“Come meditate on bass weight”, was the invitation of the influential DMZ dubstep record label at its bass-heavy club nights. This is just one instance of many where low pitched sounds are connected to ideas of weight and heaviness. Wines too are literally considered to possess weight, the tactile sensation of fullness in the mouth described as body. Given these shared conceptualisations, might low pitches and wine body resonate together in a way that could alter perceptual experience? This is what I set out to discover in a study called, Taste the Bass, on which this feature is based.1 Full (bodied) disclosure: I’m a bass player and big low frequency fan.
© 2024 Dr Jo Burzynska
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