According to a study conducted by McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario the bassist is the most important member of the band. While many of us might think the opposite, the result of the study that was determined to find out the importance of low frequency in music was revealing.
The result of the study published by the National Academy of Sciences notes that music contains streams of tones throughout the auditory spectrum and is polyphonic, or multi-voiced. In the study, researchers subjected listeners to high and low pitched tones simultaneously. Tones were sometimes shifted in time i.e. either the high or low tones were made to go off rhythm. It was found that listeners could track the low pitched tones going off easily as compared to the higher ones concluding the bass to be the glue of rhythm and harmony; the heartbeat of the song.
So, everyone in the band infact follows the bassist’s lead. If a guitarist makes a mistake hardly anyone will notice. But, if the bassist makes a mistake everyone in the band and the audience will know that something went wrong.
