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Healing
Frequencies
From the Ohm tone to 528 Hz: what frequencies are, what they carry — and how they sound.
What a frequency is.
Healing frequencies are tones with a fixed rate of vibration, credited in various traditions with a balancing, ordering or opening effect. Before we dive into the individual systems, it is worth looking at the physics underneath — four terms are all you need.
Hertz — the measure of vibration.
One hertz is one oscillation per second. Concert pitch a¹ at 440 Hz therefore vibrates 440 times every second. Our audible range spans roughly 20 to 20,000 Hz — anything below that we feel more than we hear.
Resonance — when something vibrates along.
Every body has natural frequencies. When a tone meets them, the material starts to vibrate along — like a second tuning fork that begins to sound on its own. This is the foundation of all sound work: not sonic bombardment, but an invitation to resonate.
The octave — music's oldest law.
Double a frequency and you get the same tone one octave higher — it keeps its character. This means any periodic motion, an Earth day or an Earth year, can be brought into the audible range by repeated doubling. That is exactly the basis of the planetary tones.
Cents & concert pitch — the reference question.
Pitches need a point of reference: concert pitch a¹. Where it sits is pure convention. Fine differences are measured in cents — 100 cents make a semitone. 432 Hz sits 31.8 cents below 440 Hz: this is exactly where the most famous debate of the frequency world begins.
The frequency
lab.
Theory is good, listening is better. The lab generates any frequency between 40 and 1000 Hz as a pure vibration — right in your browser, with no recording and no music around it. This is how you hear what a single frequency really is.
432.0 Hz
≈ A4 −31.8 ¢ · relative to a¹ = 440 Hz
You can move the slider while the tone is playing — the frequency glides along.
Oscilloscope — live from your tone. Tip: start quietly; pure sine tones are louder than they seem.
432 or 440?
Few numbers are debated as passionately as these eight hertz. Here is the history behind the dispute, the mathematics underneath — and an honest listening test.
Tuning pitch varied between roughly 390 and 465 Hz depending on city and organ. “The” historical tuning never existed.
France fixes the “diapason normal” at 435 Hz by law — the first state-mandated tuning pitch.
Giuseppe Verdi argues for a¹ = 432 Hz — which is why this tuning still bears his name today.
An international tuning conference recommends 440 Hz — practical for broadcasting, orchestras and instrument makers.
440 Hz becomes the international standard (ISO 16, confirmed in 1975) — and has remained so to this day.
Just under a third of a semitone lower — clearly audible in direct comparison, barely noticeable to most ears without a reference.
In the Pythagorean system, the “scientific C” of 256 Hz (= 2⁸) yields an A of exactly 432 Hz. This numerical beauty is real — a claim about effects it is not.
The Earth's Schumann resonance is an electromagnetic resonance at around 7.83 Hz — it “yields” neither 432 nor 440 Hz. Both camps cite it wrongly.
What studies show.
A few small pilot studies — on 432 Hz music before falling asleep, or for dental anxiety — point to marginally lower heart rates and slightly stronger subjective relaxation. The samples are small, and so are the effects. What can honestly be said: 432 Hz does no harm and sounds a touch softer to many ears — the rest is taste.
The honest listening test.
Same tone, two tunings. Close your eyes, switch back and forth a few times — and decide with your ears before you believe the numbers.
The second tone automatically stops the first.
And our instruments? The Energy Chime Duos and Triples by Dieter Schrade are tuned to 432 Hz.
The Solfeggio
atlas.
Nine tones, an honest origin: the syllables Ut–Re–Mi come from an 11th-century hymn (Guido of Arezzo). The hertz numbers, however, are young — in the 1970s Joseph Puleo and Leonard Horowitz derived them numerologically from the Book of Numbers; all digit sums come to 3, 6 or 9. A historical “Solfeggio tuning pitch” never existed. What the tones carry is not history but presence: clear planes of sound on which attention grows calm. Choose a tone.
528 Hz · Mi
The most famous Solfeggio tone, often called the “love frequency”. The popular claim of “DNA repair” has no scientific backing — what remains is a warm, much-loved meditation tone.
