Paiste Planetary Gong — Jupiter

Paiste tunes its Jupiter gong to 183.58 Hz. The tuning comes from Hans Cousto's tables. Jupiter, the largest planet, takes almost 12 years to orbit the Sun. Cousto doubled the frequency of that orbit 36 times, until it became a tone people can hear. Paiste names the gong by its lowest tone, F#2 at 91.79 Hz. That is the same note one octave lower, which means half the frequency.

1. Step 1. Start with the length of the cycle

   Jupiter orbit around the Sun: 4,332.59 days.

2. Step 2. Turn it into a frequency

   One divided by that many seconds is 2.67 × 10⁻⁹ Hz. That is far too slow to hear.

3. Step 3. Double it 36 times

   Doubling a frequency raises it by one octave: the same note, higher. After 36 doublings it is 183.58 Hz.

4. Step 4. Name the note

   183.58 Hz is an F♯, 13 cents below standard tuning. A cent is one hundredth of the step between two neighboring piano keys. To play in tune with this tone, an instrument sets its A to 436.62 Hz instead of 440.

5. Step 5. Keep doubling and the number lands in the range of light

   41 more doublings give the frequency of light with a wavelength of 743 nm, which is red. This is arithmetic. It pairs a tone with a color; it does not show that the two are connected.

The method is Hans Cousto’s. Planet gongs explained walks through it and says what it does and does not show.

What is said, not what was measured

In planetary gong practice this gong is associated with abundance, wisdom and generosity, and its tone is described as rich and expansive.

Frequency

183.58 Hz

Wavelength in air (20 °C)

1.87 m

Nearest note

F♯3, 13 cents below standard tuning

Kind of statement

Instrument

Filed under

Instruments & gongs

• Paiste — Planet Gongs

  The maker’s own figures for each gong’s fundamental note.

  Paiste AG, Planet Gongs: product specifications.

  View source: Paiste — Planet Gongs

• Jupiter Orbit (Cosmic Octave)Derived183.58 Hz