Greetings Sound Nerds!
Have you ever done a casual search for meditation music on YouTube? If so, you’ve probably been inundated with 432hz sound healing music. But right now we’re starting a new year, and a new Age of Aquarius and there’s a shift going on towards this hot new healing sound… move over 432 cuz 528 is the new kid on the block!
Wait-a-minute...for those of us that never really understood
the 432 hertz thing in the first place, how the heck can we understand 528hz?
Easy! First things first, it’s time for a…
Sound Nerd Level Up: What is “Hertz”?
“Hertz” is a measurement of repeating patterns (abbreviated “hz”). When hertz is used to describe sound waves, it represents the frequency at which air molecules are vibrating. So a sound wave of 528 hertz means air molecules are moving back and forth at 528 vibrations per second. Wanna know what a 528hz pure sine wave sounds like?
Yikes! Okay, so we don’t recommend listening to a 528hz sound wave for an hour, but if that’s your jam, more power to ya!
528 hertz is a C-Note….
In western music, that 528hz tone would be considered a high “C” note. Wanna hear an opera singer hit this note?
And here’s where this High C Note shows up on a piano compared to Middle C:
Buuuuuttt… in music, “C” is not just a single specific frequency, but a range of frequencies that are “higher than a B” and “lower than a C-Sharp”. As a useful analogy, think about the color “purple” which is any shade between “red” and “blue”. So there are a lot "shades" of C... instead of the fixed notes of a piano keyboard, visualize a finger sliding down the neck of a cello.
Now get this, our ears are incredibly sensitive to very subtle tonal differences… that’s why you always can tell when someone’s just a tad flat when singing that “Living on a Prayer” high-note on Karaoke night, even without classical ear-training!
So let’s complete the sentence we started above:
528hz is a C-note…. slightly higher than conventional tuning
Most modern music is based on a conventional tuning where everyone in the band agrees that 440hz is an A-Note in the 4th Octave (“A4” for short). The guitarist agrees, the bassist agrees, the keyboardist agrees, the horn section agrees, the drummer… well, there’s always an exception. If you’ve ever heard an orchestra tuning up, the first violinist plays a note and everyone tunes their instrument relative to that note.
When everyone agrees that A is 440hz, then a high C note is gonna be 523 hertz in "conventional tuning". Don’t believe me? Check out this awesome table! (Scroll down until you see the frequency of C5).
But what if… we agree that an A4 note is 444hz... slightly higher than conventional tuning. Wham! Now our high C note clocks in at a magical 528 hertz! If you want to earn your sound nerd gold star, check out the same awesome table, but where A4 = 444hz. Seriously, this is a badass table!
Eyes glazing over yet? What's all this about A notes, C notes, 440 vs 444hz, 523 vs 528hz?? All this is essentially saying that when you're listening to "528hz Music", you are hearing music that is tuned up to a slightly higher frequency compared to what you're used to hearing with "conventional tuning".
Music tuned up to a higher frequency will sound brighter
Well, if you’re being grouchy, it’s only a slightly higher frequency than conventional tuning (0.91% higher to be precise). But since you’re reading this, it means you are probably aware of subtle energies and how small changes affect our well-being. So when the orchestra or band or audio recording is tuned up to a slightly higher pitch, it will sound just a little bit brighter, a little bit clearer. Doesn’t that resonate with you in this new Aquarian Age?
Also, regardless of tuning, a High C-Note is in a higher octave than we're used to hearing from most crystal bowls, especially in Melissa’s collection. Mid-sized crystal bowls (10” to 16”) usually fall in the third or fourth octaves on a piano, like so:
“Middle C” on a piano is C4.... 262hz with conventional tuning. Melissa’s 14-inch C bowl clocks in at 260hz (thanks digital tuner app!). When you get into the 528hz range, you’re entering a higher octave.... double the frequency! This higher C bowl is gonna create a different sensation in your body and your mind.
Wanna feel it for yourself? Listen to this audio clip using headphones with your eyes closed:
How’d that feel for ya?
528hz is a tone in the Solfeggio Scale (super addictive link alert!)
One more thing that is SUPER COOL… without getting into the history, details, and validity of healing claims associated with the Solfeggio Scale, is that 528hz happens to be a specific frequency in that scale. Nothing we can write will be more educational than playing around with this Solfeggio tone generator for a minute or ten. The 528hz tone is called “Mi” in the Solfeggio scale, latin for Mīra gestōrum or “Resounding the Wonders”. Wonderful!
This awesome sound meditation tool is super fun to play with!
What About the Witchy/Mystical Stuff?
There’s a ton you can read online about 528hz and it’s magical healing properties. It regenerates DNA. It cleans up oil spills. It slices, it dices, it serenades your soul! There are Pythagorean reasons that 528 is super-special and 440 is awful. “I read it on the internet” gets a bad reputation, but we recommend taking any specific claims with a small grain of salt.
There isn’t much peer-reviewed scientific research on 528hz we could find. One study found an effect, so that’s a start. Keep in mind that the Scientific Method requires validating and revalidating and re-revalidating findings many times before something is accepted as Truth... and even then, scientists still keep poking around. Is red wine good for your heart? What about dark chocolate? What about 528hz? What about 432hz? What about Enya?!
Conveniently, if you’re looking for infinite hours of new age meditation music, just search for 528hz on Youtube and you’re all set to go! Or (shameless promotion alert!) you can listen to Jason’s High Heart 528hz or any of his other AMAZING ambient music on Spotify or Apple Music.
In Conclusion… What’s Inner Sounds take on 528hz?
We love the idea that the Aquarian Age is ushering in a higher vibration for humanity. Who doesn’t want a brighter tone of discourse than what we’ve suffered the last few years?
And higher octave crystal bowl tones are an exciting new flavor Melissa will use to expand her signature sound bath formula. Melissa loves her new 8-inch A bowl… a higher octave of the Sixth Chakra note? Hells yeah!! But, she did struggle with a 528 hz C bowl, read on for a story about the little 528 hz bowl she hated.
But there’s another lesson here: Don’t worry about labels! If you’re listening to 528hz music and it feels good, it is good! The same goes for 432hz music. Or conventional 440hz music. Does it really matter what reference tone Marvin Gaye is using on this stunning performance?
Quick recap/TLDR:
528hz is a C-note.... higher than conventional tuning
Music tuned up sounds subtly brighter and clearer
There are a lot of bold claims on the internet about 528hz...
Trust your intuition about whatever sound healing works for you
Want to learn more about the science of Sound Healing?
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Thanks so much!
Jason Hee
Inner Sounds Sound Healing Trainer, Curriculum Director & Chief Nerd Officer | Inner Sounds Meditation
Melissa Felsenstein
Founder, Inner Sounds Meditation & Training Academy
Questions or comments?
Send us a note at nerds@InnerSoundsMeditation.com