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Solfeggio Frequencies And Healing Sounds

Music and sound have been an important part of human culture since time immemorial, universally spanning across cultures in a significant role in our history up until present day. Now, there are more varieties of what we can do with sound as well as some interesting studies emerging documenting the healing powers of music and more specialised techniques such as binaural beats (often used to mimic brain wave frequencies), solfeggio frequencies, the Schumann Resonance (which includes the frequency of the Earth), Planetary frequencies, and Chakra healing sounds, just to name a few.

I don’t believe we need to understand the specifics to know that music and sound are healing, if you’ve ever been in a drum circle you’ll know how powerful and primordial it is, connecting you to ancestral distant lands in a visceral way. Likewise, we can all appreciate the sweet, soothing serenade of a wind chime, or feel the immense relaxation that occurs after an in-person sound bath (I believe it’s important to experience live music, while electronic can be useful- especially as binaural beats- it’s when the whole body feels it that it is most potent, sound travels faster through bone than air after all)!

Read on for some of the different types of solfeggio and other sound frequency healing sounds, and more:

Healing Sound Frequencies

All things in our Universe are constantly in motion, vibrating. Even objects that appear to be stationary are in fact vibrating, oscillating. Theories suggest that stressed out cells change frequencies, and develop discordant vibrations from the rest of the body. Sound healing may help cells operate in harmony once again. It is common to help speed up the healing of bones and increase density using vibrations (which interestingly is the same frequency as a cat’s purr, roughly 25 to 150hz)! Music therapy can be a very effective complementary healing modality to other methods and is sometimes used in addition to professional psychotherapy (it was popularly used for war veterans post WWII). Again, we can all instantly feel the effects of a happy song versus a sad song. Even simply chanting or humming can promote a whole host of benefits.

Interestingly, music therapy (which is not exactly synonymous but can be considered a “cousin” to sound healing) is now being used in pre-operative, operating, and recovery rooms to reduce the potential need for sedatives and painkillers before, during, and after invasive procedures. It has been shown to help people restore lost speech after brain injury, reduce some side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy during cancer treatments, reduce pain perception, and improve the quality of life for those suffering dementia (among other things).

An ancient practice found in cultures worldwide, sound healing taps into the power of vibrations to reach every part of our body. Sounds are not just heard by our ears, but felt through our entire being. The Ancient Egyptians used a practice called "vocal toning" to create therapeutic vowel sounds with voice and breath and Aboriginal Australians have played the didgeridoo as a sound healing instrument for more than 40,000 years! You’ve likely also encountered the use of singing bowls or bells during a yoga or meditation session and felt their calming effect directly.

Solfeggio Frequencies:

A Benedictine monk, Guido D'Arezzo, introduced the Solfeggio Scale In the 11th century, also known as “Just Intonation." D'Arezzo's tones were mathematically related "by ratios of small whole numbers," giving a purported purer sound. Actual use of these specific sounds likely date back to ancient times. Once the Twelve Tone Equal Temperament was developed, these sounds were more or less lost to the modern world. In the 1970s, however, Physician Joseph Puleo reintroduced the Solfeggio frequencies to the world. The solfeggio frequencies are part of the old six-tone scale believed to have incorporated sacred music, including the famous Gregorian Chants.

Nikola Tesla famously once said that knowing the magnificence detailed by the numbers 3, 6, and 9 will allow one to know the key to a harmonious Universe. The numbers 3, 6, and 9 are fundamental vibration roots made for solfeggio frequencies.

The solfeggio frequencies are as follows:

174 Hz - said to relieve from tension and pain
285 Hz - to bring a sense of safety and energy
396 Hz - to help liberate from fear and guilt (Root Chakra)
417 Hz - to facilitate change and break negative patterns
528 Hz - to create transformations like DNA repair (A 2018 study from Japan discovered that music tuned to the frequency of 528 Hz significantly reduced stress in the endocrine systems and autonomic nervous systems. And in a study published in the Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy, the frequency of 528 Hz reduced the toxic effects of ethanol on cells. It is also said to be native to many indigenous music)
639 Hz - said to help reconnect and enhance relationships (corresponds to the Heart Chakra)
741 Hz - to help find solutions and self-express (Throat Chakra)
852 Hz - to help return to a spiritual order (Third Eye Chakra)
963 Hz - creates room for oneness and unity (said to activate the pineal gland and the Crown Chakra)

The six main healing frequencies (bolded above) are 396, 417, 528, 639, 741, and 852hz. The other Chakras are said to be 288hz for the Sacral Chakra, and 364hz for the Solar Plexus.

