Octave Signs
| Ottava The 8va sign is placed above the staff (as shown) to indicate the passage is to be played one octave higher. (An 8vb sign is placed below the staff to indicate the passage is to be played one octave lower. |
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| Quindicesima The 15ma sign is placed above the staff (as shown) to indicate the passage is to be played two octaves higher. (A 15mb sign is placed below the staff to indicate the passage is to be played two octaves lower.) |
8va and 15ma are sometimes abbreviated further to 8 and 15. When they appear below the staff, the word bassa is sometimes added.
Read more about this topic: List Of Musical Symbols
Famous quotes containing the word signs:
“Murderous desire, hatred, distrust are nowadays the accompanying signs of physical illness: so thoroughly have we embodied our moral prejudices.—Perhaps cowardice and pity appear as symptoms of illness in savage ages. Perhaps even virtues might be symptoms.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)