Did you know that similar to a musical instrument, your body can also fall out of tune?
This disharmony within us can lead to a feeling of unbalance, unrest and disease.
Fortunately, just like a finely tuned musical instrument, that produces perfect harmonies, we can use tuning forks to “tune-up” our system, and return back to a state of balance and harmony — both physically and energetically.
In this post, we’ll cover what tuning forks are, how to use tuning forks for healing, and the benefits of tuning fork healing with sound therapy.
Table of Contents
- What is a Tuning Fork?
- Why Are Tuning Forks Used for Healing with Sound Therapy?
- Benefits of Tuning Fork Healing
- Types of Tuning Forks
- How to Use Tuning Forks for Healing
- What is Tuning Fork Therapy?
- Tuning Fork Therapy at Home
- More Tuning Fork Uses
- Tuning Forks for Cleansing Crystals
- Tuning Forks for Clearing a Space
- Tuning Forks for Animal Healing and Pets
- Tuning Forks for Music
- Tuning Forks for Hearing Tests
- Key Takeaways
What is a Tuning Fork?
If you play a musical instrument, you might have used or heard of a tuning fork. A tuning fork is an acoustic instrument calibrated to specific frequencies.
Parts of a Tuning Fork
Tuning forks are most commonly made of aluminum or steel. They consist of:
- Two prongs (also called tines)
- Stem (the part connecting the prongs to the footpiece)
- Footpiece (the bottom)
- Weights (some tuning forks also have weights to deepen the vibration)
When struck, the tuning fork produces a very specific musical pitch depending on its unique frequency. This serves as a standard for tuning musical instruments like pianos, violins and guitars.
Tuning forks are also used by doctors to assess hearing, and by healing practitioners for sound therapy.
How a Tuning Fork Works
Sound waves are created when any object vibrates — this can be the sound of someone talking, playing a key on a piano, or the sound of a vase smashing to the floor.
When struck, usually with a mallet, on a knee cap or a hockey puck, the tines of the tuning fork begin to vibrate, several hundred times per second, producing waves that transmit vibrations in the air around it.
These back-and-forth vibrations disturb the air molecules surrounding the tuning fork at tremendous speed, smashing more air molecules that finally hit your eardrum, and are processed as a gentle hum by your brain.
Scientifically, the speed at which a tuning fork vibrates is called its frequency, which is the number of times it vibrates per second, and is measured in hertz (Hz).
The faster a tuning fork vibrates — meaning the faster its frequency — the higher the pitch of the note it makes.
Why Are Tuning Forks Used for Healing with Sound Therapy?
Healing with sound therapy through tuning forks is based on the premise that everything in the universe carries a vibration. These vibrations occur inside and around you.
Our bodies have harmony and rhythm. If our body experiences vibrations that create positive rhythm and harmony, sound healing happens.
Did you know sound travels through water 5 times faster than it travels through air?
Since our body is made up of 75% water, it makes it an optimal conductor for sound. As sound vibrations travel through the body, they help to remove blockages that can disrupt the flow of your energy.
The presence of any disease suggests that your body is “out of tune.”
When things are out of rhythm, harmony cannot occur. Sound healing with tuning forks helps promote self-healing by guiding your body back to its natural vibrational state and rhythm, re-creating optimal harmony in the body.
Tuning fork healing facilitates the opening of the energetic pathways where the body’s energy, life force or Qi flows.
When blocks are removed, and the flow of Qi is increased, homeostasis is restored and profound healing can begin.
Benefits of Tuning Fork Healing
Tuning forks help heal on the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual level. Sound therapy facilitated by tuning forks has many healing benefits:
- Tunes the body’s natural cycle or circadian rhythm, stimulating homeostasis, which helps to bring the body back to its natural state
- Attunes the body’s vibrations on a cellular level
- When the body is balanced healing can be experienced on the mind, body, emotional and spiritual level
- Promotes the activation of Qi — when energy can flow freely without blockages healing begins
- Brings the nervous system into balance
- Aligns the right and left-brain improving cognition and clear thinking
- Aids in repairing DNA structure
- Increases bone density
- Improves the healing of strained and tense muscles, ligaments and tendons
- Helps to alleviate inflammation and pain
- Supports digestion
- Excellent for supporting sound sleep
- Relieves stress and eases anxiety
Types of Tuning Forks
There are two types of tuning forks used for tuning forks healing therapy — weighted and unweighted, and each have their specific uses and benefits.
