The Musical Notes and the Zodiac

by Javier Ramon Brito

As we know, the Zodiac has twelve houses and twelve signs and there are also twelve notes in the musical octave. Linking the chromatic musical scale to the Zodiac houses has been the object of curiosity, speculation and serious research by creative minds like the one of Sir Isaac Newton and others over the centuries.

Today, many holistic healers -specially sound healers- use as one of their tools a correlation chart that links indeed each of the 12 zodiac signs to a specific musical note, which is interpreted as a sort of vibrational key signature of the respective signs.(1)

I first learned of this chart many years ago in Seattle, during a sound healing session and although I was skeptic at first, over the years I have been observing and confirming that people tend to have indeed a sort of "preference" for music and songs which are composed in certain musical keys. And these musical keys, most often than not, turned out to be precisely those which are linked to their respective signs according to this enigmatic chart.

Usually, people who are predominantly right-brain oriented have no problem in seeing the merits of this chart and are immediatly open to try it before uttering any critical judgement on it. Others, who are more left-brain oriented, are more in "need" of a scientific proof before they even consider such a chart as a valuable or even entertaining tool. But there are people who combine a musical mind with a mathematical mind who have done a detailed research on the subject and who have arrived at the very same conclusions that are shown in the chart.(2)

Without going into much mathematical or astrological details, if you observe this chart attentively, you will notice that the correlation between the 12 musical notes and the 12 Zodiac signs is done by matching the ascending notes of the C chromatic music scale (starting with the C note), with the ascending numerological order of the Zodiac signs (starting with Aries) until you get to the B note that would corresponds to the Pisces sign. The results can be summed up as follows:

Aries = C
Taurus = C#/Db
Gemini = D
Cancer = D#/Eb
Leo = E
Virgo = F
Libra = F#/Gb
Scorpio = G
Sagittarius = G#/Ab
Capricorn = A
Aquarius = A#/Bb
Pisces = B

Now that you know the musical notes/Zodiac signs correspondences, you may want to use this chart to find music and songs akin to your main vibration, whether for meditation or for mere entertainment. You just have to know the key in which a certain piece of music or song was composed. For instance, if you are a Sagittarius, you may find that Franz Liszt's Liebestraum No. 3 in A-Flat Major (or G#) has "something" that feels pleasant and familiar to you. Or if you are a Gemini, you may find powerfully attracted to Bach's Orchestral Suite No.3 in D Major. You get the idea. And this also applies to pop music or jazz music or any genre of music.

You may also want to use this chart to "tune" into the vibrations of the different zodiac seasons during the year. For instance, let's say we are by the end of April, which is officially the TAURUS season. Taurus is all about romance and affection, since it is ruled by the planet Venus. It is also about grounding and nature, since it is an Earth sign. So in order to tune into all these vibrations you listen to music in the key of C#. Once you know the dates of the zodiac seasons and the musical key that applies to each of the zodiac signs, the chart is very easy to use.

And if you are very much into Astrology, you could for instance analize how the changes in the transits and progressions of your birth chart could match your changing preferences in songs and tones at different times in your life.

If you want to enjoy some of my music according to this chart, here are some examples (click on the links to listen to the songs as much as you wish):

Songs in Ab (G#) for Sagittarius (November 22–December 21)

Delight
Visualization
Hope

Songs in A for Capricorn (December 22–January 19)

Expression
Forgive Yourself
My Love Increases
Phoenix Bird

Songs in A# (Bb) for Aquarius (January 20–February 18)

Sweet Love
Awakening

Songs in B for Pisces (February 19–March 20)

Grace
Gentleness
1st Chakra Dance

I hope this helps and you have fun using the chart for healing music purposes. In any case, do not minimize the importance of this matter, because, as Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan said: “The person who has found the keynote in their voice has found the key to their life.”

Reference notes

(1) See for instance Ani Williams and her "Songaia Sound 12 Tone Color Wheel" here

(2) See for instance Roel Hollander's analysis and conclusions here

JAVIER RAMON BRITO, Music Composer