Octave
noun
In music, it is an interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency.
The musical range from C to the next C is one octave.
Often appears as...
- full octave
- up an octave
noun
In poetry, it refers to a verse or stanza consisting of eight lines.
The sonnet starts with an octave, followed by a sestet.
Often appears as...
- sonnet octave
- rhyming octave
Usage tips
Literary
noun
In physics, it's the unit of frequency level when the base of the logarithm is two.
Sound frequency is often measured in octaves.
Often appears as...
- double octave
- frequency octave
Usage tips
Technical
noun
In Catholicism, it's a period of eight days observing a feast day.
The church observes the octave of Easter.
Often appears as...
- easter octave
- christmas octave
noun
In music, it is an interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency.
The musical range from C to the next C is one octave.
Often appears as...
- full octave
- up an octave
noun
In poetry, it refers to a verse or stanza consisting of eight lines.
The sonnet starts with an octave, followed by a sestet.
Often appears as...
- sonnet octave
- rhyming octave
Usage tips
Literary
noun
In physics, it's the unit of frequency level when the base of the logarithm is two.
Sound frequency is often measured in octaves.
Often appears as...
- double octave
- frequency octave
Usage tips
Technical
noun
In Catholicism, it's a period of eight days observing a feast day.
The church observes the octave of Easter.
Often appears as...
- easter octave
- christmas octave
Definition 1 of 4
Pro Tip 1/3Music Range
An octave spans eight notes in a standard musical scale.
The pianist played a scale up one octave.
Pro Tip 2/3Pitch Shift
Shifting an octave changes a note's pitch, but maintains its position in the scale.
She sang the same melody an octave higher.
Pro Tip 3/3Cultural Recognition
Octaves are fundamental in music across different cultures, recognized by listeners universally.
Even in different musical traditions, the octave is a familiar concept.
Pro Tip 1/3Music Range
An octave spans eight notes in a standard musical scale.
The pianist played a scale up one octave.
Pro Tip 2/3Pitch Shift
Shifting an octave changes a note's pitch, but maintains its position in the scale.
She sang the same melody an octave higher.
Pro Tip 3/3Cultural Recognition
Octaves are fundamental in music across different cultures, recognized by listeners universally.
Even in different musical traditions, the octave is a familiar concept.
Pro Tip 1/3Music Range
An octave spans eight notes in a standard musical scale.
The pianist played a scale up one octave.
Pro Tip 2/3Pitch Shift
Shifting an octave changes a note's pitch, but maintains its position in the scale.
She sang the same melody an octave higher.
Pro Tip 3/3Cultural Recognition
Octaves are fundamental in music across different cultures, recognized by listeners universally.
Even in different musical traditions, the octave is a familiar concept.
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Video examples
What does it take to...
then you just basically open that bad boy up and start coining words for every single possible entry so assuming you got as far as the O's you might decide that the new word for oscillation is gloom and the new word for octagon is yard Lowell the new word for octave is
Video examples
The physics of playing...
When we hear one note played with another that has exactly twice its frequency, its first overtone, they sound so harmonious that we assign them the same letter, and define the difference between them as an octave. The rest of the scale is squeezed into that octave
Video examples
Louie Schwartzberg:...
it would only be one octave that the naked eye could see, which is right in the middle? And aren't we grateful for our brains, that can take this electrical impulse that comes from light energy to create images in order for us to explore our world?
Video examples
Math is the hidden...
When we play them together, it sounds like this. This is an octave, right? We can do this game. We can play a sound, play the same A. We can multiply it by three-halves. This is what we call a perfect fifth. They sound really nice together.
Video examples
Julian Treasure: Shh!...
Incidentally, we see just one octave. Your ears are always on -- you have no ear lids. They work even when you sleep. The smallest sound you can perceive moves your eardrum just four atomic diameters. The loudest sound you can hear
Video examples
Stanley McChrystal:...
He checks you out, he grabs your adjusting straps and he tightens everything so that your chest is crushed, your shoulders are crushed down, and, of course, he's tightened so your voice goes up a couple octaves as well.