Schumann Resonance and Planetary Frequencies:

In 1952, German physicist Winfried Otto Schumann mathematically documented the electromagnetic resonances existing between the Earth’s surface and the ionosphere- the electrically charged part of the Earth’s atmosphere. Schumann discovered that these electromagnetic waves, originating from discharges of lightening, resonated at a low frequency ranging between 7.86 Hz to 8 Hz. He determined that this frequency was, in essence, the Earth’s heartbeat. It has since been coined the Schumann resonance after him.

Later, Herbert Konig discovered that the resonances closely matched five different brainwave states: delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma. These are the brainwave states that occur naturally during all daily activities from sleeping to creating to learning.

Overall, 432hz, known as Verdi's A, a pure mathematical tone, is said to be the frequency of the Universe. A recent double-blind study from Italy showed that benefits of music tuned to 432 Hz slows down the heart rate when compared to 440 Hz. It is also said to be the optimal tuning frequency for opera singers. Music that is tuned to 440hz instead is said to be more “cerebral” and also correspond to the Third Eye Chakra, but supposedly less calming for the mind.

When examining the Giza plateau and measuring the Great Pyramid, using a ratio of 1: 432,000 the pyramid is said to accurately measure our planet’s dimensions and our place within in the Universe. If we divide the ratios of the Moon’s distance from us to the core of the Sun, we get the number 43,200. This is interesting because each day we get 43,200 seconds of daytime and 43,200 seconds of night time. 43,200 is also found in many other areas, particularly focussed around sacred sites and the human body.

The frequency of the Planets and luminaries can be found by dividing their relative distance in octaves as follows:

Earth: 7.83hz (the Schumann Resonance- there are also said to be other Schumann Resonances of ideal frequency: 14, 20, 26, 33, and 39hz, which are similar to brainwave frequencies) or C#
Sun: 126.22hz B
Moon: 210.42 (said to also correspond to the Sacral Chakra) A
Mercury: 141.27hz (Throat Chakra) E
Venus: 221.23hz (Third Eye Chakra, interestingly)
Mars: 144.72hz A#
Jupiter: 183.58hz F/F# (The Egyptians found that F# is the basic harmonic that can bridge together all notes– within the King’s Chamber of their pyramid they would musically play and sing or hum in F#. NASA acoustics expert Tom Danley took sound measurements, after measuring the frequency generated (16Hz), which is below the range of human hearing, he found that it corresponded to the F# chord.)
Saturn: 147.85hz G#
Uranus: 207.36hz
Neptune: 211.44hz
Pluto: 194.18 hz D#

To access these kinds of frequencies one of the simplest ways is to use tuning forks! These are a popular feature in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

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Binaural Beats

From here we can move on to the different human brain activity states where, beginning at Delta, we move from meditative sleep, all the way up to Gamma and peak brain waves. Binaural beats are an auditory illusion created by playing two pure tones at different times. They are said to work with entrainment whereby two different frequencies are played in either ear through headphones and the brain cancels them out to achieve the desired frequency difference. It is said that all of matter seeks to move towards entrainment, the form of least resistance. If you randomly start 100 grandfather clocks in a room, eventually their pendulums will sync up to oscillate at the same time (the same experiment can be done with metronomes).

The frequency of the heart is about 20-150hz and can be measured for up to 6 feet outside the body! I believe this is part of where the healing power of touch comes from and why it feels good to hug someone (releasing oxytocin) or receive a healing session such as Reiki.

Any frequency can be used as a binaural beat, but here are the brainwave states:

Delta: 0.5-4hz (deep, restorative sleep)
Theta: 4-8hz (meditation + relaxation)
Alpha: 8-12hz (creativity, in the flow)
Beta: 12.5-30hz (focussed concentration)
Gamma: 30-80+hz (highly alert + conscious, this frequency has been used with flickering lights for experimental Alzheimer’s therapy

You can listen to a recording of what the Planets sound like from NASA here! There are also super interesting developments in what is achievable to draw sound from, for example Plant Bioacoustics is gaining in popularity due to instruments such as the Bamboo Speaker, which can transform the sound of plants for us to hear- listen to the music of a forest here, for example.

The effects of all these frequencies and healing sounds can also be amplified by using them in combination with water healing sessions, as sound travels faster in water than in air. Beyond the specifics and studies, I think all of us can personally attest to the healing power of music and sound. I particularly love the notion that some shamanic doctors preface their prescription by asking the patient when was the last time they sang and danced. Within this, I also think the power of silence is also not to be underestimated (frequently another question being asked was when was the last time you sat in stillness)!

So those are some of the different types of healing sounds, including solfeggio frequency and binaural beats, and what they are purported to help do. While there is some interesting research coming out about sound healing (and I can certainly attest to the relaxing power of a sound bath!)- try it out and experiment for yourself, if it works for then great, if it doesn’t resonate *ahem* then that’s fine too.

What are your experiences with sound healing? Let me know in the comments section below or if you have any other questions or comments. For more ancient healing theories, check out our post on Sacred Geometry!