Chakra Sounds

Chakra Sounds and Musical Instruments

There are musical instruments that produce sounds which can be used for balancing each chakra. Sound healing with musical instruments goes back to ancient history. The Greeks are believed to have used music to cure mental disorders. The Egyptians had acoustic chambers that are still being explored for the power of their sonic resonances.

Categories of Chakra Instruments
Though recommendations differ in various systems, there are some general categories of instruments that correspond to each chakra. These musical instruments are also typical for certain kinds of music and rhythms. These are discussed below from the root chakra to the crown chakra.

Root Chakra: Drums
Sacral Chakra: Woodwinds
Solar Plexus: Organ
Heart Chakra: Violin, Strings
Throat Chakra: Horns
Third Eye Chakra: Piano
Crown Chakra: Conch Shell

Root Chakra Instruments

The musical instrument associated with the root chakra is the drum. The drum establishes the foundation and rhythm for music just as the root chakra creates the base for all of the other chakras. The Hindu deity most closely associated with the root chakra is Ganesha. Other gods and goddesses connected to the chakras are covered in Chakra Deities: Gods and Goddesses.

Drums for the Root Chakra
Drums and percussion instruments are believed to be the oldest instruments on earth. Archeologists have found drums that are 9,000 years old. However, people are thought to have created simple wooden blocks to hit together in even earlier times. The beating of a drum is a universal practice to bring a group literally into the same rhythm. This relates to the issues of safety, community and security associated with the root or base chakra.

Drum Symbolism and Hindu Gods
In the Hindu tradition, Shiva is a god who plays a drum. One form of Shiva is Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. Mantras to Nataraja include references to the sound of his dancing feet (dhimi dhimi) and the sound of his beating drum (bam bam or bham bham). The drum symbolizes the power of creation and his feet dancing on the earth symbolize the process of grounding in the material world. Shiva’s second foot is usually lifted, a symbol of release from limitations. Hear mantras to Shiva.

Rhythm of Root Chakra Music
The four petals of the root chakra correspond to the 4/4 rhythm (four beats per measure of music). This is the rhythm of marches and military fanfare. It is also the meter for much of Western rock and other popular musical styles. One of the issues with rock music is the syncopation of the 4/4 rhythm, which drives the energies of the chakras downward rather than upward. This runs counter to the aim of most spiritual practices of raising the energy from the root chakra to the crown.

Sacral Chakra Instruments

The sacral chakra is connected to wind instruments (flutes, clarinets, bassoon, bagpipes). Woodwind instruments have been in use since before modern farming began 12,000 years ago. Bagpipes were originally made from animal skin but now are usually made of a synthetic like Goretex.

Role of Woodwinds in Music
Orchestral woodwinds including the flute, oboe, bassoon and saxophone were developed in Europe during the 17th through 19th centuries. The flute is the oldest instrument capable of producing more than one tone. Woodwinds are often used in chamber orchestra music, typically playing classical music. Clarinets and saxophones, however, have often been featured in jazz music as well.

Modern Woodwinds
Woodwind instruments were originally made of wood, though many are now made of plastic, metal or a combination of both. Many woodwind instruments use a mouthpiece with a reed. This is a thin piece of wood that vibrates. The sound is then amplified by the instrument.

Krishna and His Flute
Krishna is a Hindu god often depicting playing a flute. His sweet melodies are said to woo the soul back to God. Shortly after Krishna was born, he was sent to live in the country to protect him from the evil king Kamsa. Kamsa believed that Krishna would overthrow him and intended to kill him. For this reason, Krishna grew up living an idyllic rural life as a cow herder, often playing his flute to entertain the young milkmaids. Learn more and listen to a Krishna Mantra.

Symbolism of Woodwind Instruments
The woodwind instruments are closely related to the power of the breath. God is associated with the breath, fire and wind in many traditions. The idea that God breathes life into inanimate form is also a common theme in many traditions. Mantras for the lungs often focus on the breath, creating a smooth inhale and exhale to strengthen the lungs and calm the mind. These simple mantras help to create a vibration that connects your lungs, heart and spirit. Learn more about Healing Mantras.

Solar Plexus Chakra Instruments

The solar plexus is most affected by organ music and similar instruments such as the harmonium (also known as a hand organ). Learn more about the Solar Plexus Chakra. The harmonium is believed to have been invented in the late 1700s in Copenhagen.

Origin of the Harmonium
The instrument was originally used by Christian missionaries in Europe and the Americas who either could not afford or could not transport larger organs. Harmoniums were brought to India about a century later in the late 1800s. The harmonium was temporarily banned from music broadcasts in India in the 1940s. This was because the subtleties of Indian music could not be reproduced with the fixed reed tones and the western scale of twelve semitones. However, the fixed nature of the tones was also a great benefit: the instrument did not lose tuning in hot or humid weather. 

What is Kirtan Music?
The harmonium is now the most commonly used instrument in northern India and the most popular kirtan instrument around the world. Kirtan is a form of sacred singing in a group setting, often in call and response. The word “kirtan” comes from Sanskrit and specifically refers to the practice of singing mantras. Kirtan is a growing phenomenon in the West, often associated with yoga studios or meditation centers. Learn more in Kirtan Music & FAQs.

Organs and Sacred Music
Organ music in West is usually associated with hymns and sacred music. Thus, the connection to the harmonium in the early days of missionary activity in North America as mentioned above. The sound of an organ is powerful and soothing at the same time, perfect for the solar plexus chakra. Explore other aspects of this chakra in Solar Plexus Chakra Meaning.

