What is the Big Deal about 432 hz Tuning? Part one...
Ok, here we go!
The most difficult part about explaining the whole 432 hz phenomenon is probably knowing where to begin. It is a pretty complex subject. I think I will call this a part one, and then we will see how many parts are necessary….
To understand 432 we must first understand musical octaves.
In the western scale there are only 12 notes. All the music you have ever listened to consists of some combination of these 12 notes. But there is sort of a trick that gives us more notes to play with: there are different octaves of the notes! Let me try to explain:
The 432 hz frequency is an A note. If we double that to 864 hz we also get an A note. The same thing happens if we half it to 216 hz. This is also an A note. And they are really all the same note. For example the 216 hz frequency will contain the 432, the 864, the 1728, the 3456, and so on... But they do sound a bit different. The 216 will be perceived as a very low note, while the 1728 will be perceived as a very high note.
We can keep halving and doubling forever. In theory, at least. In reality we will soon be outside of the audible spectrum, and that does not make much sense to a musician.
Now, let us get into the mystery a bit… Half of 216 is 108, also an A note in the 432 hz spectrum. This is a very important number in eastern mysticism. It is said that of all of the chakras, only 108 can be worked on through yoga and other practices. Vedic mathematicians saw 108 as a number of the wholeness of existence. The average distance of the sun, moon and earth is 108 times their respective diameter. Malas have 108 beads. Doing 108 sun salutations, for example, is very common. These are but a few of many, many examples…
All the numbers I have mentioned again relate to the number 9, which is considered a sacred number in religions worldwide, both ancient and newer, it is a very important number in numerology, and considered a perfect number mathematically. It is a very mysterious number indeed. Try multiplying it with anything and the digital root of the number (pythagorean reduction) always go back to 9. For example:
1 x 9 = 9
2 x 9 = 18 = 1 + 8 = 9
3 x 9 = 27 = 2 + 7 = 9
4 x 9 = 36 = 3 + 6 = 9
and on it goes… try for yourself!
I would also urge you to google everything i write about here to find more info and understand better. There is no way I can cover all of it.
Also notice that 432 and all its octaves goes back to the number 9!
Some octaves of 432 A is:
27 hz, 54 hz, 108 hz, 216 hz, 432 hz, 864 hz, 1728 hz, etc… calculate for yourself. The answer is always 9!
The same goes with every single frequency in the note grid when we tune to 432! They all add up to 9!
Remember what Nikola Tesla said: “ If you only knew the magnificence of 3, 6 and 9, then you would have a key to the universe”
So far we have only barely touched on the 9 but the 3`s and 6`s are in here too. We will get there.
The 432 hz tuning system is based on the idea that the universe is a mathematical creation. It can all be explained in numbers, and there are certain patterns of numbers that repeat themselves again and again.
Want a cool example involving the 3`s and 6`s too?
How do we keep time?
We created our timekeeping system according to the orbit of the earth around the sun. What we came up with is 24 hours in a full day. Divided into roughly 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. We divided an hour into 60 minutes. A minute into 60 seconds. See any numbers you recognize?
2 + 4 = 6
1 + 2 = 3
And of course..
6 + 0 = 6
Do you know how many seconds there are in 12 hours?
60 x 60 x 12 = 43,200
Number of seconds in 24 hours is then, of course, 86,400!
This is only one example of these corresponding patterns that repeat themselves all throughout nature. On a microcosmic as well as a macrocosmic level.
As above, so below.
When we tune to 432 hz and create music with it we are basically creating an energetic microcosmos in the space that the music is playing. This lines up with the macrocosmos and we are creating a balanced, harmonic space without blockages in energy. Everything flows smoothly and the universe rejoices!
Let us look at some of the other numbers we get when we tune to 432!
The note F# for example. Its octaves are;
45, 90, 180, 360, 720, 1440, 2880, etc…
And the note C# …
67.5, 135, 270, 540, 1080, 2160, etc…
Does any of these numbers look familiar to you? If you are not into geometry, then maybe not.
They are all significant geometrical numbers, and geometry is a key component in the mathematical universe. Where did you think shapes come from? Or mass? It can not exist without geometry.
How about the note D. Its octaves are;
9, 18, 36, 72, 144, 288, 576, 1152, 2304, etc… less commonly known, maybe, but equally significant numbers. Again I urge you to do some googling.
It is all about proportion and how everything in the universe relates to everything else. The 432 tuning, when done right, is perfectly proportionate to everything else in the universe and is thus the only music that can really be called harmonic!
The standard tuning to A 440 hz throws everything off balance and personally I believe it has affected us greatly in a negative way since it was set as an international standard in the late 1930`s.
Ok. I think that is good for now. There is much much more and I will eventually share all of it, but I think it is a good idea to do it little by little. A few pieces at the time.
Thank you for reading. Please do some googling on your own, and feel free to ask me questions.
Jonas
