Octave Sign (8va)
8va above a passage means play it one octave higher than written; 8vb below means one octave lower. The dashed line shows how far the instruction lasts.
It exists to avoid ledger lines. A passage five ledger lines above the staff is nearly unreadable; the same passage written an octave down with 8va over it is obvious at a glance.
How To Spot Octave Sign
A small "8va" or "8" with a dashed line running above (or below) a group of notes, ending in a downward hook.
Find It In Thirty Seconds
Find an 8va passage and play it as written first, then an octave up. The second one is what the composer asked for, and hearing both makes the sign stick.
Open any piece of sheet music on this site and do it now. Reading is a recognition skill, and recognition is built by finding things, not by reading about them.
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How to Read Sheet Music: Learn how to read sheet music using interactive lessons from Chordzy. Or browse our various reading music topics.
Music Notation Glossary: Every symbol on a page of piano music, explained in one sentence each — clefs, note values, rests, accidentals, dynamics and repeat marks.
Ledger Lines: Ledger lines are the short lines added above or below a staff to carry notes that are too high or too low to fit on it. Each one continues the pattern of lines…
Middle C: Middle C is the C nearest the middle of the piano, and the note that sits on its own little ledger line between the two staves of piano music.
Staff: The staff is the set of five horizontal lines that piano music is written on. A note's vertical position on those lines and the spaces between them tells you w…
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