The Power & Beauty of Bass an Interactive
Exhibition of Low Register Sounds and Instruments?Exhibition allows visitors to see sound waves, feel bass frequencies,
lower the register of their voice and check out some really big instruments.
The NAMM MUSEUM of Making Music (MoMM) rounds out
a successful year of vibrant events and well-attended exhibitions with “LOW: The Power
& Beauty of Bass,” opening November
8, 2015. The latest special exhibition running through summer 2016 explores
the world of bass – the sounds that fall below 262 Hertz
on the frequency spectrum as well as the low register instruments that make
them. Bass sounds are considered critical in music making with its importance
often compared to an engine or compass within music.
This highly interactive and participatory exhibition introduces
several aspects of the low register—bass—experience. With
the overarching theme focusing on low sounds, the exhibition can also be
experienced through unique elements that appeal to the senses of sight and
touch.
Our overall goal with this exhibition is to raise awareness of the
essential role that low register instruments, sounds and rhythms play in a
musical setting. We hope that the exhibition opens a door to a new sonic world
and that will inspire visitors to listen differently to music and the world
around them,” said Carolyn
Grant, executive director of the NAMM MUSEUM of Making Music.
Ultimately, this exhibition will be deemed a success if someone,
someday says to us, ‘Because of your exhibition I became a
bass clarinet, saxophone, drum or guitar player.’ We know that
there are many people out there whose true expression might come through a bass
instrument.”
The elements “LOW: The Power & Beauty of Bass” include:
Four interactive stations, designed and created by sound artist and
musical instrument inventor Dr. Chris Warren, allow visitors to see, feel
and hear bass frequencies:
•
SEE Low Sound: Video that
explores how bass waves can be seen using a hose, water, and a subwoofer. An
additional interactive sound art piece shows how the voice can be visualized
using Chladni patterns. This digital recreation of Chladni’s experiments uses
the sound of your voice to move pixels around like grains of sand. Ernst
Chladni (1756-1827) was a musician and physicist who developed a unique method
to make sonic vibrations visible
•
HEAR Low Sound: In opera, the
lowest male voice is known as basso profondo, Italian for “deep bass.” This interactive
invites the visitor to sing into a microphone to transform their voice into a
basso profondo!
•
FEEL Low Sound: Using a musical
product called the ButtKicker, visitors can sit on a bench and feel bass
frequencies. The “Buttkicker Concert” is a low
frequency audio transducer that is designed specifically for musician
monitoring and stage and studio use. It’s used by hundreds of musicians all
over the world including the Rolling Stones, Usher, Alanis Morissette and more.
•
Instrument Display: A wide sampling of
low register instruments many on loan from NAMM member companies including
Conn-Selmer, Inc., Bertrand’s Music, Sabian, Fender Musical
Instruments, and Fleishman Instruments Corp.
•
Bass Conversations: This insightful
video developedunder the musical direction of master musician and GRAMMY award
winning producer Kamau Kenyatta presents a group of well-known San Diego
musicians talking about why they play low register instruments and demonstrating
their art.
•
With or Without Bass: A video featuring
music selections played with and without bass. Does it make a difference
•
Hands-On Bass!: Visitors can
experience what it’s like to play a bass instrument
using the instruments generously loaned to the museum by C.F. Martin & Co.,
Gold Tone, Kala Brand Music Co. and more
•
Concert Series: As part of the
exhibition, MoMM will host a series of bass-related concerts with iconic
musicians including Alphonso Johnson, and Katie Thiroux, as well as workshops
such as “Learn To…Taiko” and a family
program exploring the history and sounds of the Didgeridoo. For
up-to-date concert listings, please visit the MoMM website.
Exhibition Opening Details
LOW: The Power & Beauty of Bass Exhibition
Opening Celebration
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2015
Cost: Free to current NAMM members and two guests, $15 per person for
non-members
Location: NAMM Headquarters at the NAMM MUSEUM of Making Music, 5790 Armada
Dr., Carlsbad, CA 92008
The exhibition is open to everyone starting Sunday, November 8,
2015. NAMM members are welcome to visit the museum seven days a week for free.
