The PrimaSounds scale is based on the acoustic phenomenon of the deviation of the natural seventh harmonic from all other tones. The seventh harmonic sounds out of tune with other notes. For that reason the seventh harmonic is excluded and avoided as much as possible in other musical scales. As a touch of cosmic irony, the "key" to PrimaSounds is what is "out of key" for all other music.

It's as if our ears had a built in programming allowing us to hear - if we listen very carefully that is - that the seventh was fundamentally different from other harmonics. It sounds "sour" whereas other basic fractions, intervals, sound "sweet." In more precise musical terminology, the seventh sounds "dissonant," whereas the others sound "consonant." Most musicians with good theoretical training, or a very good ear, have long known about the phenomena of the seventh harmonic. A few physicists studying acoustics also know about the anomaly. But it was just considered one of those many quirks of nature with no special meaning. Arnold Keyserling appears to be the first in modern times to realize the significance of this acoustic phenomenon.

This is an oversimplification, of course, and it still does not explain exactly how it works. For an exact understanding you must first comprehend the difference between transversal and longitudinal energy.

Science acknowledges that the laws of harmonics are applicable to all longitudinal energy. Longitudinal energy is the "back and forth" movement of matter, such as sound vibrations in air. The air, on a molecular level, is compressed and expanded or rarified, resulting in a back and forth movement of the air molecules in the same direction as the sound wave. The energy particles are said to move parallel to the propagation of the energy wave. This is shown by the animated graphic below created by Dan Russel Ph.D., a Professor of Physics and Acoustics at Kettering University.

 More controversial, but seemingly required by a fundamental principle of the science of chaos known as "fractal scaling," is the application of the laws of harmonics to transversal energy as well. Transversal is the "up and down" movement of energy fields, perpendicular to the direction of travel of the wave. This is the wave form you normally see on an oscilloscope or on the top of water. All electromagnetic energy is transversal. Here the energy particles move perpendicular to the propagation of the energy wave. This is again shown by an animation of Professor Russel.

 I have not seen any scientific studies on the relationship between the laws of harmonics of longitudinal energy, specifically the well understood laws of music, and the study of transversal energy. So I am not sure if there is any generally accepted, albeit arcane, scientific opinion on these issues. However, as a matter of theory, based on the principle of fractal scaling and recursive self "similarity" (not "identity"), I doubt that all longitudinal harmonic phenomena repeat in exactly the same way with transversal energy, or visa versa. That is, there is probably not an identical repetition. But, since fractal scaling seems to be a fundamental law of nature, self similarity is to be expected as a matter of principle from one type of vibration to another. As far as I know, in science this theoretical question is still an open one.

There is, however, basic skepticism in scientific circles that sound energy could ever have a direct impact upon electromagnetic energy, because longitudinal and transversal energies are fundamentally different. Remember I am talking about "direct impact" here - resonance. This is different from indirect mechanically mediated relations between the two kinds of energy, such as when a microphone translates longitudinal sound energy into transversal electrical energy, or when a speaker does the reverse. There is a natural "common sense" expectation that there will be no significant direct resonant interplay between the two forms of energy, that they will be like two ships passing in the night, one never touching or even seeing the other. One is energy with a vertically based movement, the other is matter with a horizontal movement.

 
 Recall again the child on a swing. When the adult pushes in the direction of the child's movement, and does so at the right time, that is, in resonance with the back and forth movement of the swing, the adult gives the child a boost. It is obvious that the adult cannot push the child by moving his arms up and down, like a transversal wave. It does not even make sense to talk in terms of resonance of the two movements. The adult has to push back and forth - longitudinally, not up and down, to attain resonance with the child, and push her forward. Moreover, to make the analogy complete, the adult pusher is physical (material sound waves), and the child on the swing is pure energy (electromagnetic energy). Under this view the two forms of energy cannot have a direct impact on each other. It would not be possible for PrimaSounds to resonate and amplify the chakras, or any other kind of transversal, electromagnetic energy. Yet in listening to PrimaSounds we experience that it does, so the ideas about such compartmentalism and "common sense" must be questioned.

