Bassists Are the Most Important Member of a Band, According to New Study

BY Josiah HughesPublished Feb 23, 2017

Think your bassist is just some no-good hanger-on who does little else than hog all the drink tickets? While you're mostly right, a new study suggests that the bassist is actually the most important part of any given band.

The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America has released a new study led by Hamilton, ON's Laurel Trainor (not to be confused with bass-loving pop star Meghan Trainor). The study concluded that listeners are more perceptive to bass frequencies rather than high-pitched notes.

Using EEG or electroencephalography, the team concluded that listeners are more likely to catch mistakes when listening to bass frequencies. They're also more likely to tap their fingers along with the music.

Ultimately, then, the study suggests that bass players have an extremely important role in pop music. Keep that in mind the next time you're giving your loser bassist a ride to and from band practice. 

Thanks to Mental Floss for the tip.


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