Questions tagged [octave]

An octave or perfect octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency.

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9 votes
3 answers
520 views

Pitch and Hearing beginner question

I'm a total newbie. And I'll pretend there are no black notes so it is easier for me to explain. CDEFGABḈḊ (where Ḉ and Ḋ are one octave above C and D) When a Musician says, "oh, C and Ḉ are the ...
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5 votes
2 answers
130 views

Do difference in octaves matter for the intervals?

Should I account difference in octaves between different guitar strings, like between 5th (octave A2) string and 4th string (octave D3), when I'm looking for intervals (for example perfect 4th) ? I ...
6 votes
5 answers
546 views

What determines a Note?

In the context of guitar for example: if I press down on string 6 fret 3 and play that string, that note is a G. if I play the open string 3 that note is a G if I press down on string 1 fret 3 and ...
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12 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why don't two Boomwhackers with a one-octave pitch difference have a 2:1 length ratio?

I frequently use the tuned percussion tubes Boomwhackers in my elementary music teaching. I noticed something odd about them. When I compare the smaller and larger C tubes, they sound one octave ...
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2 votes
4 answers
126 views

The relation between making a note from "pitch & duration" and "name & octave"

This question might need some computer science information as well, but I'm stuck in the music theory side of it: I'm trying to use a library in Python (the programming language) called Mingus that ...
4 votes
4 answers
157 views

Efficient ways to octave down notes that exceed range?

Often, I'll come across music with notes that exceed my range. Typically, I will just octave the phrase down, and that usually sounds fine. Recently, I've come across a run, in which if I were to ...
0 votes
2 answers
78 views

how are scales of the same class (e.g. major scales) musically different? [duplicate]

I have recently learned the principles of the standard twelve-tone octave applied to major and minor scales. I understand each scale is defined by its main note, and the pattern of intervals, of half ...
20 votes
3 answers
2k views

How many notes are in an octave in Indian classical music? Is it 7, 12, or 22?

What is the logic behind dividing an octave into 22 notes?
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4 votes
1 answer
124 views

In flute technique, is it common to use the throat to change octaves?

I am a beginning flute player with a background in harmonica playing. For those unfamiliar, it is possible to play a diatonic harmonica chromatically by adjusting the shape of your mouth and throat. ...
1 vote
1 answer
161 views

Are the higher octave notes required in the chords for Hilda's theme song?

I'm trying to teach myself the theme song for the Netflix original show, Hilda: With that, I used Chordify to confirm and deny my suspicions for the chords involved: ...
7 votes
4 answers
341 views

Determine Octave Number given Only Key Num [duplicate]

I have recently been searching for a formula to determine the octave a note is in, given the number of that key on the piano. For example, given the key #77 (C7# for reference), how could I ...
2 votes
0 answers
38 views

Effect of octave on consonance [duplicate]

Was playing around on a keyboard (Casio WK-245, default St.GrPno tone) and I'm noticing that the same chord moved up an octave feels quite different. When I play Cmaj7(no inversions: C,E,G,B in that ...
10 votes
2 answers
343 views

8 below note played as octave or singular note?

I'm working on the piano solo version of Rhapsody in Blue, and I'm unsure - when there is an 8 underneath this E, is it meant to be played as just the lower E, or as a full octave (as in the measure ...
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3 votes
2 answers
216 views

Fretboard map - Notes and octaves

I'm currently developing a music player that displays the tab from a midi file similarly to guitar hero. This for mandolin. The midi parsed file out is something like this "notes": [ ...
1 vote
1 answer
138 views

How to print notehead with actual notevalues and octaves in lilypond

I need the note heads to be printed in notes with octave. The below code in lilypond prints C, D, E, F, G, A, B in notehead: \version "2.20.1" { \easyHeadsOn \clef treble <c d e f g a ...
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1 vote
3 answers
647 views

On piano how do I play one note, and the same note an octave higher with one hand?

