Bohlen-Pierce

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Revision as of 04:02, 22 February 2026 by Vector (talk | contribs) (Created page with "The '''Bohlen-Pierce''' system is a non-octave tuning system of (exact or well-tempered) '''13 equal divisions of the perfect twelfth''' (or tritave). In the Bohlen-Pierce system, the tritave is generally seen as the interval of equivalence, and harmony emphasizes the odd harmonics (such as the chord 3:5:7:9). It is the smallest EDT that has a tuning of lambda, the 9-note scale of the sensamagic temperament (which serves an analogous role to meantone...")
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The Bohlen-Pierce system is a non-octave tuning system of (exact or well-tempered) 13 equal divisions of the perfect twelfth (or tritave). In the Bohlen-Pierce system, the tritave is generally seen as the interval of equivalence, and harmony emphasizes the odd harmonics (such as the chord 3:5:7:9). It is the smallest EDT that has a tuning of lambda, the 9-note scale of the sensamagic temperament (which serves an analogous role to meantone in tritave-based harmony).

General theory

JI approximation

13edt's 2/1 is flat about 30 cents, making it most prominently a 3.5.7 subgroup temperament, although it also contains approximations of 19, 23, and 29. 7/3 (the tritave-reduced 7th harmonic) is flattened by a small amount, so that a sharpened 9/7 stacks twice to a flattened 5/3, as in sensamagic temperament. As a full 7-limit temperament, it supports sensi, albeit with a severely flattened octave.

Approximation of prime harmonics in 8.202edo
Harmonic 2 3 5 7 11 13 17 19 23 29 31
Error Absolute (¢) -29.6 +0.0 -6.5 -3.8 -54.8 -51.4 +69.4 +23.2 -15.0 +22.7 +53.5
Relative (%) -20.2 +0.0 -4.4 -2.6 -37.4 -35.1 +47.5 +15.8 -10.2 +15.5 +36.6
Steps
(reduced)
8
(-0.202)
13
(4.798)
19
(2.596)
23
(6.596)
28
(3.394)
30
(5.394)
34
(1.192)
35
(2.192)
37
(4.192)
40
(7.192)
41
(8.192)

Note: Due to a bug with the template, the step counts are octave-reduced instead of tritave-reduced.

This page or section is a work in progress. It may lack sufficient justification, content, or organization, and is subject to future overhaul.

Edtstep interpretations

The step of 13edt can be interpreted as the following ratios in the 3.5.7 subgroup.

  • 49/45
  • 27/25

Multiples

65edt

See 41edo.