Reference : ottava alta, bassa
Ottava alta means to play the notes one octave higher than written. The 8va sign is often used. The notes in the following example are to be played an octave higher. If we did not use 8va, we would need a lot of ledger lines:
Ottava bassa means to play the notes one octave lower than written. The 8vb sign is often used. The notes in the following example are to be played an octave lower:
