I recently built a tool called the Frequency Lab. One part of it plays the same short melody with concert pitch at 432 Hz and at 440 Hz and asks you, using only your ears, which one is 432 Hz. What happens when the person who built it takes the test? I did ten rounds.
Result: 6 out of 10
Six right, four wrong.
Before reading anything into that, the arithmetic. Guessing gets you half of them. The probability of getting 6 or more out of 10 by pure chance is about 38%. So 6 out of 10 is not a score that shows I can tell them apart. A result becomes distinguishable from guessing at around 8 or more out of 10 (chance probability about 5.5%).
That is the score of someone who makes 432 Hz music himself and has listened to it many times.
Why it is hard
The gap between 432 Hz and 440 Hz is about 32 cents, roughly a third of a semitone. That is not tiny. Heard one after the other, you can notice that the pitch differs.
The difficulty is the form of the test. It does not ask “which one is lower?” It asks “which one is 432 Hz?” To name the pitch of a single sample, you need a reference pitch in your head, something close to absolute pitch, which most people do not have. Neither do I.
Hearing A and B back to back gets you as far as “B is lower.” I still scored 6, I think because the order changes the impression, and the memory of the pitch blurs partway through the melody.
What this says
- The claim that “you can tell 432 Hz music right away” did not hold for me, at least.
- The studies comparing the effects of 432 Hz and 440 Hz are small and do not agree (see the list). The difficulty of telling them apart may be one reason. The arrangement, timbre and tempo of a piece probably shape how it feels far more than the pitch difference does.
- I still make music at 432 Hz. Not for an effect, but because when I listen while making it, that is the sound I choose.
Try it yourself
The “432 Hz or 440 Hz?” tab of the Frequency Lab runs the same test. Eight or more out of ten suggests you can hear the difference. Around six puts you where I am.
This test checks whether you can hear a difference in pitch. It does not test any effect on body or mind.
This article does not guarantee any medical or health benefit and is not a substitute for professional medical care. If you have any health concerns, please consult a physician or other qualified professional.