I have been playing piano for a few months now, and I have come to a roadblock, in this one song I play CDEFG C on octave 4, while I do the same on octave 5. All of this is with one hand, I have been ...
2 votes
1 answer
130 views

The theory of song by deadmau5 ft. Rob Swire - Ghosts 'n' Stuff

I've wondered about the theory concerning a number of specific songs containing octave harmony - but one song in particular raises an interesting question. What exactly is happening in the chorus of ...
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5 votes
1 answer
315 views

How is this octave jump achieved on electric guitar?

I am transferring from classical guitar to electric. I am familiar with everything except the huge variety of effects that are available for electric. I often hear guitarists performing an instant ...
1 vote
2 answers
413 views

How to reprogram a piano for higher octave

I have a Casio SA-77 piano with limited keys. I want to reprogram a button to increase my octave when I press it. Is it possible? If yes, then how?
1 vote
2 answers
132 views

Why do frequencies that follow a base two logarithmic relationship sound the "same"? [duplicate]

We know that frequencies that follow a base two logarithmic relationship sound as the same tone. This seems to be one of the fundamental principles that underlies music theory. For example, ...
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11 votes
3 answers
2k views

Was the term "octave" coined after the development of early music theory?

I have some confusion as to the use and history of the word octave in the context of music and tuning systems. The (western) tuning system comes from the Pythagorean division of the octave, based on ...
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1 vote
2 answers
3k views

How to change octaves on Yamaha E363

I have read the documentation but it doesn't explain how to transpose or change the octave setting or else it is not implementing my changes. Function > Transpose > Adjust -/+ keys but they LED ...
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1 vote
2 answers
393 views

What to call triads made up of first and third note on octaves and second note in middle of them?

We often find them in a classical musical.
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2 votes
2 answers
1k views

How do you play far-away notes?

I've been learning a new song and it has a part where I need to play two notes an octave away. I can just about reach it if I use my thumb and middle finger, but it's close and my middle finger keeps ...
4 votes
2 answers
572 views

Chords available in a certain Key?

I am a total beginner here so please bear with me. When you have a certain key, let's take C, we have C D E F G A B C Looking at the wheel of fifths, my available chords are F C G major D A E ...
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3 votes
2 answers
434 views

What are these octave like shapes used in popular indie rock?

I've got 2 octave(?) related questions. One about starting on the A string and one about starting on the E string. Regarding the A string: there's a specific part of a Strokes song called "Reptilia". ...
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2 votes
1 answer
86 views

What is the best fingering for these 3 jumpy octave bars?

I'm not sure how to do the fingering for this? The first 4 notes per bar are especially challenging. I've tried 5,5,1,51 and 5,1,5,51 but none of it feels really good :( I'm learning on my own so I ...
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1 vote
3 answers
120 views

Question from Exercsies in Melody (Percy Goetschius)

I've been studying said book for learning melody writing and I find it to be very methodical. It is completely free to download for anyone interested (google). I found a line I can't seem to ...
0 votes
1 answer
356 views

Why were the frequencies for notes chosen?

I understand that the first note of each octave is twice the frequency of the first note from the octave before, but how are the frequencies for each note chosen subsequently after that. So far, I’ve ...
2 votes
4 answers
1k views

Can people can tell exactly in which octave a note is played?

I have done some pitch recognition tests. No note was given, and between questions a very chatty piece of music was placed to erase your mind. I got a 4/20 and for the rest I was off up or down a ...
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2 votes
2 answers
493 views

run two usb midi controllers on same time?

I have no experience with midi but i have two devices (alesis v49 and akai pro mpk25) in total 74 key so is it possible to combine these to two midi work as one device to cover most of piano key ?
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2 votes
1 answer
365 views

Broken octaves help

Lately I’ve been having a real problem with broken octaves. I’ve noticed this after playing rondo alla turca and gewitter (thunderstorm), an AMEB grade 4 exam piece from the series 16 book. Whenever I ...
3 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is there a way to notate octaves for chords?

