432Hz "A"

[Hulktopus]

This was briefly mentioned in another thread, and it piqued my interest. In the other thread, people seemed to dismiss the math/science outright because the site that explained this 432Hz theory also mentioned spiritual things (Chakras was the word that seemed to turn people off).

I understand that everything on the internet isn't true (though some people would argue this), but I can't help wondering if there was some actual validity to this website.
Spiritual/holistic medicine has been around for thousands of years, and there's that old adage: "Music soothes even the most savage of beasts." I don't believe that this saying came out of thin air; however, I've never tamed a lion with my bass.

How do YOU feel about this?

I challenge all of you (and I will do the same) to use any sound editing program (I will be using Audacity, instructions at Invalid Link Removed) to lower the pitch on your favorite piece of classical music by 8Hz, listen to it MORE THAN JUST A FEW TIMES, and post your feelings about that specific piece here. Please identify the piece(s) you chose and compare them to the 440Hz "A" versions in your post.

Now from what I've read so far, the Nazis were the spearhead in changing the traditional "A" (432Hz at the time) to the 440Hz "A" we know today. I haven't read a lot about "why" this was done, just that it was done. Any information/direction regarding this is also very welcome.

I am NOT trying to change the standard here, just want to know what everyone else thinks...

 

[fraublugher]

The nancy's weren't in the band , they were trying to perfect the dusseldorf two-step.

Occam's razor : they were probably just trying a lower the string tension , with as little tone loss as possible.

Please don't misconstrue my post as painting me as a nancy conspirator.
guten tag

 

[Silver Blues]

I heard this too, and immediately did this to Caravan in Audacity.

It just sounded weird. Heard the Nazi thing too... don't really believe it. Ah, but you never know.

--Silvie

 

[funky_boss_mx]

Interesting...
Have you got an equivalence in fractions of tone about how much of a "whole tone" would you have to dimminish "A" to get this frequency? (just because i'm getting a little lazy on downloading that software afore mentioned)

 

[megafiddle]

Not a fair test. Slowing down or pitch shifting a recording is not the same as
retuning all the instruments.

 

[Hulktopus]

Not a fair test. Slowing down or pitch shifting a recording is not the same as

retuning all the instruments.

I agree 100%, but how many of us are willing to re-tune and play through Bach's cello suite? Not me.

Also, many of these programs allow for you to change the pitch without slowing the recording (or change speed without changing the pitch). I think it's a nice test to get the "idea" of how it would sound without having to do all that re-tuning.

 

[megafiddle]

I guess it really depends on what you are trying to test.

There are different claims as to why 432 is better. If it's simply the effect of frequency,
and the pitch shift can be done without artifacts, then that might work.

 

[DarnellBass]

Different tunings make the intervals sound different so it will change the way music is heard and composed. Most of the classical music like Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, etc. were composed around A=423.5hz tuning; it also had to due with the tension of gut strings and less strain on the voice.
I recorded portrait of tracy with 432 and 440 here=> https://soundcloud.com/aaron-darnell-1

 

[svtb15]

+1 to this post...
In more ways than one..

This was briefly mentioned in another thread, and it piqued my interest. In the other thread, people seemed to dismiss the math/science outright because the site that explained this 432Hz theory also mentioned spiritual things (Chakras was the word that seemed to turn people off).

I understand that everything on the internet isn't true (though some people would argue this), but I can't help wondering if there was some actual validity to this website.
Spiritual/holistic medicine has been around for thousands of years, and there's that old adage: "Music soothes even the most savage of beasts." I don't believe that this saying came out of thin air; however, I've never tamed a lion with my bass.

How do YOU feel about this?

I challenge all of you (and I will do the same) to use any sound editing program (I will be using Audacity, instructions at Invalid Link Removed) to lower the pitch on your favorite piece of classical music by 8Hz, listen to it MORE THAN JUST A FEW TIMES, and post your feelings about that specific piece here. Please identify the piece(s) you chose and compare them to the 440Hz "A" versions in your post.

Now from what I've read so far, the Nazis were the spearhead in changing the traditional "A" (432Hz at the time) to the 440Hz "A" we know today. I haven't read a lot about "why" this was done, just that it was done. Any information/direction regarding this is also very welcome.

I am NOT trying to change the standard here, just want to know what everyone else thinks...

 

[mflaherty]

Handel and Hendrix would say A should be 415Hz.

 

[NickyBass]

I challenge all of you (and I will do the same) to use any sound editing program (I will be using Audacity, instructions at Invalid Link Removed) to lower the pitch on your favorite piece of classical music by 8Hz, listen to it MORE THAN JUST A FEW TIMES, and post your feelings about that specific piece here. Please identify the piece(s) you chose and compare them to the 440Hz "A" versions in your post.