Solar Plexus Chakra and the Goddess Lakshmi
The solar plexus chakra is also associated with wealth and abundance. In the Hindu tradition, the goddess Lakshmi bestows gold coins, rice and other necessities and luxuries on her devotees. Learn more about mantras to the Hindu Goddess of Wealth.

Heart Chakra Instruments

The heart chakra is often associated with the string instruments (violin, cello). The string instruments are capable of imitating the human voice or even extending the human voice. As the seat of love, the heart chakra is highly expressive, as are these instruments. The importance of this connection is indicated is the idiom “playing on my heart strings.”

Ancient and Modern Stringed Instruments
The earliest known stringed instrument is the lyre, dating back to 4,500 years ago. This was a folk instrument in central Asia. Many string instruments consist of a body or gourd shape with a long neck, multiple strings and a bow. The body or sound box can be round, square or pear-shaped. The strings have often been made of animal gut. The strings are now made of steel, nylon or synthetic polymers.

World’s Beloved Instrument: Violin
The violin plays a premier role in an orchestra. They are well-suited to carrying the melody in much of classical music. A full orchestra may have as many as thirty violins divided between first and second violins. The leader of the first violins is the leader of the orchestra. Second violins often support the melody of the first violins by playing harmony or the same melody at a lower pitch.

Goddess Saraswati and the Veena
The veena is an ancient classical stringed instrument of India, played by the goddess Saraswati. The veena is plucked rather than bowed. The veena has three to seven strings and twenty-four frets. A large gourd at the base creates resonance. The goddess Saraswati is associated with music, literature, poetry and speech or debate. To be of the highest quality, these things must come from the heart.

Hindu God of the Heart Chakra
The Hindu god associated with the heart chakra is Hanuman. Hanuman is a money-faced Eastern superhero with multiple powers. Hanuman’s powers stem from his pure devotion, also indicating the central nature of the heart. Learn more about the Hanuman Yantra, a sacred symbol similar to a mandala, or listen to a Hanuman Mantra.

Throat Chakra Instruments

The throat chakra is strengthened by horn instruments. These instruments can be loud and piercing, often used for announcing messages: time to get up, we have arrived, the event is beginning, and so forth. Horn instruments began as hunting horns, originally made from animal horns. The word “horn” in German is “cor” in French and “corno” in Italian. These are all references to animal horns.

Strengthening the Throat Chakra with Horn Music
Horns are connected symbolically to speech and communication through the throat. Horns send a clear tone that is usually adjusted by the breath and mouth position. Some horns such as the French horn have a limited number of keys to change the pitch of the tone. Listening to horn music can strengthen the throat chakra.

Center of Speech and Communication
The throat chakra is connected to creativity and self-expression as well as the actions of speaking, chanting and singing. This chakra is associated with the neck, thyroid, esophagus, teeth, mouth and the ears. The throat and thyroid are where emotions, intentions, praise and criticism are expressed. Learn more about the meaning of the Throat Chakra and watch a video on healing the throat chakra and thyroid: Mantras, Money and the Thyroid.

Third Eye Chakra Instruments

The third eye is connected to piano music. The complexity and expressiveness of the piano relates well to the qualities of the third eye. The piano is a fairly recent invention, evolving from the plucked harpsichord around 1700AD. This invention was largely the work of Bartolomeo Cristofori in Padua, Italy.

Third Eye Energy of the Piano
Played with both hands and feet, the piano gives a wide range of tones. The pedals create sustained sound and soften the tone. The original name for the piano was the “pianoforte.” This simply means the “soft-loud” instrument. The sound of a piano is made by small hammers striking multiple stings. This combines the energy of percussion with the subtlety of strings. Most pianos have eighty-eight keys with over 200 strings. 

The Third Eye and Spiritual Vision
Piano music varies widely, ranging from simple melodies to complex harmonies. This connects to the third eye ability of discernment. The third eye is the focus for vision, both in the present and prophetic or psychic abilities. The piano or keyboard is a fundamental instrument for most musicians, composers and conductors. Likewise, the third eye is the place where we create our own future by what we choose to see and visualize.

Crown Chakra Instruments

The crown is associated with the sound of the conch shell. A conch shell was found in a cave containing prehistoric drawings in France. The shell is believed to be 17,000 years old. Other conch instruments have been found in the Mediterranean region, across Europe, in India, the Americas, Japan and Tibet. 

Conch Shell and the Golden Ratio
The conch shell shape is a spiral closely connected to the Golden Ratio. Shells have been used as religious object since ancient times. The positive psychological connections to the sound of a conch shell include hope, courage, and optimism.

Music for Liberation and Freedom
The conch is sometimes called a “seashell trumpet” or “shell trumpet.” The conch shell is an effective signaling device, sometimes used as a war trumpet. On a spiritual level, the sound can signify liberation and freedom. The conch shell is part of many rituals in Hinduism. This includes funerals, sacred festivals and pujas (worship rituals).

The Crown Chakra and the Cosmic Dancer
Nataraja is the dancing form of Shiva, a joyful being spinning and dancing through creation. Shiva is often shown with a serpent around his neck, a crescent moon as an adornment, the river Ganges flowing from his hair or flowing nearby, the trishula as his weapon, and a damaru (drum) nearby. Learn more about the sounds and seed syllables for the crown chakra in the article Chakra Sounds.