Octave lines

Octave lines indicate where notes are played higher/lower than they appear in the score or part.

Octave lines are dashed or dotted horizontal lines with an italic numeral at the start. The numeral indicates the number of pitches by which the phrase is changed, such as 8 for one octave and 15 for two octaves.

Octave lines that indicate notes are played higher than notated are placed above the staff, while octave lines that indicate notes are played lower than notated are placed below the staff.

Figure 1. A treble clef phrase notated at pitch
Figure 2. The treble clef phrase with an octave above line
Figure 3. The treble clef phrase with a two octaves above line
Figure 4. A bass clef phrase notated at pitch
Figure 5. The bass clef phrase with an octave below line
Figure 6. The bass clef phrase with a two octaves below line

In Dorico Pro, pitches are adjusted automatically when an octave line is present. You do not have to change the register of the notes within the line.

You can use octave lines across a few notes, a single phrase, or multiple phrases, but they must not confuse the contour of the music. If used excessively and for inappropriate sections, octave lines can mask the shape of the original melody. However, careful usage of octave lines can make music easier to read quickly as the performer has fewer ledger lines to count.

Figure 7. An angular phrase with no octave lines
Figure 8. The same phrase with many octave lines, which distort the overall shape of the phrase.
Figure 9. The same phrase with just two octave lines to reduce ledger lines. They do not change the overall shape of the phrase.

It is generally best to use a different clef for a whole phrase if appropriate for that instrument, or to input an octave line for the whole phrase in order to ensure the shape and register are clear to the performer.

Octave lines should be horizontal, meaning they can take up significant vertical space, as octave lines are usually placed outside all other notations. However, they can be placed within slurs and tuplet brackets if the slur or tuplet bracket is longer than the octave line.

Octave lines can continue across system and page breaks. It is customary to show the numeral again at the start of each system as a reminder. Cautionary octave line numerals are usually parenthesized and the suffix is optional.