8va
Play the passage an octave higher; a dotted line shows how far it applies
Related
8va abbreviates the Italian ottava and stands above the notes: play this passage an octave higher than written. A dotted line usually runs with it, and the shift lasts as far as the line; where the line ends, the player returns to the written pitch.
Below the bass staff 8vb is common for an octave lower, though older scores sometimes put 8va below to mean the same thing, so read old editions with care. 8va changes octave placement only, not note names or harmonic function: C4 becomes C5 and remains the tonic or the third.
A common mistake is to take 8va as an ornament or a dynamic. It is a definite pitch shift, and ignoring it puts the player an octave out of step with the accompaniment.
Sources
- 8va 与 8vb 的记谱含义，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Octave"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.