In your search for the right handpan, you've probably come across it before. Besides the choice of tuning, material and number of tones, you also have the choice between different frequencies. The most common ones here are 440Hz and 432Hz.
We regularly get questions about this. Sometimes simply asking what it means, but sometimes also what the right choice is. On this page, we hope to help you make the right choice. There is no one right answer, it depends entirely on your preferences and playing goals. Hopefully, this text will help you make the right choice.
What does the number of hertz mean in a handpan?
Let's start at the beginning: the meaning of a number of hertz. As you may know,sound consists of vibrations. The faster the movement, the higher the tone. A very low tone is therefore often below 100Hz, while high notes can be in the tens of thousands.The scales we know and use consist of a fixed series of notes. We know these as the letters A to G. In most countries, when you agree to play an A, the same tone will be played. In other words, the same amount of vibrations per second (the number of hertz).
To be able to play together, gradually more and more agreements have been made about tonal ground. An example of such an agreement is the use of notes, i.e. the letters A to G. Of course, this is not the end of the story, because these letters must produce the same tone. Therefore, the number of hertz for each note is agreed. The A4 is taken as the standard, and 440Hz (440 vibrations per second) is agreed for this.
By having this A4 = 440Hz as a base, all the tones around it can be calculated. So the fact that a handpan is tuned in 440Hz does not mean that the whole handpan gives off 440Hz. Only the A4 on this handpan would be 440Hz. Some handpans don't even have this A4 on them, but so that's not a problem. It is still the base point,from which all other tones are calculated.
Alternative moods at handpans
So 440Hz is the norm within the mainstream musical landscape. There have always been alternative tunings, where this same A4 was determined just slightly higher or lower. By making this one tone different, automatically all other tones become slightly higher or lower too. The most popular tuning besides 440Hz is 432Hz. Another alternative tuning is 444Hz.
There are other alternative tunings, but since within the world of handpan, 440 and 432 are mostly prevalent, we will limit ourselves to these two tunings within this page.
Why do some people choose 432Hz?
432Hz is popular in different circles. Some reasons are more historical, some purely personal, and some more based on certain theories. Our advice, which follows more fully later in this text, is: follow your gut on this. Don't let yourself be led too much by what you hear from others or have read somewhere. If you respond better to a certain sound, go for it. Ultimately, you are going to play it, so the connection with the instrument has to be there. If that's right, the rest doesn't really matter.
Returning to the topic of this paragraph; why do people choose 432Hz, when 440Hz is the chosen standard? Let's start with the players who do this from history.
432Hz and classical music
Classical music has been around for hundreds of years, but universal tuning for only about 180 years. So music was being made long before we regulated things globally. So there were regions that used their own tunings, and also tuned the instruments they built accordingly. Many great composers lived in Europe in particular, and instruments from that era were built to the standards of these greats.
In particular, there are string instruments that date back to the time when instruments were tuned in (approximately) 432Hz, and thus built with that in mind. Today, there are still players who play instruments from that era, and wish to adhere to the standards of that era. So they prefer to play in 432Hz, because the instrument was built with this in mind. The best-known instruments of this are the Stradivarius violins. Instruments that are famous, but also extremely expensive!
It should be mentioned that measuring in hertz could not always be done either This form of measurement has been around for less than 100 years. It is therefore impossible to find out whether 432Hz was really used, but we do know that the classical music of the time was tuned somewhat lower than today's 440Hz. It is also unclear whether a builder like Stradivarius chose a particular tuning because he preferred it, or whether he did so because it was simply the norm. Such matters are difficult to ascertain, but the fact remains that there are musicians who prefer the slightly lower 432Hz for this reason.
Theories around 432Hz
There are quite a few theories going around about the value of 432Hz. Well, we should mention that the source of many of these theories is not easy to find. Still, some of these theories have been found quite popular, which is why we do name them on this page.
432Hz and the earth's frequency
There is the theory about the earth's frequency. This theory is so popular that it has even given rise to a name: 432Hz is often called the heart frequency, after the heart of the earth. The frequency of the earth's centre can be measured, and is 7.82Hz.
Well the theory around the heart frequency states that this frequency, when multiplied, better matches 432Hz than 440Hz. The mistake made here is that the earth's frequency (7.82Hz) is rounded to 8hz. Rounding before multiplying naturally ensures that the rounding is also multiplied.
Thus, 8Hz times 54 indeed yields 432Hz. The actual frequency, 7.82, times 54 yields 422.28Hz. A difference of almost 10Hz from the sum with 8Hz.
There are more of these more mathematically oriented justifications written in favour of 432Hz. Unfortunately, these calculations are often not done too meticulously. We therefore advise you to stick mostly to your own feelings, and not delve too much into the theory.
432Hz and historical theories
Another theory tells of the 1930s and 1940s. A period when fascism was dominant. It is sometimes argued that a universal vote was part of the plan of the fascists, who of course also wanted world domination.
Well it is true the process of achieving a universal vote was adopted worldwide during this same period, and it is even true that the initiative came from Germany. Well that initiative did come much earlier, as early as around 1850. It took quite a while for this initiative to be accepted worldwide, recording it therefore did not happen until 1953. Indeed around the time of the Nazi regime, but still 8 years after that. Moreover, America played a major role in the eventual establishment of this universal vote, and America was precisely against the Nazi regime.
So again, a theory that is spread pretty quickly and easily, but doesn't make it if you dive in a little further.
432Hz and laws of nature
Finally, then, the laws of nature. It is true that 432Hz yields a more rounded set of frequencies than 440Hz. With a rounder number, when you experiment with vibrations, you also get to see nicer and more correct patterns. You can find numerous examples of vibrating plates with, say, sand on them, showing beautiful patterns when a certain frequency is played.
So, from laws of nature, there is definitely something to be said for 432Hz. It looks nicer and more correct. Little research has been done on the actual effect of this, but it certainly makes for a more correct sequence!
Why do people choose 440Hz?
Diving into reasons why 440Hz is chosen yields less exciting results than the search for reasons for 432Hz. The reason, then, is that there is less of a group of advocates for specifically 440Hz.
440Hz as standard for interplay
440Hz was chosen for a simple purpose: playing together. There were an awful lot of different tunings and modes used until 1850, but the tone we now call the A always moved somewhere around 420Hz and 460Hz. From a nice middle that everyone could agree on, the average was chosen: 440Hz.
Players who prefer 440Hz still do so from the same goal: playing together. Whether that is in 432Hz, 440Hz or 444Hz does not matter much to most. As long as everyone sticks to the same frequency. Since 440Hz is held worldwide, people therefore choose this.
So no exciting theories in this paragraph, mostly practical views.
Our advice when choosing 440Hz or 432Hz
Our advice is simple: forget everything you have heard from others or read somewhere. Listen with an open mind, and discover what it does to you. If you experience a stronger feeling with 432Hz, that could be the right choice for you. In our experience, players often respond more strongly to different steels or a specific tuning. These factors are often of much greater influence than the chosen frequency. We can let you experience the difference during our workshops and orientations, so you can come to the right conclusion all by yourself, which suits your experience and your feeling.
