Ploidacot/Alpha-pentacot

Alpha-pentacot is a temperament archetype where the generator is a submajor third of about 379–381¢, five of which make a perfect twelfth of 3/1 (third harmonic, also known as "tritave"), and the period is a 2/1 octave. Alpha-pentacot temperaments typically generate the 3L 4s, 3L 7s, 3L 10s, and 3L 13s MOS scales, and either 3L 16s (and thus 19L 3s) or 16L 3s as children.

Alpha-pentacot
Pergen [P8, P12/5]
Numeral form 1-sheared 5-cot
Pure generator size 380.39 ¢
Pure period size 1200 ¢
Forms 7, 10, 13, 16, 19
Characteristic multival entry 5

Intervals and notation

There is no agreed-upon notation for alpha-pentacot, and constructing one by extending Pythagorean notation is complicated due to the fact that it does not split the chromatic or diatonic semitone, but rather the minor third. Note and interval names are provided where alpha-pentacot intervals align with standard monocot intervals (which use chain-of-fifths notation).

Alpha-pentacot intervals (assuming pure fifth and octave)
# Cents Notation Name
−20 792.180 Ab minor sixth
−19 1172.571
−18 352.962
−17 733.353
−16 1113.744
−15 294.135 Eb minor third
−14 674.526
−13 1054.917
−12 235.308
−11 615.699
−10 996.090 Bb minor seventh
−9 176.481
−8 556.872
−7 937.263
−6 117.654
−5 498.045 F perfect fourth
−4 878.436
−3 58.827
−2 439.218
−1 819.609
0 0.000 C perfect unison
1 380.391
2 760.782
3 1141.173
4 321.564
5 701.955 G perfect fifth
6 1082.346
7 262.737
8 643.128
9 1023.519
10 203.910 D major second
11 584.301
12 964.692
13 145.083
14 525.474
15 905.865 A major sixth
16 86.256
17 466.647
18 847.038
19 27.429
20 407.820 E major third

Temperament interpretations

An obvious interpretation for alpha-pentacot is magic, where the generator is 5/4 and five of them stack to make 3/1. There are many extensions for 7-limit: septimal magic (19 & 22), muggles (16 & 19), brightstone (22 & 25), and darkstone (3d & 16).

Music

  • Magical life (2023) by Xenllium – in 19-tone alpha-pentacot with pure fifths (also known as pure-fifth magic scale)