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when 8va is written over the treble clef, does it mean play both treble and bass clefs an octave higher or just the treble clef ?

Coming from violin, i never deal with 2 clefs and often get confused.

Thx ahead.

Just treble.

thx so much.

so when it's both , it will say

"8va both" or something similar , correct?

If both hands play an octave higher a lot of times the left hand notes will be written an octave higher... in the treble clef, if need be, along with RH notes written in treble where they are to be played.

koiloco - you didn't ask, but you'll frequently find 8va written under notes in the LH, and that means go down an octave.

15va means up or down 15 tones, which is, of course, two octaves.

A possible question: Logic would suggest that you would rarely have an 8va above the bass for going up an octave, since such notes would fit more easily into the treble clef, and vice versa. So generally the 8va would be to raise notes in the treble with the sign placed above the staff, and lower notes in the bass with the sign below the staff. Would this seem to be correct? (I never thought about this before or took conscious note.)

Keystring: yes, which is essentially what pianobuff & John wrote.

Koiloco, some method books in early levels do use "both hands" after the 8va instead of changing the other clef.

Having drawn some weird conclusions in my past life and then basing myself on them, I thought I'd double check anyway. Thx

More often, though, 8vb (ottava bassa) will be used to go down an octave.

Cheers

My vision is so poor, I've never noticed that the va was a vb! Live and learn!

I've seen plenty of sheet music that uses 8va (or 15va) to go down 1 (or 2) octaves in the left hand. This includes music published recently and going all the way back to the 1950s, and from major publishers.

I can't recall seeing a 8vb (or 15vb), but it's certainly possible I missed an occasional one. My eyesight's just fine


Mary

8va is just short for "ottava". If it's two octaves, it's written 15ma, for "quindicessima". The bass version of ottava is sometimes written 8vb, but I've seen it both ways.

Don
Kansas City

Thanks for the info . . . I thought maybe my vision was in serious decline. I went back and checked various manuscripts and what I discovered is that new music, set using computer programs, tend to use the 8vb notation, and the older engraved versions used the 8va.

I had been taught, and had taught, what eromlignod stated, that 8va was shorthand for ottava, meaning 8 notes/tones.

I've discussed this subject often with brass players, for whom it is more common to go an octave down than up.

8vb is often seen, but the purists insist on 8va b as more correct, for ottava basso. If no b, then up is assumed.

I have always thought that the 8vb notation for ottava bassa was sort of silly, since the notation itself is located above or below the staff, indicating in which direction the octave should be played. I have even seen the two-octave bass version written "15mb" for "quindicesima bassa".

Most music indicates the duration of the ottava with a dashed line, but some old music terminates the octave passage with "loco" instead.

Now, has anyone ever seen "c.8va" (coll'ottava) for the piano? This one is really rare!

Don
Kansas City

You guys rock ! Thx all again.