# 440Hz VS 432Hz - A sound conspiracy **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273 "2015-02-10T01:17:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spyderkill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@spyderkill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spyderkill)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/1 "2015-02-10T01:17:47Z")
Some people claim that the frequency of life is 432Hz. The arguments can get pretty technical with proponents of 432 claiming that it resonates with the Heart Chakra, repairs DNA and restores both spiritual and mental health. There is even the suggestion that 432 tuned music stimulates the right brain, responsible for our most desirable human traits. Some of our music before 1940’ was originally recorded at 432Hz. But supposedly, a man that did the marketing media for Adolf Hitler discovered that the 440Hz frequency is better to make the people work hard and think less. After that, a world regulamentation of the sound made all the music records use the 440hz. Some new bands are playing live sound with the 432hz now. The musicians have even a moviment that claim this. And there’s some programs on the internet that convert 440hz music to 432hz music. Do you guys know anything about this? What do you think? Do you have any relevant research to share? A more profund explanation > **[It HERTZ So Bad: the 432 vs 440 Hz controversy](http://www.viewzone.com/432hertz222.html)** > > A review of the 432 vs 440 Hertz controversy. [http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/12/21/heres-why-you-should-convert-your-music-to-432hz/](http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/12/21/heres-why-you-should-convert-your-music-to-432hz/) A program that do it > **[CONVERT MUSIC TO 432HZ](https://returnto432.com/)** > > RETURN TO 432 is one easy program to convert all your music ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/2 "2015-02-10T01:52:18Z")
> [@spyderkill](#): > > But supposedly, a man that did the marketing media for Adolf Hitler discovered that the 440Hz frequency is better to make the people work hard and think less. Well, I, for one, am glad to learn that a standard originally developed in the US was actually an evil plot Hitler somehow managed to push before he was even in charge of Germany, much less of American culture. Got a cite for such a remarkable claim? A reputable one, that is? > [@spyderkill](#): > > After that, a world regulamentation of the sound made all the music records use the 440hz. Again, cite? If we want to use actual facts, musicians have been using different concert pitches for centuries ranging from 350 to 500Hz. There’s no single pitch to “return” to. The US is mostly (but not entirely) 440. Many orchestras are actually pitching up at 442-445 these days. It makes for a slightly brighter sound. Many groups specializing in older music will pitch down as low as 410-415Hz. Recordings now and historically have used a variety of concert pitches and not just 440. There’s a fair amount of misinformation and conspiracy theory stuff in your OP. It’s better to stick with real facts and history. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/3 "2015-02-10T02:11:37Z")
> [@spyderkill](#): > > Some people claim that the frequency of life is 432Hz. The arguments can get pretty technical with proponents of 432 claiming that it resonates with the Heart Chakra, repairs DNA and restores both spiritual and mental health. There is even the suggestion that 432 tuned music stimulates the right brain, responsible for our most desirable human traits. Huh. All those arguments strike me as the **opposite** of technical. The “heart chakra” is a religious idea, not a scientific idea. Repairs DNA–got some evidence of it doing this in any practical fashion at all? Restores both spiritual and mental health? Spiritual health isn’t technical, it’s religious. Mental health? Got a peer-reviewed study, or ANY rigorously-conducted data-transparent replicable study, demonstrating specific effects on mental health? And a “suggestion” tends not to be technical. Sorry, but this argument appears to be a total non-starter if you’re approaching it from the technical angle. If your claim is that this is a religious belief, have at it. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/4 "2015-02-10T02:13:51Z")
Anything that involves “water memory” (the second link in the OP) can be safely discounted as utter nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/5 "2015-02-10T02:24:18Z")
This is total fantasy and bullshit. “The frequency of life is 432Hz”? Makes no sense at all, but it sure sounds “sciency.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Joker_and_the_Thief)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/6 "2015-02-10T02:29:26Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Well, I, for one, am glad to learn that a standard originally developed in the US was actually an evil plot Hitler somehow managed to push before he was even in charge of Germany, much less of American culture. I agree. Life has gotten much easier since I started blaming Hitler for all my problems. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/7 "2015-02-10T02:35:24Z")
Giant carved redwood owls hoot at 432Hz, so it must be an evil conspiracy. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/8 "2015-02-10T02:55:28Z")
