432 Hz compared to 440 Hz

I've been reading about alternate tuning and done some of my own research into the subject. The standard tuning for instruments is A = 440 Hz  This was decided in 1939 and this is the only official standard tuning around the world. My preferred tuning is A = 432 Hz which according to some studies is a more harmonious frequency, in tune with natural law. You can see for yourself with these two water sound images of the two frequencies.

Link to website of original creator of these images, Robert Boerman

Worth to mention is that there are many alternative frequencies for tuning. Some people say 444 Hz is the "sacred frequency" but so far there is no "right" or "wrong" tuning defined. There are claims that 432 Hz was the standard tuning for classical composers, but this is not true. There was no such thing as a standard tuning before electromagnetism was discovered in the 19th century, which enabled the precise measurement of frequencies. Old organ pipes are tuned to a large variety of frequencies. 

From Wikipedia:

"For example, an English pitchpipe from 1720 plays the A above middle C at 380 Hz, while the organs played by Johann Sebastian Bach in Hamburg, Leipzig and Weimar were pitched at A = 480 Hz, a difference of around four semitones. In other words, the A produced by the 1720 pitchpipe would have been at the same frequency as the F on one of Bach's organs."

With this being said, my own personal experience with the different frequencies has been clear. I feel a lot more relaxed when playing 432 Hz on my guitar, maybe partly because there is less tension on the strings. However, there is also a connection to sacred numbers. An lower octave is half the frequency and a higher octave is double frequency. The A string (second lowest) on a guitar that is the one being tuned is two octaves below the tuning A, which means four times lower frequency. For 440 Hz this becomes 110 Hz, but for 432 Hz it becomes 108 Hz, which is a sacred number. (See Wikipedia)

You can also see a practical experiment I did with some friends on the Solfeggio frequency 528 Hz in this article.

For a more philosophical article, read about the Source of Music.

Recording with Big Brother!

Praise the Good (Rock Version)

Vocals & Songwriting: Patrik Siljestam

Electric Guitar: Andreas Siljestam

Drums: Nick Tucco

You can find the chords and lyrics for this song right here!

This song was recorded on September 1, 2012, when my older brother Andreas was in Fairfield to visit me. He had his own electric guitar as a teenager and got really good at that time, but after a while he sold it and stopped playing. This was a chance for my brother to dust off his old guitar skills and play in a band once again, borrowing my electric guitar Angel (read more about her here).

I wrote the song originally, and when I showed the chords and song structure to Andreas he immediately came up with an awesome strumming pattern. I was surprised at how easily he could hear how the guitar would fit with the rest of the song. He also had some great suggestions in the song structure - a pause before the higher pitched verses, silent guitar during the last verse etc. Seeing the wholeness of a song like this and grasping in one's consciousness how a song could develop is what differs a great musician from someone who just plays music, at least to me.

"What is meant to be heard in music
Must be heard within you
Before anyone else can hear it."
- Nadia Boulanger

We recorded using a Blue Yeti Pro recording microphone that plugs straight into the computer. It's a great mic that I recently got so I hope to be uploading more content soon.

My Companions

These two beauties are my loyal companions and I've even named them! As a musician I definitely have a relationship with my instruments, kind of like having a pet. I need to make sure I spend time with them, take care of them and take them out onto stage as well, and in return I get their unconditional love and support.

The classic acoustic guitar I call Brownie because she is more of an earthy, homey guitar and has a very warm, soothing sound. I got her as a birthday present seven years ago, when I was 18. I've played her at least a couple of times every week since then, sometimes several hours a day. Whenever I travel somewhere for at least a week I bring her with me and she's been with me through Europe, Africa and America. I really feel like she is a troubadour's guitar and perfect for the campfire. Her sound has developed over time and become more full, as the wood gets more in tune and adapt to her musical vibrations.

In the town where I live and study, Fairfield, Iowa, there is a quirky music store scrambled with instruments, called Field of Dreams. I looked at various guitars the man was selling, while wearing my blue suit with belonging vest. As I saw her and tried playing a little bit, I fell in love. She was larger than the other guitars with a color that matched my outfit perfectly. Although she was the most expensive guitar he had, I could not settle for less.

Angel, as I named my electric acoustic guitar due to her celestial color and ethereal sound, had been waiting for me for 16 years when I bought her. I looked up her serial number and found out that she was made in Korea in May of 1996. I was the first owner so the original strings and stickers were still on. She had been played by many people, but no one had been willing to pay the price until I came.

A friend of mine told me that starting with a classic guitar is the best. The reason is that the strings are higher off the fretboard, the neck is thicker and the strings are further apart so your fingers have to learn precision in order to play clean. Brownie doesn't have any dots on the fretboard either to indicate where the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th fret are so I had to learn that intuitively instead. Now that I play both guitars, Brownie is great to practice difficult riffs and licks in order to really get to know them.

The reason I got Angel was because I started to play with a drummer, Nick Tucco, and amplifying Brownie with a microphone just wasn't working. Until then I had mostly played ballads, folk, pop and a little bit of classical rock but with a real good drummer I was inspired to get myself into hard rock, metal and other types of music that require an electric guitar. 

Angel has inspired me to play the guitar like a voice, instead of just a backup instrument for my vocals. I've learned a lot during the almost 6 months I've been playing her and recently got a recording microphone which will allow me to upload music where Nick and I are playing together. The main reason I used to play music was because I wanted to express, but now my consciousness has shifted and instead I mainly play music because I want to explore, although the value of expression still remains.

What is the essence of music?

The essence of music is a rather philosophical concept with no real right or wrong, but for a musician to ask the question and find an answer that resonates personally can bring a different depth into the music created.

I had an experience with music that gave me insight into the spiritual value of music. I was driving back from Los Angeles to Fairfield, Iowa and put up camp north of St George in Utah. It was a beautiful place with mountains nearby, sagebrush growing around me with a couple of juniper trees right by the tent. There was a strong wind blowing and as dusk turned into night, I became slightly frightened for various reasons.

Would the wind become a storm and blow the tent away? Would someone with ill intentions walk by the tent? Would a rattlesnake or other dangerous animal attack me? None of these made sense and before setting camp I had seen a beautiful double rainbow in the sunset and a bird had guided me to the site. Nature was supporting me, yet I could feel unease from Her.

I opened my guitar case and was about to play a few songs when I could feel the tension between Nature and the guitar. This instrument was not native to the Land and the people who had brought it with them caused much suffering. Instead, I picked up a Native American flute I had received as a gift from Andreas, my older brother.

Playing the flute made me feel connected in a way the guitar could not. A wooden flute is closer to nature somehow, since it is just a hollow branch with some holes and decorations. I am still learning to play the flute and know a few simple tunes, and these melodies felt soothing to me. It was as if Nature could receive them without the memory of pain.

The next night when I was camping in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, I had the same experience. My guitar didn't resonate as well with my surroundings as the Native American flute. Maybe because I was by myself, Nature was my only audience and thus all my feedback came from Her.

To me, the essence of music is an offering, a way to connect with the Divine, it whatever form we perceive it. Through music I have felt more connected to myself, to other people, to Nature and to God. Music is a language spoken by all of Creation and that is the real strength of it, to me. Even if I play in an empty room, I feel like there is someone listening.

Whether you are a musician or someone who just enjoys listening to music, I would ask you to look deeper into the value and effect of music, as it relates to you. Is there a subtle connection, a unique way of expressing your inner world, or just a feeling you can't put words to?

What is the essence of music to you?

Read Minca Borg's answer to this question in her blog.