The Perfect 5^th

The perfect fifth is the name for a very special interval in music. The effect of this sound on people is deeply balancing.

An interval is the distance between two sounds. Most people are familiar with the musical scale as below:

Each of these syllables represents a sound and the sounds keep getting higher as it is sung from left to right. Each of these syllables can also be given numbers and letters to represent the sounds, like this:

Musical sounds were given the names of letters eons ago so that it would be easier to describe these sounds and understand their combinations. Notice that in the series of sounds above, number 1 or the first sound is called the letter C and number 5 or the fifth sound in the series is called G. They are 5 letters apart or 5 numbers apart. The distance between these two sounds is called a 5.th . In the Middle Ages, it was realized that certain combinations of sounds, especially when you hear them at the same time, sounded more harmonious than other combinations. An anonymous early author discussing these sounds called the harmonious ones ‘perfect’ and the name stuck. Perfect intervals are the unison (or the same sound), the 4th (number 1 or C and number 4 or F for example), the 5th (number 1 and 5) and the octave (number 1 and 8, for example).

It is interesting to note that these perfect intervals are also the ones with the simplest mathematical ratios. In these modern times, we have another way to look at the perfect 5th. That is, the patterns the specific sounds create on the oscilloscope. Sound travels like a wave and that is how it looks on the oscilloscope. The first picture below is how the note or sound C (number 1) would look like. Its frequency is measured at 256 Hertz.

In the next picture, the wave or sound for G (number 5) is added. Its frequency is measured at 384 Hertz. It is the green wave below. Notice how 3 of the green waves take exactly the same amount of space as 2 of the blue waves. Mathematically, this is a ratio of 2:3.

When we listen to these two sounds together, their combined sound has three different levels of loudness shown by the high, middle and low peaks in the red wave below.

When this picture is condensed on the oscilloscope, the waves show the balance in these three levels below. This balance we see in the waves is also characteristic of its sound.

On his website www.biosonics.com, in an article called, “A Beginner’s Guide to Sound Healing with Tuning Forks,” Dr. John Beaulieu states that the fifth note has played an important role in many ancient teachings:  “the Chinese philosoper Lao Tzu referred to the fifth as the sound of universal harmony between the forces of Yin and Yang. In India, the fifth is believed to create a sound through which Shiva calls Shakti to the dance of life. Apollo, the Greek God of Music and Healing, plucked the fifth on his Sacred lyre to call dolphin messengers to Delphi where they channeled messages to the oracles. The Alchemists called the interval of a fifth crux ansata and considered it to be a transition point where matter crossed over into spirit. The crux ansata, also called the anak by the Egyptians, is a still point where the earth ends and our ascension into spirit begins. For them the number five was numerologically the perfect combination of even (two) and odd (three) representing the unity of heaven and earth.

Sounding the fifth is a general sound tonic. Some of the sound healing benefits of the fifth are: alleviates depression; enhances joint mobility; balances Earth with spirit; directly stimulates nitric oxide release that is anti bacterial, anti viral and enhances the immune system, balances the heart, pituitary gland and sphenoid bone, balances sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.”

If you happen to be in an environment where the sound leaves you feeling a little rattled or unsettled, the sound of the perfect 5th can help restore you to balance. Click below to listen to a 5 minute track of perfect 5th tuning forks. If this sound resonates with you, you can return to it any time.