Unweighted tuning forks have two standard points, whereas weighted tuning forks have thick discs or weights on the tips of the tines. Below, you can see what each type looks like.
Unweighted Tuning Forks
Tuning forks for healing the chakra and energetic body
Unweighted tuning forks are excellent to clear, energize and balance the body’s energy fields, especially when working on the body’s etheric field.
They are great for relaxation, alleviating stress, and help to gently improve the flow of Qi, balancing the energetic body.
- Create a louder sound when struck, and can easily be heard
- The vibrational waves created are not as strong
- Do not hold their vibration for very long
- Usually used around the body and next to the ears
- Soothing and relaxing
- Balance the nervous system and bring it into parasympathetic mode
- Great for relieving stress and anxiety
- Used to tune the body’s energy fields, open energy blocks, balance the chakras and cleanse the aura
Weighted Tuning Forks
Tuning forks for healing the physical body
Weighted tuning forks are excellent for muscle relaxation and alleviating inflammation and pain.
They are used for sonopuncture or sonic acupuncture, which is acupuncture that uses sound instead of needles.
These sound healing devices work by physically transferring their vibrational frequency by directly being placed on the body, and using the body as a resonator, greatly enhancing the vibration transmitted.
By placing the handle, or the stem of the tuning fork, at a pain point, tense muscle, bone, chakra, meridian, reflexology point, or an area that needs to be treated, weighted tuning forks provide sustained relief from pain and accelerate healing in the affected area by stimulating blood flow, relaxation, increasing Qi, and activating the body’s natural healing process.
- Create a much quieter sound when struck, unlike unweighted forks
- The vibrational waves created are much stronger
- Hold their vibration for much longer
- Used directly on the body and by the ears
- Great for relaxing muscles and healing tissue
- Can increase white blood cells and antibodies in the area being treated
- Excellent for wound healing and treating bruises and ulcers
- Improve blood circulation and break down fibrous and scar tissue, speeding up the healing process
How to Use Tuning Forks for Healing
Just can’t seem to find your flow or feel something just isn’t right?
A tuning fork healing treatment might just be what you need to boost your energy levels.
Sound healing can have an incredible effect on restoring the body’s natural order, calm the nerves and correct imbalances on the physical and energetic level.
Like we said earlier, we are all energy and in a constant state of vibration, therefore we are affected by our surroundings — and we have an impact on others too.
Tuning fork healing corrects imbalances, helping us to project positive vibes — this in turn helps us to attract positive vibrations, strengthening our body’s magnetic field so we can better handle and balance out any negativity thrown at us.
During a tuning fork therapy session, the sound waves travel deeply into the body, and serve as a gentle massage to the cells.
On the energetic level, they travel along the energy paths, affecting our physiology and impacting our senses, memory, balance and healing.
What is Tuning Fork Therapy?
Tuning forks are used by skilled practitioners in a practice called tuning fork therapy:Â
- You are asked to lie on a table and relax
- The sound healer strikes a tuning fork and passes it over various areas of the body
- The tuning fork produces vibrations that the body naturally aligns to
- Since the sound waves align with your body’s natural frequencies, they travel deep in the body triggering the healing process
- Different tuning forks produce different frequencies and vibrations
- Depending on your ailment, the appropriate tuning fork and frequency can be usedÂ
For energy and chakra healing, unweighted tuning forks are mostly used. They help to make distorted waves coherent and clear lower vibrations that no longer serve you.