As a pure sine tone, live from your browser.
Planetary tones
after Cousto.
In 1978 the mathematician Hans Cousto translated astronomical cycles into audible tones: take the duration of one period, form its reciprocal — and keep doubling that tiny frequency until it sits in the audible range. The law of the octave guarantees that the tone's character is preserved. This is how every cycle of our solar system receives a voice.
This is exactly how every value in the table is derived — mathematics, not mysticism. The attributed effects come from the tradition of use.
Values after Hans Cousto (“The Cosmic Octave”), rounded. *The sun tone is derived not from an orbital period but from a reference value of the sun.
These tones as an instrument.
The Planetary Energy Chimes by Dieter Schrade translate exactly these frequencies into hand-tuned crystal glass — as a single tone of your choice, in octave 6 or 7. In the tone atlas on the Energy Chime page you can also hear every planetary tone as a crystal-glass recording.
The chakra
tones.
Yoga speaks of seven energy centres along the spine. Western sound work assigns them the seven natural notes C to B — an ascending scale from the root chakra to the crown. Here the tones sound in octave 5; the Chakra Chimes by Dieter Schrade vibrate one to two octaves above that (octaves 6 & 7). Choose a centre — and decide for yourself whether your reference is 440 or 432 Hz.
Heart chakra
F5 ≈ 698.5 Hz · at a¹ = 440 Hz
Anahata — the centre. Theme: healing, compassion, connectedness. Seat: middle of the chest. The tone that lets the shoulders sink.
Sine tone in octave 5 — the chimes sound one to two octaves higher.
Brainwaves
& binaural.
The EEG measures rhythmic brain activity in frequency bands — from deep sleep to highest alertness. These waves are not tones; most of them lie below the threshold of hearing. They can still be made audible, though: through binaural beats.
Dominates in dreamless deep sleep — regeneration and recovery.
Trance, the moments before sleep, deep meditation, vivid inner images.
Eyes closed, thoughts soft: the state just before a daydream.
Concentration and problem-solving — but also tension and rumination.
Links sensory impressions; 40 Hz is currently under intensive research.
The Schumann resonance — the fundamental electromagnetic resonance between the Earth's surface and the ionosphere — sits at around 7.83 Hz, far below the threshold of hearing. Octavated five times it becomes an audible tone: 250.56 Hz. You can experience it at its original tempo below, as a beat.
The binaural generator.
Left and right each play a slightly different sine tone. Your brain forms the difference — a slow pulsing at the tempo of the EEG bands. The research is mixed: small effects show up most readily for anxiety and relaxation. Worth trying; just don't expect miracles.
Headphones only — otherwise no binaural effect arises.
200.00 Hz left
207.83 Hz rightDifference: 7.83 Hz — your brain hears the difference as a slow pulsing.
Safety: listen at moderate volume. Not while driving or operating machinery. If you have epilepsy or a severe mental illness, consult a doctor first.
Listening as practice.
The effect comes not from the number alone but from the way you listen. A simple protocol that has proven itself — with a recording, a sine tone or an instrument.
Sit quietly for two minutes. Breathe out longer than in — this sets the body to receive.
One tone per session. The question to ask: what needs room today? When in doubt: the Ohm tone.
Five to fifteen minutes. Attention on the resonance and on bodily sensation rather than on thoughts.
One to two minutes of silence. Briefly note what has changed — a sound journal makes patterns visible.
Recording & sine tone.
Precise to the hertz, available at any time, ideal for binaural beats and direct comparison — just like here on this page. Perfect for getting to know the frequencies and for listening on the go.
Instrument.
A struck chime brings what no file can: natural overtones, vibration you can feel in the room, the ritual of striking the tone yourself — and a long decay to listen into.
Discover the Energy ChimesScience
& context.
To keep this page one of the most honest on the subject: three drawers, cleanly separated. So you always know what you are relying on — data, ongoing research or tradition.
Well established.
