Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Is there a way to notate 8va and 8va bassa (Read 5077 times) previous topic - next topic

Is there a way to notate 8va and 8va bassa

My music often needs extreme ranges. I need to be able to notate to indicate one octave higher or one octave lower. I do not seem to be able to find a way to do this. Can someone help, please?

Re: Is there a way to notate 8va and 8va bassa

Reply #1 –
This can be accomplished using a clef with modified settings. Insert a clef by pressing C. Choose the appropriate clef from the Clef Type box, and Octave Up or Octave Down from the Octave Shift box.

If you do not want the clef to appear, but instead an 8va or 8va bassa as text, you can hide the clef and insert a text expression.

Re: Is there a way to notate 8va and 8va bassa

Reply #2 –
Would also like to be able to notate 15va and 15va bassa.  Unfortunately NoteWorthy Composer does not yet provide a two octave shift for a clef.

Re: Is there a way to notate 8va and 8va bassa

Reply #3 –
For 15va or 15va bassa, try using text, then use Alt/Insert/Instrument/Transposition for the sound.

Don't change the instrument itself, just change the transposition to +24 15va or -2415va basso.  When it's time for loco again, just do the same thing, but with transposition set to 0.

Depending on who will be reading your sheet music, you might be better off using text for 8va as well.  I imagine the octave shift clefs are common in instruments that are notated  in a clef but usually play in leger line land (piccolo, perhaps?), but I've never seen it on bass clarinet, tenor sax or bari sax parts, all of which are both transposed and octave shifted.

There may be many readers like me who are not familiar with the octave shift notation symbols, but I'm sure most will understand 8va.  The octave shift signs also look (at least onscreen) to be pretty tiny, and may not be noticed by the musician, particularly if s/he has never seen it before.

Re: Is there a way to notate 8va and 8va bassa

Reply #5 –
Usually I've seen a line marking which notes should be raised an octave.  What should one use to show where the 8va section end?  Is there a wording that can be used to end the 8va?

Re: Is there a way to notate 8va and 8va bassa

Reply #6 –
According to Alfred's, the end of the line extending from the 8va or 8va bassa should have a little end "hook" that points back to the staff - this is normally deemed suffucient to indicate the end of the 8va passage, however the term "loco" meaning "at place" may also be added as a reminder that the 8va no longer applies.

Re: Is there a way to notate 8va and 8va bassa

Reply #7 –
You can use x, y or z as necessary from the NWC Extra Ornaments font for the horizontal line,  followed by w from Boxmark2 for the hook.  Line length is always a matter of trial and error, and lining the two text entries up properly could be tricky if they're left justified (2 fonts means 2 text entries).  I'd put them at the end of the passage that needs to be 8va, and right-justify them so that the line feeds into the hook easily.

At the beginning of the passage, I'd insert 8va in italic text of some sort, then insert the x, y or z line from NWC Extra Ornaments.  With luck you will be able to make the first and second horizontal lines meet up, and it really won't matter if they overlap a bit.

I have until now just used  - - - - - - - - [abbr=  "|" is the pipe symbol on a normal keyboard]|[/abbr], but then my charts are for the private use of my friends, and presentation only has to be understandable, not elegant.  I use "loco" for my piano player, he's classically trained, but the reed and brass players probably are more used to the line/hook.  Of course, if the 8va passage is many bars long, you'll want to use "loco" instead of a long line.

Since I now have discovered the NWOrn thing, I probably will start to use it.

Thanks for asking the question.  I learned something in trying to answer it.