Weighted tuning forks greatly enhance the vibration transmitted, and are far more effective when applied to a resonator, such as the human body. Their frequency can be transmitted over the nervous system, and the sound vibrations can be transmitted through reflex and energy points.
Therapists use weighted forks or osteophonic tuning forks for sonic acupuncture which vibrate at a lower frequency and transmit sound through the bones, over the various reflexology points of the hands and feet, including meridians and reflex points such as the:Â
- Shoulders
- Elbows
- Wrists
- Hip
- KneesÂ
The vibrations increase the flow of blood and lymph to the muscles and tendons, stimulating collagen and enhancing healing.
A tuning fork therapy session can, at the very least, help to balance your nervous system and make you feel calm, relaxed and grounded.
At the very best, it can help you manage emotional blocks, experience focus, boost creativity, work through physical pain and more!Â
Tuning Fork Therapy at Home
You can easily benefit from tuning fork therapy from the comfort of your home!
To get started, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:
Think of the problematic areas you want to focus on — this can be on the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual level
- Be conscious of your intention and focus before starting the session
- Drink plenty of water after to flush out toxins and support the body’s self-healing mechanismsÂ
Follow the steps below for tuning fork therapy at home:Â
- Hold the tuning fork by the stem (handle) at a 45-degree angle
- Bring the tuning fork to a vibrating state by hitting it with a mallet, on a hockey puck or lightly on your knee
- Once you strike the tuning fork you will feel a light vibration through the stem, and also hear an audible pitch
- As the tuning fork vibrates, place the stem on the different areas of your body
- You should be able to feel the vibrations passing through your bones and peripheral tissues based on where you place the stem of the fork
- It is recommended to start by placing the activated tuning fork on the top of your head and then on your sternum (the breastbone right in the middle of your chest)
- You can also place the stem on joints and bones to help restore movement and flexibility and stimulate blood flow to the area to repair connective tissue and accelerate healing
- You can also use tuning forks as a meditation aid, to relax the mind and relieve anxiety and stressÂ
Below, we’ve listed the tuning forks included in our LotsofZen Tuning Fork set.
Each tuning fork produces a certain frequency for different purposes you can use at home:
Tuning Fork 128 Hz
- Excellent for pain management and stress relief
- Helps alleviate muscle spasms and increases circulation
- Promotes relaxation by stimulating the nervous system
- Triggers the release of nitric oxide to relieve pain
- Powerful nervous system balance
Tuning Fork 256 Hz
- Unlock, heal and balance the Muladhara or root chakra
- Extremely grounding frequency
- Verdi tuning in music and Pythagorean tuning
- Helps to let go of fear, worry, stress and anxiety
Listen to this root chakra meditation below which contains powerful 256Hz frequencies to unlock and open the Root Chakra:
Tuning Fork 512 Hz
- Used by audiologists to ascertain hearing loss
- Verdi tuning in music and Pythagorean tuning
- Unlock, heal and balance the heart chakra
- Use without weights for best results
Discover this calming heart chakra meditation below (one of our favorites!) which contains powerful 512Hz frequencies to unlock and open the Heart Chakra:
More Tuning Fork Uses
Besides self-care routines, there are many other ways to make the best use of the tuning forks you have on hand.
Tuning Forks for Cleansing Crystals
There are many different ways to cleanse your crystals, such as burying them in the earth, smudging with Palo Santo sticks, or using different visualization methods.
Another way to cleanse your crystals that most people don't often think about is using tuning forks. The great thing about using tuning forks is that the cleansing can literally be done anywhere, and no preparation is required.
If the crystal you are cleansing is small, you can hold it in the palm of your hand. Larger crystals can be placed on a table in front of you.
Simply tap the tuning fork on a rubber mallet and hold the vibrating tuning fork over the crystal. You don't need to touch the crystal, simply move it over and around the crystal. Do this until you intuitively feel the crystal is cleansed and ready to use.
Tuning Forks for Clearing a Space
There are no limits to how you can clear your space. You can use visualization techniques, burn Palo Santo incense, or cleanse your space using sound, as we'll explain below.
