Octave signs are used to eliminate the excessive use of ledger lines. An octave sign of "8 va" can be used with a note or series of notes to indicate that these notes should be performed one octave higher (which would put those notes in the upper ledger line range of that staff).
The first measure is rewritten in the second measure with the use of 8va sign. In other words, the first and second measures will sound exactly the same when performed.
An octave sign of "8 vb" or "8 bassa" can be used with a note or series of notes to indicate that these notes should be performed one octave lower (which would put those notes in the lower ledger line range of that staff).
The first measure is rewritten with the use of 8vb sign in the second measure.
Note on Octaves: Identifying and writing octaves is an essential skill. It is easy if you remember these few principles:
Of course, these rules also apply to ledger lines (and spaces).
*A word of urgency to the new music student who wants to gain the most out of this book or any study of music: Mastery of this early material is essential at this stage because this material lays the foundation upon which one can build a fabulous mansion of musical knowledge. Really! Libraries and book stores are full of musical treasures that can be unlocked if you know how to read the musical code (notation). If you haven't learned the letter names of the positions of the staff by the first week, stay up late and learn them! Use the standard memory aids such as "Every Good Boy Does Fine", etc. to help you remember. This is of utmost importance!! Whatever it takes, do it, because this train is leaving soon and I'm assuming that everybody onboard has command of these basic notation principles.
The different octaves are identified by number. Although the musical alphabet goes from A to G the octave range numbers change on the letter C (instead of A). Middle C is identified as the C4, all the letter names above that tone until the next C are in the 4th octave, i.e. D4, E4, F4, G4, A4, and B4. The next note (third space) is C5. The fifth octave continues in similar fashion. The note on the second ledger line above the staff is C6.
There is more than one system of designating the specific octave numbers. The student should be aware of the (most unfortunate) fact that many synthesizer manufacturers label Middle C as C3 not C4 ! The truth is that in most instances one does not need to identify the specific octave number of a note, the musical context will make that information obvious, so the discrepancies between the different numbering systems become irrelevant.
An additional family of clefs is sometimes used for other purposes. These movable C Clefs are used to assign the note Middle C to one of the lines of the staff (middle C is on the first ledger line below the staff in treble clef and on the first ledger line above the staff in bass clef). These clefs are not as common, however certain instruments such as the viola still use this type of clef.
Class assignment:
Each assignment link below is to a GIF file on a single page. Print out each page and complete the assignments. Use your browser's BACK button to return to this page.
(After printing out a worksheet, use your browser's BACK button to return to this page)
Using the notes of the musical alphabet on the staff, write out the following words: BAD, BEAD, ABE, CAD, DAD, DEAD, FEED, FED, ADD, GAD, etc.
Using the Alphabet conversion chart below, write out musical sentences.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E