I think this kind of "either - or" thinking, Longitudinal versus Transversal, is an inaccurate carry over from outdated Newtonian physics where matter and energy were considered separate. Today we know they are united by the speed of light squared (E=MC²). Moreover, we now know that the energy "particles" are not really things at all, they are space time fluctuations - energy waves. From quantum mechanics we know that these energies sometimes act like waves, sometimes like particles, depending on whether they are observed or not, but their actions are completely unpredictable on an individual basis. Only statistical probabilities are possible on this microcosmic level.

Personally, I am certain that the natural expectation of "two ships passing in the night" is wrong, that it is based on outmoded Newtonian gestalt. I think resonance can sometimes apply from longitudinal sound energy to transversal human energy. The evidence suggests to me that fractal scaling interlinks all forms of energy. The unified field is more than a theory, it's reality, despite the so called "common sense" expectations to the contrary.

From my experience with PrimaSounds since 1972, and thousands of anecdotal reports, I am convinced that the harmonics of certain sound energies can have a correspondence with the electromagnetic harmonics of the energy fields around humans and other life forms. The longitudinal movement of matter at certain frequencies - particularly those arranged according to the seventh harmonic - can have a direct resonance impact upon certain kinds of transversal energies. It's as if they had a built-in microphone or transducer.

There is at least one example in nature known to me, and commonly accepted by all physicists, which shows that transversal energy can have a direct impact on longitudinal energy. We need only look at ocean waves. Here we find longitudinal energy moving along the surface of the water. The waves show how the vertical and horizontal movements of transversal and longitudinal energies can and do sometimes interact with each other to produce a circular movement, an energy vortex.

Such rotational movement is also found in whirlpools or tornados. In the ancient language of Sanskrit an "energy vortex" is called a "chakra." In all traditions, the centers of the energy fields surrounding the human body are described as emanating from vortices of energies. By understanding the phenomenon of a wave at sea, where horizontal and vertical energies directly impact each other, you can grasp how the resonance effects of PrimaSounds (a horizontal longitudinal energy) could have an effect on the chakras (a vertical transversal energy). The explanation requires a little more knowledge of the physics of longitudinal and transversal waves.

Longitudinal waves are all matter based and cannot be conducted through a vacuum. That is why, for instance, there can be no sound on the moon. Despite what you have heard on Star Trek, a ship exploding in space makes no noise at all. There is no air to carry a sound vibration. Transversal waves, on the other hand, can be both matter based, and pure energy based. The prime example of pure energy based transversal waves is electromagnetic energy - light. Energy based transversal waves can travel through the vacuum of space. If not, we'd all be in the dark!

Longitudinal waves can be conducted through all three states of matter: gas, solid and liquid. For example, sound can travel in the air, under water and under ground. Not so for non-electromagnetic transversal waves - that is matter based transversal waves. They can only be conducted through solids. They cannot pass through gasses and liquids. It is important to understand why.

For a transversal wave to travel through matter, one section of a body must move sideways with respect to another, and then reverse that motion. This requires a type of force called a "shear." It requires a countervailing force to bring the portions of the body back into line. Such shearing force is present in solids which have strong cohesive forces between molecules. But in liquids, and especially in gases, the cohesive forces are very weak, and are not strong enough for shearing. If a portion of water or air is shifted sideways with respect to a neighboring portion, additional water or air simply flows in to fill the region left "empty" by the shifting portion. There is no shearing and thus a transversal wave cannot be produced. Instead, the energy simply dissipates into the immediately surrounding molecules and does not travel anywhere.

So, why does it look as if there are transversal waves on the surface of the ocean? The ocean is certainly a liquid.

Here is the key. Although it appears as if transverse waves are traveling on the horizontal upper surface of a liquid, in fact this transversal wave movement is produced by circular movements of the water particles. The water near the surface is moving in a circular vortex! The water moving in a circular path creates a transversal type of energy flow on the surface. A duck sitting on the surface of the ocean makes this apparent.

Again, we have an excellent animation by Professor Russel to illustrate. Note the blue dots represent the same molecules to show their circular motion. You can also see that the motion is clockwise.
 

  The vortex on the surface between the two states of matter, gas and liquid, and the two kinds of energy, is caused by the interaction of longitudinal waves with another energy force. In the case of water it is the force of gravity. This other energy force then transforms the longitudinal water waves from a horizontal movement into a circular movement, a vortex. These rotational energies can exist only on the surface. Below the surface, the circular vortex waves disappear. They are impossible there, and there are only longitudinal waves, currents.