Take your preferred tuning fork, strike it with a rubber mallet, and similar to smudging your house with sage, walk around your space moving the vibrating fork in your hand. Once the vibration fades away, strike your fork again to activate it.
As you move the activated tuning fork around, keep your intention in mind to help clear and balance the energy in the room. Visualize your space filling with bright light, clearing away negativity. Pay special attention to corners, doorways, passageways and windows, where energy tends to stagnate.
As you work with the tuning fork, the vibrational frequency generated disrupts the congested energy and clears it, to create a balanced, harmonious environment.
Tuning Forks for Animal Healing and Pets
Animals are very sensitive to sound, and therefore can benefit from tuning fork therapy, which is often used in holistic veterinary medicine.
Since all living creatures are sustained by Qi, or life force energy, placing tuning forks near a chakra or energy center, or directly on an animal’s body can help to balance the nervous system, making the animal more calm and less stressed.
Tuning forks for animal healing are great as a relaxation tool, to treat behavioral issues and to treat muscular and joint issues such as neck, back and arthritic pain.
To use the tuning fork on a pet at home, it’s recommended to first strike the fork and hold it a few inches away from the animal’s nose. This will help to ease fears when you start to work around the head or on a particular body part.
If your pet has pain or arthritis in a particular area, you can activate the tuning fork and place it on the affected area. Avoid pressing the fork, as the vibration may cause pain. Repeat this process three times on the affected area — to first open the area for healing, then clear the energy, and finally balance the energy, helping to alleviate pain.
Tuning Forks for Music
Tuning forks are commonly used by musicians to tune their instruments. If you’ve ever heard an out of tune violin or piano, you know that the notes seem muddled and random. If these instruments are played together in an orchestra, it would be absolutely chaotic.
The job of the tuning fork is to make sure there’s a uniform note, all the instruments can tune to.
For example, the “A” key on a piano vibrates at 440 Hz, so you would use that tuning fork to tune the piano to that note. If the instrument is out of tune, you’ll specifically hear a warble between the note on the fork and the note you’re playing. The idea is to loosen or tighten the strings until the note is in line with the tuning fork.
Electronic tuners are available in the market that can detect a note and tell you if it is sharp or flat, but most serious musicians still keep a tuning fork handy.
Tuning Forks for Hearing Tests
Tuning forks still remain a reliable and favored clinical method of testing certain forms of hearing loss by audiologists.
There are primarily two main hearing tests where the tuning fork is used — the Rinne test and the Weber test.
These tests use the 512 Hz tuning fork to ascertain if the patient has conductive or sensorineural hearing loss.
Conductive hearing loss may occur when the sound is prevented by something from entering through the middle or outer ear.‌ Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when the sound is prevented by something and does not reach the inner ear, or something prevents the main hearing nerve from functioning properly.
See the video below, to understand how these tests are performed:
Weber test interpretation — If you hear the sound in the midline, your hearing is normal. If it is louder in any one ear, the doctor can determine which ear has an issue.
Rinne test interpretation — If you hear the sound through the mastoid bone behind your ear rather than when the fork is placed near your ear, it may indicate conductive hearing loss.
If you suspect you have hearing loss or problems with your hearing, it is best to visit your local audiologist for a comprehensive examination.
Key Takeaways
- Tuning forks are acoustic instruments calibrated to specific frequencies
- They are multifunctional tools and have a wide range of uses in science, music, energy work, sound healing, relaxation and more
- Available as weighted or unweighted, each tuning fork has its unique uses and benefits
- Sound healing using tuning forks promotes the activation of Qi or life force energy — healing on the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual level
- Tuning forks are also used for cleansing crystals, clearing a space, animal healing, testing hearing loss and more
- Discover the LotsofZen tuning fork set which contains a mallet and 3 tuning forks with the most important frequencies that are commonly used for healing, energy clearing, tuning instruments and more — 128Hz, 256Hz, 512Hz
How often should you receive weighted and unweighted tuning for optimal healing effect?