417 Hz: Re, the tone of change

What is 417 Hz

417 Hz is a tone that vibrates 417 times a second. In air its wave is 82 centimetres long. On a piano it is very close to G♯4, the black key to the right of the G above middle C: only 7 cents higher, where a cent is a hundredth of a semitone.

In the set of solfeggio frequencies it is the fourth of the nine tones and the second of the six original ones, which Joseph Puleo put forward in the 1970s. Its syllable is Re.

Its digits add up to 3: 4 + 1 + 7 = 12 and 1 + 2 = 3. The same digits in a different order give 174 Hz, the lowest tone of the set, and 741 Hz. Most neighbours in the set are 111 apart, as 417 Hz and 528 Hz are. The step below is one of the two exceptions: 396 Hz is only 21 lower, which makes 396 Hz and 417 Hz the closest pair in the set.

417 Hz meaning and chakra

In the tradition 417 Hz means change. Its syllable, Re, is the second of the six syllables, Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, that Guido of Arezzo took in the 11th century from a Latin hymn to Saint John the Baptist to teach singers. Re is still the name of the second step of a scale: Do, Re, Mi.

The syllables named the steps of a scale and were not tied to frequencies. The number 417 was linked to Re in the 1970s and published in 1999.

Practitioners assign 417 Hz to the sacral chakra, the second of the seven, which the tradition places in the lower belly, below the navel. The tone below it, 396 Hz, is assigned to the root chakra, and the tone above it, 528 Hz, to the solar plexus.

417 Hz frequency benefits: what it is used for

Sound therapy describes the benefits of 417 Hz with three phrases: undoing difficult situations, clearing old patterns, making room for change.

In practice people turn to it at three kinds of moments.

• Before a change. A session before a decision or a new start.
• To leave a habit behind. A short daily session that marks the break with an old pattern.
• After a difficult situation. To close the day and put the event down.

These are uses, not measured effects. The next section says what has been measured.

417 Hz and science: what research exists

No controlled studies in people have tested 417 Hz on its own.

Two studies in people exist for its neighbour, 528 Hz. In Japan nine healthy adults listened for five minutes to soothing piano music tuned to 528 Hz and, on another day, to the same kind of music tuned to 440 Hz. After the 528 Hz music cortisol fell and oxytocin rose; after the 440 Hz music none of these changes was significant. In India 60 patients with stage 1 hypertension were followed for a month. Those who listened daily to OM chanting composed at 528 Hz had a lower pulse and blood pressure, better sleep and less perceived stress. The first study is small, and in the second the control group listened to nothing, so the frequency cannot be separated from the daily quiet listening.

One study looked at solfeggio music as a whole, in animals. Zebrafish kept in light for 24 hours had worse memory and higher cortisol, and exposure to solfeggio-frequency music reversed both.

The firmest result is about music in general: a review of 104 randomised trials with 9,617 participants found that music interventions reduce stress.

The page about 528 Hz describes the two studies in people in detail.

How to listen to 417 Hz

417 Hz lies in the middle of the set, above the soft low tones and below the piercing high ones. Listen to it quietly and for a short time at first.

• Volume. Turn the device down, press Play and raise the volume until the tone is barely audible.
• Position. Sit with a straight back or lie down, and close your eyes.
• Breath. In for a count of four, out for a count of six.
• Attention. Let the tone stay in the background. When thoughts pull you away, come back to the breath.
• Minutes. Five for the first sessions, then 15. The timer fades the sound out.

If the pure tone feels sharp, switch on the brown noise background. A pure tone sounds the same through a speaker; headphones are needed only with a binaural beat.

417 Hz for change and letting go: a session

This is the main session for 417 Hz: the tone with a theta beat, 15 minutes long.

• Put on headphones, choose 417 Hz and add the theta beat of 6 Hz. The left ear hears 417 Hz, the right ear 423 Hz.
• Switch on the brown noise background.
• Set the volume so that the tone is barely audible and the timer to 15 minutes.
• Sit or lie down and close your eyes. For the first minutes breathe in for four and out for six.
• Bring to mind the pattern or the situation you want to leave. Do not analyse it. On each out-breath let it move a little further away.
• When the sound fades, sit for a minute before you get up.

For the evening change two settings: the delta beat of 2 Hz, which gives 417 Hz and 419 Hz, and the 30-minute timer.

417 Hz binaural beats

A binaural beat appears when each ear hears its own tone. Both tones must be below 1000 Hz, and the beat is heard when their difference is roughly 1 to 30 Hz. 417 Hz fits as the carrier.

The generator gives three beats. Delta, 2 Hz: 417 Hz in the left ear and 419 Hz in the right. Theta, 6 Hz: 417 Hz and 423 Hz. Alpha, 10 Hz: 417 Hz and 427 Hz.

What you hear is still the pitch of 417 Hz, with a slow pulse in it. The tone is chosen for its meaning in the tradition. The beat is the part that has been studied: a meta-analysis of 22 studies found a medium overall effect on memory, attention, anxiety and pain perception.

The pages about binaural beats describe which beat is used for sleep, meditation, focus and anxiety.

417 Hz pure tone or music

A pure tone of 417 Hz is one frequency with nothing added. It is exact, and it is demanding: a pure tone tires the ear sooner than music at the same volume. Use it for short sessions and with a tuning fork.

Music in 417 Hz is music tuned so that one of its notes falls on 417 Hz. Since 417 Hz is only 7 cents above G♯4, such music sounds almost like music in standard tuning, a touch higher.

The studies that exist on solfeggio tones used music and chanting, not a bare tone. For listening longer than 15 minutes choose music, or soften the tone with brown noise.

417 Hz tuning fork: how to use it

Solfeggio tuning forks are sold singly and in sets of nine. There are two kinds, and they are used differently.

Strike the fork on a rubber activator or on the knee, never on a hard surface: metal on metal damages the fork and adds overtones.

A fork sounds for 20 to 40 seconds. Repeat three to five times. For a longer session use the generator, which holds the tone as long as you like.

417 Hz side effects: what to know

No study has described a harm specific to 417 Hz or to any other solfeggio frequency. The side effects that can appear come from loudness and from long sessions, and the rules are the same as for any sound.

• Headache, irritation or ringing in the ears. Lower the volume or stop. A pure tone is more tiring than music at the same volume.
• Loudness. Hearing is harmed by loudness and duration, not by a particular frequency. The World Health Organization considers sound of up to 80 dB safe for 40 hours a week.
• Tinnitus or sensitivity to sound. Start with the low tones, 174 Hz or 285 Hz, at a very low volume.
• Binaural beats. Use headphones, do not listen while driving, and if you have epilepsy talk to your doctor first.

If a session leaves you restless, make the next one shorter and quieter. The tone is a way to rest and does not replace medical or psychological help.

417 Hz compared with 396 Hz and 528 Hz

417 Hz stands between the first and the third of the six original tones: Ut, Re, Mi.

In the tradition the three tones make a sequence: letting go, change, transformation. Each tone has its own page, and the page about solfeggio frequencies shows all nine in one chart.