Let’s not forget that 440Hz (or 432 or 445 or 420 or whatever) is simply a standard pitch that orchestras use to tune their instruments and (some) equipment manufacturers use to calibrate audio devices. It is entirely possible for an orchestra to tune to a given frequency and then choose a repertoire with no work actually having that note in the score, which can totally defeat the world order. The OP might be interested in this comparison of [432 vs. 440 hz tuning.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVoVr9UwOQM) Oh, by the way, “regulamentation”??? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/9 "2015-02-10T02:57:32Z")
More an asking for opinions than a debate, really. Off to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/10 "2015-02-10T03:15:07Z")
Are there any (non-stone) 12 meter owls involved? I think that 12 meter tall owls resonate with Heart Chakra and crystals and perhaps 1 meter tall mice as well, and I think this is something we really, seriously need to get to the bottom of, since the old gods are definitely in play, along with the Jews who perpetrated 9/11 and caused satanism for PROFIT AND EVIL CAPITALISM! Any rebuttals? (ETA: I believe the magic number is 5 megawatts, not 440Hz VS 432Hz) [Jerry Hathaway](http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Real_Genius): I want five megawatts by mid-May. Look, I don’t care if you’re arrogant. I don’t care if you’re disrespectful. But your attitude’s distracting Mitch, and that I won’t have. The rules have changed. I want it by mid-May. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/11 "2015-02-10T03:33:54Z")
I say base the exact frequency of middle C on one of two things: 1. The wavelength of red light in a vacuum (specifically the exact middle of the range we perceive as red), multiplied by a million or so, and also using the speed of sound at 1 atm as an additional guide 2. The exact middle of the bell curve of notes that humans can comfortably sing. Assume equal population distribution at all ages. And you can base your A on the resulting C. Bam. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/12 "2015-02-10T03:45:39Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > It is entirely possible for an orchestra to tune to a given frequency and **then choose a repertoire with no work actually having that note in the score** , which can totally defeat the world order. Vive le resistance!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/13 "2015-02-10T03:56:22Z")
Some people tune their instruments to 432, or 438, or 437 rather than 440. It’s called being flat. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/14 "2015-02-10T05:09:48Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > Some people tune their instruments to 432, or 438, or 437 rather than 440. It’s called being flat. Hey, I resemble that remark. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/15 "2015-02-10T06:25:44Z")
I have a Facebook friend who looooooves Collective Evolution. About 10% of their articles are _only_ 90% woo crap. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/16 "2015-02-10T10:02:03Z")
> [@spyderkill](#): > > Do you guys know anything about this? What do you think? Do you have any relevant research to share? > > A more profund explanation > [It HERTZ So Bad: the 432 vs 440 Hz controversy](http://www.viewzone.com/432hertz222.html) > > [http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/12/21/heres-why-you-should-convert-your-music-to-432hz/](http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/12/21/heres-why-you-should-convert-your-music-to-432hz/) What I think is that you desperately need to start vetting your sources a little better. Your first source is bizarrely attached to the idea, even though they admit full well how bizarre the statements are. I mean, compare these two statements: > [@](#): > > There is even the suggestion that 432 tuned music stimulates the right brain, responsible for our most desirable human traits > [@](#): > > I spent a considerable amount of time searching scientific journals to see if any studies had been done which demonstrated the neurological effects of 432 vs 440 Hz but, surprisingly, there were none. So there’s been _no_ study on it, but you’re going to claim it anyways? Why? Then there’s the cymatics field, which is basically 100% woo. Okay, so it makes shapes. Now what does that _mean_? Oh, it might have some harmonious resonance in our cells? Can we demonstrate that? Can we demonstrate that it does _anything_? Basically everything here is rank conjecture with no real scientific backing whatsoever. Your second link cites Masaru Emoto’s [del]scientific paper[/del] _art project_. This is a load of crap that has been debunked countless times, and can be debunked again just as easily by repeating the experiment in the confines of your own home. Indeed, James Randi invited Emoto to repeat the experiment and its results to prove that a form of ESP exists and win a million dollars; Emoto refused. It’s a hoax. A fraud. This is well-established. We even know _what_ he did - he froze the water, then went through looking for a particular shot that made the water look the way he wanted it to, and then laid a color filter over the top. What, you think “you make me sick, go die” looks that sickly yellow color because the _ice_ looked that way? No. It looks that way because of _photoshop_. Indeed, it’s one of the classic woo standbys, one of the famous bad pieces of evidence that gets dredged up again and again to claim that our thoughts and emotions have significant effects on reality beyond ourselves. The whole rest of the article is made up of numerology, water memory, and woo, and I’m disappointed you see it as a legitimate source. The moment someone starts talking about “chakras” is the moment you can stop treating them like they know what they’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/17 "2015-02-10T13:53:43Z")
