INFRASONIC MUSIC

“Vibration are the core of sound…to consider them as art or music…we need to be able to listen to them”(Hope, 2009, p. 51). How about the sound below the audible range for human beings? There is more than one way of listening to music. To illustrate that, other ways of listening such as through anticipation or physical response are useful to sense sounds. In this case, sounds which are below the hearing threshold can also be “listened”. According to Hope(2009, p. 52), Infrasonic Music engages sounds which are below the tonal recognition and enables audiences to experience sounds physically instead of listening through ears. The reading states the concept of Infrasonic music, introducing the conceptual, sensorial and tangible approach to music. It points out the reason why to explore infrasonic music, what types of equipment is suitable to produce infrasonic music, the effects may be experienced when producing infrasonic music and investigates projects Abe Sada and Lux Mammoth which focus on bass effects to figure out the infrasonic music in live music performance and recoding.

As Douglas Kahn discusses about the idea “impossible inaudible”, Infrasonic music gives opportunities to create the music compositions which could never be heard or get access to(Hope, 2009, p. 53). Music cannot only be heard but also be felt by the human body which means sound becomes more diverse. The brand new field of sounds allows people to create music which combines both innovative and traditional ways of listening. The effects composed by Infrasonic music are probably physically appealing to the audience and thus using low frequency music might create lots of possibilities in sound to explore.  It has been found that infrasonic music “pushes the dimensions of silence, acousmatics and sound art even further”(Hope, 2009, p. 53). The study of infrasonic music is also associated with therapeutic use. This music creates a “warm” and “sensual” feeling in the body so that it can be used to treat people. For example, Vibro-acoustics is a treatment which low frequency sinusoidal pressure waves are added to the music.

In my initial impression, infrasonic sound might be very uncomfortable. Many horror movies use low frequency music and the atmosphere might be very depressing. However, after the reading, I discover that infrasonic music can be very relaxing and warm. Moreover, because of infrasonic music, the audiences are able to use other senses such as vibrating in the chest to feel the sound. Promoting the development of the story through infrasonic music can silently stimulate people’s physiology. Sound is a significant part in media making. There are lots of examples that infrasonic music being used in media making. The work Music for solo performer(1965) by Alvin Lucier’s is a good example which infrasonic music incorporates in the music composition to make the audience hearing and experiencing at the same time. The media work can have its musical existence and the inaudible sounds make the work even better. Infrasonic music could apply to cinema sound effects. Surrounded by the environment and infrasonic music in the earthquake, the disaster will strike the thoughts of the audience and even can vibrate the audience’s heart with the fantastic feeling. Nowadays, it is often used to produce the shocking effects in cinema. Many podiums also use this method. The presenter uses the space provided by the venue to zoom in on bass in order to make the audience feel comfortable in order to get closer to audience. Concretely speaking, the presenter will control this infrasonic voice and engage bass feedback in order to create a pleasant experience. Besides some excellent presenter will also use the instrument to highlight their voice. So that infrasonic music is important to sound. It strengthens the power of sound to the audience and enhances the experience of the audience. Although I would like to add some haunting infrasonic effects to my audio work, suitable equipment such as “powerful amplifiers and loudspeakers of unconventional deign and materials”(Hope, 2009, p. 52) are required to produce the low range music. Infrasonic music creatively incorporating with music composition can make the sound alive. I believe that creative new ideas combined with strong basic skills would definitely make my audio or visual work better. 

BIBLIORGRAPHY

Cat, H 2009, ‘Our crowd-Four Composers Pick Composers’, Leonardo music journal, Vol. 19, pp. 51-56.