A432 or A440? - exploring frequencies.

Music & Maths

I used to tell my former guitar students that it was fine if they missed their maths class as music contains numbers and patterns. I considered that their learning would be two-fold.

Part of my experience when running music therapy sessions was that, not all frequencies are equal...What does that mean?

Perfect Pitch

Music, in the form of sound and instruments has distinct tones, frequencies and timbres, producing varying sonic waves. All sound is very subjective for instance, what I might find grating someone else may find comforting. A good musical example of this is The Mozart Effect.  This was highly talked about during the 90s.  This classical music was touted as being able to lift mood, create cognitive enhancement, increase IQ and help with studying. It began with a study of the music of Mozart which prompted others to take it much further. [1]

Personally, I did not find the high frequencies of this music pleasant at all, and preferred the melodies of composers such as Bach and Vivaldi.

My preference did not mean that Mozart’s music wasn’t effective for those who chose to listen to it, neither were the melodies of Bach ineffective...

A432- the resonance of the cosmos?

Therefore, what I was aiming to say in my previous paragraph was, music is subjective. I have written about this in more detail in my book. It is true that we respond to differing genres of music and instrumentation, however it is also our moods and states that cause varying responses.

When I compose, I mainly compose in A440 tuning. Most of my music is created with the aim of promoting wellbeing. I have also written many guitar pieces with altered and lower tuning frequencies which tend to feel slightly more relaxed.

There is a big emphasis, especially in my genre of music to tune to A432 to the point where many think that A440 is harmful!

Historically, there have been many variable tuning preferences which had a lot to do with both environments and instruments. It has been said that “Pitch is itself merely a sensation due to, and hence measured by, the number of double or complete vibrations, backwards and forwards, made in a second of time by a particle of air while the sound is heard.” [2]

 A432 has gained momentum as being the ultimate tuning frequency which aligns and flows with the cosmos itself.

It is true that numerical parallels have been drawn to multiples of the Shumann resonance.[3] These mathematical conclusions between the Shumann resonance and A432 tuning are not perfect and can be questioned.

The Shumann resonance itself is a real phenomenon and has been dubbed “the heartbeat of the earth”. However, concluding that A432 is the only pure frequency tuning in music that can heal and produce wellbeing excludes the beauty, richness and power of every other musical piece!

The Shumann frequencies are constant but variable and are subject to flux due to the quantity of lightning strikes throughout the earth. As we are naturally tuned to the earth’s resonances, it is no surprise that we will respond favourably to these frequencies. Alpha brain waves are similarly measured between 8-13Hz and produce a relaxed awakened state.

My conclusion? Go and listen to music that you know, calms and settles you!

All things flow, all things are in flux…[4]

[1] “Music and Spatial task performance” First published in Nature in 1993 by Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw, and Catherine Ky. 

[2] “The History of Musical Pitch” Alexander John Ellis (1880).

[3] The Schumann Resonance is a weak electromagnetic wave located in the cavity that exists between the surface of the Earth and the Earth’s ionosphere. Its frequency spectrum ranges from about 7-50 Hz (with peak frequencies at about 8Hz(7.83Hz), 15 Hz, 20 Hz and 32Hz.

[4] A quote from Greek Philosopher Heraclitus (6^th Century BC). Cited in chapter 2 p22 How Music Heals Us.

ALPHA WAVES is a slow, meditative piece that was composed with the creation of alpha brain waves in mind. The long notes create space and calmness and the sound of the harp lifts you.

For more ideas of how to create an effective personal playlist, please click on the link below and get a copy of my book.

https://mybook.to/HowMusicHealsUs