Who is the king of the orchestra? The double bass, science says. A study published on the American magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and carried out through electroencephalography, revealed that human brain finds it easier to detect lower-pitched voices and encodes rhythm through them. This explains the widespread musical practice of bass-ranged instruments carrying rhythm and high-pitched voices carrying the main melody. So: double bass players – almost always playing from the second line of the orchestra – take their revenge on violinists and pianists always being in the first row. Indeed, it is basically thanks to them if a musical piece awakens a great desire of dancing or invites you to keep time with your foot!
During the experiment, researchers presented simultaneous high-pitched and low-pitched voices in an isochronous stream and occasionally presented either the higher or the lower tone 50 ms earlier than expected, while performing the other at the expected time. EEG recordings revealed that mismatch negativity responses were larger for timing deviants of the lower tones.
And exactly the double bass will be center stage again at Cremona Musica, the international Exhibition especially dedicated to high-quality musical instruments, where music in all its forms is promoted through a rich and varied events programme. The novelties of the historical 30th edition of Cremona Musica, taking place from September 29th to October 1st, 2017 in the city of Stradivari and Monteverdi, will be announced over the next weeks. Music professionals and lovers from all over the world will for sure have the chance to further discuss the interesting study on sounds and body carried out by US researchers. After all there are intense relations between Cremona Musica and the US, well established and cultivated for example with the organization of two editions of Cremona Musica New York as to violin making and with the recent participation to the NAMM Show in Los Angeles as to strings and guitars.