Say I wanted someone to play a C major triad in the 4th octave at one point in a song I've written, while I wanted them to play the same chord (a C major triad) in the 5th octave instead of the 4th at ...
2 votes
2 answers
4k views

How do I actually play higher octaves in flute? [duplicate]

Flute newbie here. I'm learning to read notes and play them on the flute (Western concert flute, closed buttons). I find many sources for fingerings of the notes in different octaves. Sometimes they ...
3 votes
1 answer
483 views

Are these Bansuri Notes all on the Low Octave (to me they are on Low and Middle)

As a newbie I am trying to play these notes of O RE PIYA http://sargamnote.blogspot.com/ To my ear, all the notes belong in the Low and Middle Octave of this beginner Bansuri Fingering Chart (as ...
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2 votes
2 answers
254 views

Should I raise this chord up an octave?

Okay, I asked somebody else for advice on my orchestration and he went a bit into lower interval limits. He did however give me advice on orchestration for the first chord. Here is what he gave me: ...
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1 vote
2 answers
277 views

Should I learn the Octave Etude to prepare for the Appasionata Sonata?

One of the hardest Beethoven sonatas is his Appasionata Sonata. There is one technique that I know it has in common with Chopin's Octave Etude. That is legato octaves. Difference has to do with ...
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11 votes
4 answers
4k views

Does octave not matter when tuning?

Why does it not matter what octave you're tuning to? If you wind a string to two different octaves of the same note, surely it's going to have a big effect on the sound, no?
3 votes
4 answers
13k views

How many octaves can be heard?

How many octaves exist the the human range of hearing? Will the same note through all the octaves harmonize? Related: What is the maximum number of distinct notes that can be played in a chord?
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-1 votes
2 answers
167 views

How to understand the keyboard of a piano (or any such instrument)? [closed]

I would like to ask about something like theoretical foundations or fundamentals of an 88 piano keyboard. My thinking is a) there is a range of pitch a human can hear (lets assume that there is no ...
2 votes
3 answers
1k views

Super fast scales and octaves, How?

I looked at the sheet music for a piano transcription of The Four Seasons and I see in the third movement of Summer, 2 things that I don't know if I can do. It has partly to do with the Presto tempo ...
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20 votes
7 answers
3k views

Speed of playing notes in different octaves

Is it common for pieces to have lower notes played slower? Do instruments with lower registers typically play slower? I ask because notes in lower octaves are closer together in frequency. For ...
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0 votes
1 answer
605 views

Octaves don't sound like the same notes [duplicate]

I keep reading how two notes an octave apart sound like the same notes. I understand that theres a doubling of the frequency, so theres no real beats. But one sounds like a significantly higher tone, ...
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4 votes
2 answers
2k views

How to alter piano music with left-hand octaves to require a smaller span?

I'm learning to play the piano and I'm loving it. I've just started learning to play some pieces with two hands, but I am unfortunately running into an issue with my left hand: I cannot spread my ...
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6 votes
1 answer
422 views

Octave in a triplet? How would I do that?

I am learning the left hand of Blumenlied by Gustav Lange and I notice something very tricky in the left hand. An octave starting a triplet. Here is how I have been playing that rhythm in the F major ...
  • 6,256
0 votes
1 answer
607 views

Tense and painful to pop 5th finger, why?

I started practicing the Lizst transcription of Beethoven's 5th symphony today and it is harder than it looks. Some chords I just have to arppegiate because my hands aren't big enough to play it as ...
  • 6,256
15 votes
4 answers
15k views

Musical systems with more than 12 notes

From what I remember of music theory, all music (at least Western music) boils down to scales that revolve around the 12 notes (circle of fourths/fifths). I know there are scales in different regions ...
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4 votes
1 answer
115 views

Is anyone familiar with the term "magladize?" (sp?)

One of my former music professors used the term "magladize" (sp?) when referring to music composed in octaves but I can't find any references to it. Can anyone verify what I'm talking about including ...
10 votes
6 answers
34k views

What is an octave?

It may be simple but I am not able to wrap my head around it. I am new to musical tongue. What exactly is an octave? Is it a range of frequencies? And is it specific to an instrument?
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18 votes
4 answers
12k views

How do you refer to a note that is more than one octave above or below middle C?

I know you say the A above Middle C when refering to the A that is in the same Octave as Middle C in the Treble Staff, or you say the A below Middle C when referring to the A in the previous Octave on ...
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