Here's how it works. The outside force, in this case gravity, resists the up and down shear. Under the surface, within the body of the liquid, gravity does not do this because each fragment of water is buoyed up by the surrounding water. Since the density of each bit of water is equal to the density of the surrounding water, each bit of water has a weight of zero. Under water gravity is effectively neutralized, and so transversal waves are impossible there. If a portion of water under the surface is raised by a shear, it remains in the new position, in spite of gravity.

On the surface of a liquid the buoyancy effect does not exist. On the surface, gravity can interact to counteract a shear and cause the water to move back again into its old position. However, since the energy wave below the surface is longitudinal - that is horizontal "back and forth" movement - its old position when it goes down, is now forward to where it used to be. Then as it goes up again, its position horizontally goes back to where it started.

This back and forth movement creates a circular wave form. The influence of an outside force - gravity - has transformed longitudinal energy into circular energy, a vortex. In the process, a transversal wave has been created, the waves we see traveling on the surface of the ocean. (Note, this is not the same as the waves we see crashing in the surf. That is yet another process.)

A Working Theory for PrimaSounds

We suspect that PrimaSounds work in an analogous manner to waves on the surface of water. It appears that when the frequency of the horizontal (back and forth) sound waves matches that of the transversal (up and down) waves, an outside force or energy is released which causes the sound waves to move in a circular manner.

The matching frequencies appear to be analogous to the surface between two forms of matter, liquid and gaseous. They may well be a kind of gate between two worlds, or a doorway to a higher dimension. At this surface point an outside force causes the longitudinal wave to move up and down, thus creating circular sound waves, which in turn create transversal energy. These waves are neither longitudinal nor transversal, but a combination of both, just like waves on the surface of the ocean.

The outside force which causes this to happen might be gravity, like with the sea. But it might also be the so called "strong" or "weak" nuclear forces that make up the four forms of energy now known to science (electromagnetic, gravitational, weak nuclear force, strong nuclear force). We have found that a person's gravitational alignment and sensitivity will frequently have a significant impact upon the experiences invoked by PrimaSounds. This points to the importance of gravitational force to this phenomenon.

Still, another force altogether might be involved, one not yet named by science, a force linked to a higher dimension or a unified field of all energies. We suspect that may be the case, because traditional wisdom refers to the chakras as possessing a kind of cosmic energy of immeasurable power, called by the Indians "Prana" and by the Chinese "Chi." We are unsure about the exact causes. But we do feel that when sounds of a certain frequency - PrimaSounds - are in contact with human (or other life form) energy fields, a circular energy results.

  The evidence which initially led to this circular or vortex sound wave theory was the discovery that an unusual number of "standing waves" are always created in any room when PrimaSounds is played. This unusual acoustic phenomenon was noticed right away by the Keyserlings when the music was first performed in 1971. It sounds as if all of the PrimaSound tones are standing waves. This phenomenon in turn suggested circular waves.

For normal longitudinal sound waves, this kind of multiple standing wave phenomenon would not be possible, or at least very rare and uncommon. A standing wave is one which remains in place, with clear position and form. A few, and only a few, standing waves are always created with longitudinal waves in any enclosed room. Which particular frequencies of longitudinal sound will become standing waves is based on the size of the room, and the interaction of the sound waves. Specifically it is based on the distance between the walls, and the phase effects, or interactions, between the waves. For example, if the room is fifteen feet long, then the sound wave which has a frequency that makes it fifteen feet long will be reinforced by the room itself. The sound wave ends at the wall and bounces back to the other wall, touching the wall just when it is reversing direction. Waves the size of one-half the room size, one-fourth, one-eighth, etc., will do the same. The waves as they pass back going the opposite direction to the originating source cancel it out, or reinforce it according the resonance. This is known as a phase effect, and it can create a standing wave.

You can walk around a room and hear where the standing waves are resounding. They have a definite location, and since they are reinforced by the structure of the room itself, they play or resound longer. These are natural, acoustically produced standing waves. They cannot exist outdoors, barring only natural caverns or mountain wall echo effects, where the waves can reverse direction.

This is difficult to understand in the abstract, but starts to make sense when you visualize what is happening. Again, we are indebted to Professor Russel. See his animated gif below and also his web page on Superposition of Waves for a further, and better explanation.

  Many investigators have reported that when PrimaSounds are played, many more standing waves can be heard in a room than when other sound frequencies are played. (Moreover some report hearing standing waves outside, but this is more problematical due to the interference of many other factors, such as wind, other sounds, etc. and is more difficult to detect.) It appears as if PrimaSounds produce standing waves - a wall of sound effect - that is not tied to the acoustics of the room itself. Instead, it appears to have more to do with the people in the room and their energy fields. The standing waves are not acoustically produced by reflection from the walls and phasing. They are produced by interaction with the life form energy fields in the room - the chakras. Thus with enough people in a room, all of the PrimaSound tones become standing waves, moving in various rotational patterns.

The rotational wave phenomenon allows us to understand this. If the sound waves become circular by interaction with the energy fields of the observers, they would naturally create more standing waves. In fact, the inherent nature of circular waves would be static, just like standing waves caused by interaction with the walls. Again the example of the ducks on water show this. The ducks are not pushed along following the movement of the wave on the water. They basically remain in one position traveling in a circular motion. First they go up and forward, then down and back. The ducks are like a PrimaSounds wave when in contact with chakra energy. They become circular standing waves.

 The PrimaSounds circular standing wave form pattern can be easily verified by anyone listening to the music. Play the music and walk around the room and you can hear definite "pockets" of sound, the places where it is unnaturally loud or quiet. To observe a more subtle, but still obvious phenomenon, just turn or move your head a little. A few inches, or less, will do. The music will suddenly change. One standing wave pattern will be emphasized over another. Some of this phenomena is certainly explained by the slow moving quality of the music itself. This would naturally create more phasing. But it is very doubtful it could explain the whole effect, or account for the number of pockets of standing waves that remain even as the frequencies constantly change.

The smaller head movements usually reveal changes in the higher notes. That is because the waves for higher notes are shorter. The circles would thus be smaller. Conversely the low tones produce longer waves. (The lowest tones you can hear are over thirty feet long!) Thus the lower tones produce larger circles. Here you have to move around the room more to hear the shifts in the low tones.

The effects are also changed by the person or persons observing the effects. The strength of the chakras in the room affects the degree of curvature of the PrimaSounds. With a good sound system, and a good group of people, the standing wave effects can be very dramatic.

This acoustic phenomenon simply does not occur with regular music. These unique listening experiences provide us with an important clue that we are indeed dealing with circular sound waves, a phenomenon previously unknown to scientific investigation.

The circular sound wave hypothesis is just one working theory to explain the standing wave phenomenon and strong energetic-spiritual effect of PrimaSounds. Many other theories are possible and at this point no final judgment can be made. For instance, the phenomenon may be tied to the inner dynamics of the ear itself. Perhaps the standing wave phenomenon is created inside the ear itself, and does not exist outside in the room at all! As another possibility perhaps it is created in the brain itself, instead of the ear. The acoustic processing of the brain is still a mystery. The phenomenon may be tied directly to the brain waves themselves. In that case, the origin would be purely internal and not tied to the form of the sound waves themselves. Some combination of the processes may also be at work.

But, for now, the preferred theory to explain the physics of PrimaSounds remains resonance and circular energies. This is the simplest explanation, and the only one not based on pure conjecture and speculation. The PrimaSound waves are able to excite and amplify our energies because they vibrate at the same rate of movement, the same frequency. The resonance in turn creates circular waves of energies.

This theory of resonance and circular waves provides a clear explanation for all of the unusual listening and consciousness phenomena associated with PrimaSounds. Moreover, there is a certain beauty to the idea that has a ring of truth about it. The circle is the bridge between the horizontal and the vertical. It is the one form which combines both directions in an even flow. A circular form to the energy thus seems to provide a solid theoretical basis to understand how sound waves can have a resonance effect upon the chakras.

Going back to the analogy of the child on the swing one last time may help you to visualize and fully understand how circular energy can be a bridge between transversal and longitudinal energy, between the horizontal back and forth, and the vertical up and down.

  Although moving your hands in circular fashion might not be the most efficient way to push a child on a swing, and would require more delicate timing, it would still work to increase momentum. As you can see the resonance effect would still work to increase the force of the wave, and make the child go higher. Try it sometime. It just may hold the key to the secrets of PrimaSounds!