It would depend on which recording you are listening to as not all orchestras tune to A=440.

 

[Vanceman]

Handel and Hendrix would say A should be 415Hz.

I think Hendrix was more like 420Hz.

 

[warnergt]

This was briefly mentioned in another thread, and it piqued my interest. In the other thread, people seemed to dismiss the math/science outright because the site that explained this 432Hz theory also mentioned spiritual things...

Isn't the 432 Hz A-scale the scale that contains "the brown note?"

 

[HaMMerHeD]

In my opinion, claims to spirituality are equal parts fraud and wishful thinking.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

I agree 100%, but how many of us are willing to re-tune and play through Bach's cello suite? Not me.

Also, many of these programs allow for you to change the pitch without slowing the recording (or change speed without changing the pitch). I think it's a nice test to get the "idea" of how it would sound without having to do all that re-tuning.

Keep in mind the cello suite was written when A was at 432... So if you tune to that, you will play it at the same pitch as it was intended to be.

 

[bassteban]

Nancys LOL

 

[Blue_Whistle88]

Could be interesting to work with. Considering how easy it is to adjust setups on electric and bass guitar, it'd be cool to see how the change in pitch affects overall tone. That being said, linking something like this to Nazis sounds like another angry, mindless conspiracy theory to me. Either support the claim with hard evidence, or accept that it's unsubstantiated garbage.

Now, I'm going to quote Wikipedia here. Before anyone starts another anti-Wikipedia tirade, I'd like to remind you that it makes apparently reasonable claims, while the source it disputes is a random, unverified internet article claiming the Nazis did it. Let's not make subjective veracity the argument here..

Wikipedia says that the American music industry informally made 440hz standard pitch in 1926, and that it became more and more widely used until 1936 when the American Standards Association made it official. The International Organisation for Standardisation made it official in 1955. So, my money is on the ASA's standardisation only taking so long to become the international standard because there was a world war in Europe shortly after they did so. Musical tuning standards become slightly less relevant when you're getting bombed and invaded.

The fact that World War 2 occurred in between the ASA's standardisation and the ISO's standardisation is probably the catalyst for the conspiracy theory. Kind of like how a lack of intelligence and the missing tops of the Egytian Pyramids are some of the catalysts for the conspiracy theory that aliens used the pyramids as landing pads and taught mankind how to build things.

 

[RockNRollAl]

Sorry to awaken an old thread....

Keep in mind that the well-tempered scale places seven of the twelve notes anywhere from 11 to 17% off. 432 is only 1.8% off.

Standard pitch has been all over the place (420 to 455) since the 1700's:

http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/eng_pitch.html


Thank God, we don't play one-note songs in A.

 

[Testing123]

Thank God, we don't play one-note songs in A.

Ya, I've always played them in Bb. However, Wikipedia says typically played in G (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Note_Samba)

I guess the ones in 'A' are the Canadian versions.

 

[Munjibunga]

This was briefly mentioned in another thread, and it piqued my interest. In the other thread, people seemed to dismiss the math/science outright because the site that explained this 432Hz theory also mentioned spiritual things (Chakras was the word that seemed to turn people off).

There is no math or science behind it. There's plenty of superstition, though.

I understand that everything on the internet isn't true (though some people would argue this), but I can't help wondering if there was some actual validity to this website.

What you mean is not everything on the internet is true.

Spiritual/holistic medicine has been around for thousands of years, and there's that old adage: "Music soothes even the most savage of beasts." I don't believe that this saying came out of thin air; however, I've never tamed a lion with my bass.

The phrase is, "Music has charms to soothe a savage breast" from The Mourning Bride by William Congreve, written in 1697. I'll put my faith in modern medicine, which has kept me alive for the last 20 years.

How do YOU feel about this?

I challenge all of you (and I will do the same) to use any sound editing program (I will be using Audacity, instructions at Invalid Link Removed) to lower the pitch on your favorite piece of classical music by 8Hz, listen to it MORE THAN JUST A FEW TIMES, and post your feelings about that specific piece here. Please identify the piece(s) you chose and compare them to the 440Hz "A" versions in your post.

Now from what I've read so far, the Nazis were the spearhead in changing the traditional "A" (432Hz at the time) to the 440Hz "A" we know today. I haven't read a lot about "why" this was done, just that it was done. Any information/direction regarding this is also very welcome.

I am NOT trying to change the standard here, just want to know what everyone else thinks...

I think A432 is for people who live in Sedona.