The Solfeggio Frequencies List: All 9 Tones and What Each Is Said to Do
There are nine solfeggio frequencies: 174 Hz, 285 Hz, 396 Hz, 417 Hz, 528 Hz, 639 Hz, 741 Hz, 852 Hz and 963 Hz. Each is linked to a particular intention, from letting go of fear to transformation, and they're widely used in meditation, yoga and sound healing. This guide lists all nine with what each is traditionally said to do, explains where the frequencies come from, and looks honestly at what the research does and doesn't show.
What are the 9 solfeggio frequencies?
The nine solfeggio frequencies are specific tones, measured in hertz (Hz), that are each associated with a different emotional or physical intention. The associations below are the ones most commonly given, as summarised by Oura. They're traditional claims rather than proven effects, and we come back to the evidence further down.
The links on the following music take you directly to my own Mishi solfeggio music:
174 Hz: often called the healing frequency and linked with the physical body. Listen: Relieve Pain 174 Hz.
285 Hz: associated with restoring and renewing the body's tissues. Listen: Healing Tissue 285 Hz.
396 Hz: linked with letting go of guilt, fear and negative beliefs. Listen: Release Fear 396 Hz.
417 Hz: linked with healing from trauma and moving on from past difficulties. Listen: Facilitate Change 417 Hz.
528 Hz: the best known of the nine, nicknamed the "love frequency" and the frequency of transformation. Listen: Transformation 528 Hz.
639 Hz: linked with balance, harmony and relationships.
741 Hz: described as a cleansing or "detoxifying" frequency.
852 Hz: associated with replacing negative thoughts with positive ones and with intuition.
963 Hz: linked with raising consciousness and awakening intuition.
If you work with more than one frequency, the three tracks in the Solfeggio Frequencies Vol. 1 collection are a good place to start.
Where do solfeggio frequencies come from?
The name comes from medieval music, but the frequencies themselves are a modern idea. The link to the past is the hymn Ut queant laxis, a Latin hymn to John the Baptist. In the 11th century, the music theorist Guido of Arezzo is credited with using the first syllable of each line (ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la) to name the notes of the scale. That system is the basis of the "do, re, mi" syllables singers still learn today, and it's where the word solfeggio comes from.
The nine frequencies in hertz arrived much later. In the 1970s, Dr Joseph Puleo said he had rediscovered them through a numerological reading of the Book of Numbers in the Bible, and the idea spread widely after Dr Leonard Horowitz wrote about them in a 1999 book, according to The Mind Orchestra. There's no historical record of these exact frequencies being used in Gregorian chant or by Guido himself, so it's more accurate to see them as a modern spiritual framework built on an old name.
That doesn't make them any less useful as a way to structure a meditation or give a sound session a focus. It just means the meaning comes from the modern tradition, not from medieval monks.
Do solfeggio frequencies really work?
There is some research, and none of it confirms the specific claims attached to each frequency. The one study most often cited is small but interesting, and many people find solfeggio music calming, which is a real benefit in itself.
That study, published in the journal Health in 2018 by Akimoto and colleagues, compared piano music tuned to 528 Hz with the same music at standard 440 Hz tuning. Nine healthy adults listened to each for five minutes on separate days. After the 528 Hz music, their cortisol fell, oxytocin rose and they reported less tension and anxiety. The 440 Hz version didn't produce those changes.
It's a promising result, but nine people and five minutes of one piece of music can't tell us much on their own. No study has shown that 528 Hz repairs DNA, or that any of the other frequencies does the specific thing it's linked with. For a wider look at what sound-based approaches can and can't do, see our post on the research-backed benefits of sound therapy.
We can say, solfeggio music is calming, low-risk and meaningful to a lot of people, and those are good reasons to use it. Treat the individual frequency meanings as intentions to work with rather than guaranteed effects.
How long should you listen to solfeggio frequencies?
There's no research-based answer. The 2018 study found changes after just five minutes, and most people use solfeggio music for anything from a short reset to a full meditation or sleep session.
A practical approach:
Start with 10 to 20 minutes during meditation, yoga, breathwork or wind-down time.
Keep the volume low. The music should sit comfortably in the background.
Pick one frequency per session based on your intention, so you can notice how each one feels.
Try both styles. Some tracks are pure tones, others are full pieces of music set to the frequency. Many people find composed music easier to listen to for longer.
Are solfeggio frequencies safe?
For most people, yes. Listening to solfeggio music at a comfortable volume is as safe as listening to any other calm music. If a particular tone feels unpleasant or gives you a headache, switch to a different frequency or to a composed piece rather than a pure tone.
Solfeggio music isn't a treatment for any medical condition. If in any doubt, or if you are dealing with pain, anxiety, trauma or poor sleep, use it alongside proper care, not instead of it, - speak to your GP.
Using solfeggio frequencies in your practice
If you teach meditation or yoga, run sound healing sessions or work one-to-one with clients, solfeggio tracks are an easy way to give a session a theme. You might use 396 Hz for a class focused on letting go, or 528 Hz for a session built around renewal.
Tracks are available with a permanent Commercial Use licence, so you can play them in paid classes and sessions and use them in your own videos. Browse the full Solfeggio Frequencies Vol. 1 collection, or start with Transformation 528 Hz and see how it feels in your next session.
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