By curious coincidence :dubious: 432 is described as a radio frequency Rife machine enthusiasts use to treat Lyme disease. From [one online handbook](http://www.rt66.com/~rifetech/freq.html): _“Please note the use of these frequencies has produced what is known as a Herxheimer Reaction. As the spirochetes die, they release a protein toxin that can produce joint pains, weakness, and general malaise for a few days following exposure.”_ So the 432 enthusiasts who unknowingly have Lyme could conceivably Herxheimer themselves into serious trouble. :eek: Note from the linked table that frequency 2167 is reportedly good for ridding your kitchen (or yourself) of fruit flies. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/18 "2015-02-10T15:39:25Z")
> [@spyderkill](#): > > Some people claim that the frequency of life is 432Hz. These people, once they have made such a claim, have revealed themselves to be so utterly divorced from critical thinking skills as to be entirely worthless as sources of anything remotely resembling “fact”. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/19 "2015-02-10T15:42:41Z")
> [@spyderkill](#): > > Some people claim that the frequency of life is 432Hz. The arguments can get pretty technical with proponents of 432 claiming that it resonates with the Heart Chakra, repairs DNA and restores both spiritual and mental health. Pure nonsense. What the OP is talking about is a possible frequency for the pitch A4 (the A just above middle C, second space on the treble staff.) It’s arbitrary and doesn’t mean anything. A4 is a standard tuning reference. Again, this is entirely arbitrary. There’s nothing inherently special about A4. 440 Hz is the most common designated pitch for it, but it can be anything from A = 390 Hz or 415 Hz for early music up to 452 Hz. Yes, that spans more than a whole step. Tuning is arbitrary. > [@](#): > > There is even the suggestion that 432 tuned music stimulates the right brain, responsible for our most desirable human traits. The left-brain right-brain myth has been long debunked. [We use both sides of our brain almost all the time.](http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/12/02/248089436/the-truth-about-the-left-brain-right-brain-relationship) > [@](#): > > Some of our music before 1940’ was originally recorded at 432Hz. Sure, but a lot of it was performed relative to other base frequencies as well, both higher and lower than A4 at 440 Hz. > [@](#): > > But supposedly, a man that did the marketing media for Adolf Hitler discovered that the 440 Hz frequency is better to make the people work hard and think less. After that, a world regulamentation of the sound made all the music records use the 440 Hz. And supposedly Sir Robin the-not-quite-so-brave-as-Sir Lancelot had nearly fought the Dragon of Angnor, had nearly stood up to the vicious Chicken of Bristol, and had personally wet himself at the Battle of Badon Hill… Utter rubbish. There is no global “regulamentation” of music. However, the [American Standards Organization did recommend tuning to A4 at 440Hz](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A440_%28pitch_standard%29) in _1926_, and since then has been more or less standard in the U.S. There is no “regulamentation” except at the local level, where an individual ensemble chooses its reference pitch for tuning, which may or may not be A4 at 440 Hz. Note that the International Organization for Standardization also recommend A4 at 440 Hz, but not until 1955, and had absolutely nothing to do with the Nazis. (Cite=above link.) Again, there is no “regulamentation” except at the local level. Individual ensembles choose their own reference pitch for tuning, which once again may be higher or lower than 440 Hz. Certainly 440 Hz is the most common, at least for starting references. Ensembles also famously drift away from the starting tuning, usually higher for instrumental ensembles and lower for vocal ensembles. Bottom line: there’s nothing at all sinister about A4 = 440 Hz. > [@](#): > > Some new bands are playing live sound with the 432hz now. Sure, and some play at A4 = 445 Hz. So what? > [@](#): > > The musicians have even a moviment that claim this. And there’s some programs on the internet that convert 440hz music to 432hz music. That’s just very silly. And stupid. > [@](#): > > Do you guys know anything about this? I’m a tenured professor of music, teach at a major school of music, and thankfully have never heard this claim “the frequency of life is 432Hz” before. But I do know a lot about music theory (a specialty area of mine) and a fair amount amount tuning and temperament. > [@](#): > > What do you think? It’s rubbish. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273/20 "2015-02-10T16:13:41Z")
Would anybody like to share their thoughts on my ideas about basing pitch on light wavelengths or the human vocal range? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/440hz-vs-432hz-a-sound-conspiracy/712273.md?page=2)