Music and targeted sound demonstrably lower stress and anxiety levels (before surgery, for instance), influence heart rate and breathing and change the perception of pain. Music therapy is a recognised treatment. Equally solid: slow, mindful listening activates the parasympathetic nervous system — regardless of the exact hertz number.
Open — under research.
Binaural beats show inconsistent, rather small effects in meta-analyses, most readily for anxiety. For 432 Hz there are pilot studies with slight advantages in small samples. 40 Hz stimulation is being researched intensively, with preliminary results. Vibroacoustics — low-frequency sound beds — is undergoing clinical trials.
Tradition & symbolism.
The Solfeggio number series, the chakra assignments and the attributed effects of the planetary tones come from spiritual traditions — the Cousto mathematics behind them is exact, the effect a matter of experience. Chladni figures and water-crystal photographs make vibration visible and are powerful symbols; scientific proof of an effect they are not.
The assignments and effects described here come from traditional teachings and reported experience; they are not medical claims. Sound and frequency work does not replace diagnosis, treatment or therapy. If you have health concerns, please see a doctor or therapist. Always listen at moderate volume; do not use binaural beats while driving or operating machinery.
Frequently asked.
The questions we hear most often about healing frequencies — answered briefly and honestly.
What exactly is a healing frequency?
A tone with a fixed rate of vibration (hertz), credited in traditions such as the Solfeggio teachings, chakra work or the Cosmic Octave with a balancing, ordering or opening effect. The term is not a medical one — it describes a tradition of use, not a validated form of therapy.
Are the effects scientifically proven?
It is well established that music and mindful listening can relax, reduce stress and change the perception of pain. For specific frequency effects — such as “528 Hz repairs DNA” — solid evidence is lacking; individual pilot studies on 432 Hz or binaural beats show small effects. More in the section “Science & context”.
Which frequency is right for me?
Choose by theme, listen to a sample and watch your body's response: does the breath deepen, do the shoulders sink, does it grow quieter inside? Then the tone fits. When in doubt, the Ohm tone (136.1 Hz) is a proven starting point — calm, warm, centred.
432 Hz or 440 Hz — which is better?
Objectively neither. 432 Hz sits 31.8 cents lower and sounds a touch softer to many ears; 440 Hz is the international standard. Decide in a direct listening comparison — the A/B test above is there for exactly that. Our Duos and Triples are tuned to 432 Hz.
Do I need headphones?
Only for binaural beats — they only arise when each ear receives its own tone. All other tones on this page also work through speakers; good headphones will reveal more detail, though.
How loud and how long should I listen?
Clearly audible but never unpleasant — pure sine tones are louder than they seem. Five to twenty minutes per session has proven itself; better regularly and short than rarely and very long. Afterwards, let it fade for one or two minutes.
How do Solfeggio, planetary and chakra tones differ?
They are three different systems: a numerological number series from the 1970s (Solfeggio), octavated astronomical cycles after Hans Cousto (planetary tones) and a scale assigned to the seven body centres (chakra tones). They do not contradict each other — they simply answer different questions.
Can I do anything wrong while listening?
Hardly. Keep the volume moderate, do not use binaural beats while driving, and with tinnitus or ear conditions listen very quietly or check with a doctor first. Beyond that: whatever feels good is allowed.
From knowledge
to instrument.
Everything on this page you can listen to — with the Energy Chimes by Dieter Schrade you can strike it: hand-tuned crystal glass for planetary, chakra and harmonic resonance.
Chakra Energy Chimes
from 89 €Seven tones, seven centres — as a single chime in octave 7 (89 €) or octave 6 (149 €).
Planetary Energy Chimes
from 89 €Thirteen planetary tones after Cousto, hand-tuned in crystal glass — octave 6 or 7.
Energy Chime Duos
169 €Two chimes in a harmonic interval, tuned to 432 Hz — for interplay and unison.
Energy Chime Triple
198 €Three chimes as a triad in 432 Hz — a small orchestra for sound rituals.
Part of the Schradeglas sound archive · Planetary values after Hans Cousto · All tones on this page are generated live in your browser.