the
rhythmic aspects of music and how they make us move. Music is a biological
curiosity – it doesn’t reproduce us; it doesn’t feed us; and it doesn’t shelter
us, so why do humans like it and why do they like to move to it? The musicians
were enthusiastic to participate because of their interest in this idea that
bass can change how the music is experienced in a way that impacts movement.
The study had high ecological validity, as this was a real musical and dance
experience for people at a real live show. Very low frequencies may also affect
vestibular sensitivity, adding to people’s experience of movement. Nailing down
the brain mechanisms involved will require looking at the effects of low
frequencies on the vestibular, tactile, and auditory pathways.
—
Daniel Cameron, neuroscientist at McMaster
University
Cameron
and his team turned the extreme LF bass on and off every two minutes throughout
the 45-minute concert, which
helped control for the fact that certain sections of the performance might
naturally promote more dancing than others. The 11.8% increase in dancing when
the LF bass was on supports the notion that the bodily sensations of vibration,
along with the interactions between the inner ear and the brain, have a close
link to the human motor system. These complex physical processes are probably involved in the
connection between music and movement at its most basic level, the researchers
speculate.
Eppie posts on March 17, 2023 09:52
Leave it to us Canadians to study shaking butts.
isolar8001 posts on March 17, 2023 09:42
Must be why Gene is in pretty decent shape !
TLS Guy posts on March 17, 2023 09:33
gene, post: 1594599, member: 4348
This AV Quick Takes series offers a brief look at whats new, cool, and/or interesting in the AV world.
Today we look at a scientific study analyzing the relationship between very-low-frequency sound and dancing at a live concert. Research has shown that people danced 11.8% more when the very-low-frequency bass was present. Read on to learn more.60925
Read: Bass Makes the Booty Shake
Again Flanders and Swan nailed in in the fifties pre stereo in their “Song of Reproduction.” There is a reference to woofers and “Flutter on your Bottom!
gene posts on March 17, 2023 01:36
Today we look at a scientific study analyzing the relationship between very-low-frequency sound and dancing at a live concert. Research has shown that people danced 11.8% more when the very-low-frequency bass was present. Read on to learn more.
60925
Read: Bass Makes the Booty Shake
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