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\n\tFrom classical to rock, musicians tune their instruments to a common pitch so they can play together harmoniously. For at least 80 years, that standard pitch frequency has been A440 Hz \u2014 which defines the A note above middle C, and by extension, all the other notes around it. But this longstanding tuning standard is now being challenged across genres, as more and more artists, including a pair of Grammy-winning acts, release albums tuned to A432 Hz instead. It\u2019s a slightly lower tuning, and for these musicians, it makes all the difference.<\/p>\n
\n\tRadiohead guitarist Ed O\u2019Brien\u2019s interest in this subject started about 12 years ago, at the Glastonbury Festival. \u201cI had an inspiring conversation about the Solfeggio scale, an ancient scale, and this led me to discovering 432 Hz,\u201d says O\u2019Brien, whose second solo album, Blue Morpho<\/em><\/a>, will be released May 22. \u201cI loved the idea that music could be more than just pleasant on the ear or move you \u2014 that the actual frequency it was played at could actually have a healing component or vibrate in harmony with the cells in your body and the world around you.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor O\u2019Brien, the effects of 432 Hz tuning are profound. \u201cFor me it just feels right,\u201d he says. \u201cIt has greater depth and power; it feels whole. In comparison, music at 440 Hz feels slightly shrill. The instruments sound and resonate better at this frequency, especially acoustic instruments like guitars. It feels deeper.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tNew Age artists have released 432 Hz records for decades. Advocates believe that music sounds better tuned to this frequency, and that 432 Hz and its related pitches and overtones are more harmonious with the natural frequencies of the human body and the Earth.<\/p>\n \n\tThe difference between 432 Hz and 440 Hz is remarkably tiny: less than a third of a semitone, or half step. But recent studies\u00a0show some fascinating effects of 432 Hz on listeners, such as enhanced appreciation of music<\/a> compared to 440 Hz, lower heart and respiratory rates<\/a>, and reduced anxiety<\/a>. The apparently outsized effects of this slightly flatter tuning are driving the growing 432 Hz movement.<\/p>\n