Video examples
Everything you hear on...
and an overhead mic outside the swimming pool. So here's what the underwater mic sounds like. Adding the overhead mic, it sounded a bit like So now they took the sound and pitched it one octave down,
Video examples
Have You Ever Seen a Dog...
beyond the range of human hearing a dog can hear sounds of such high frequency that to produce them a piano would require an extra four octaves but dogs don't actually make high pitched
Video examples
Charles Limb: Building...
Okay, now if we consider that in a cochlear implant patient pitch perception could be off as much as two octaves,
Video examples
The interspecies...
She discovers a note she likes, finds the octave.
Video examples
What does it take to...
then you just basically open that bad boy up and start coining words for every single possible entry so assuming you got as far as the O's you might decide that the new word for oscillation is gloom and the new word for octagon is yard Lowell the new word for octave is
Video examples
The physics of playing...
When we hear one note played with another that has exactly twice its frequency, its first overtone, they sound so harmonious that we assign them the same letter, and define the difference between them as an octave. The rest of the scale is squeezed into that octave
Video examples
Louie Schwartzberg:...
it would only be one octave that the naked eye could see, which is right in the middle? And aren't we grateful for our brains, that can take this electrical impulse that comes from light energy to create images in order for us to explore our world?
Video examples
Math is the hidden...
When we play them together, it sounds like this. This is an octave, right? We can do this game. We can play a sound, play the same A. We can multiply it by three-halves. This is what we call a perfect fifth. They sound really nice together.
Video examples
Julian Treasure: Shh!...
Incidentally, we see just one octave. Your ears are always on -- you have no ear lids. They work even when you sleep. The smallest sound you can perceive moves your eardrum just four atomic diameters. The loudest sound you can hear
Video examples
Stanley McChrystal:...
He checks you out, he grabs your adjusting straps and he tightens everything so that your chest is crushed, your shoulders are crushed down, and, of course, he's tightened so your voice goes up a couple octaves as well.
Video examples
Everything you hear on...
and an overhead mic outside the swimming pool. So here's what the underwater mic sounds like. Adding the overhead mic, it sounded a bit like So now they took the sound and pitched it one octave down,
Video examples
Have You Ever Seen a Dog...
beyond the range of human hearing a dog can hear sounds of such high frequency that to produce them a piano would require an extra four octaves but dogs don't actually make high pitched
Video examples
Charles Limb: Building...
Okay, now if we consider that in a cochlear implant patient pitch perception could be off as much as two octaves,
Video examples
The interspecies...
She discovers a note she likes, finds the octave.
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Christopher Young
American Composer
When I was younger, I'd make a point of driving to the middle of nowhere and spending an evening with just me, the wind, and the moon. Your skin crawls up an octave. This is what I tap into when I'm working on horror films. I'm just afraid a time will come when I lose touch with that part of myself.
Quote examples
Synyster Gates
American Musician
I don't like using fourths and fifths. Instead, I'll come up with a harmony line made up of major and minor thirds above the melody, then I'll drop it down an octave so that the melody is on top and the harmony line is major and minor sixths below it.
Quote examples
Rosemarie DeWitt
American Actress
I feel like, in my 20s, I was putting my hair in a ponytail and pinching my cheeks and raising my voice an octave. So I feel more comfortable being a woman than I did being a young ingenue.
Quote examples
Eddie Van Halen
Dutch Musician
On 'Honeybabysweetiedoll' I used a Whammy, a Boss OC-3 octave box, a Sustainer and a Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler. That's only on the intro, where all those weird noises are happening.
Quote examples
Emily Blunt
British Actress
I'm Sudafed-ed up, but it's alright because I'm having to do this rather sultry scene, so maybe it's OK that my voice is three octaves lower.
Quote examples
Igor Stravinsky
Russian Composer
I know that the twelve notes in each octave and the variety of rhythm offer me opportunities that all of human genius will never exhaust.
Quote examples
Mariah Carey
Musician
One day I promised God that if he would give me my voice back I would never smoke again. I got three octaves back after quitting.
Quote examples
Aaron Neville
American Musician
That's one thing you hear in my voice today. I could yodel from one octave to another octave. It always fascinated me.
Quote examples
Jackie Coogan
Fester never talked in the 'Addams Family' cartoons. So I raised my voice an octave and I gave him a beetling look.
Quote examples
Julie Andrews
English Actress
I was a child prodigy who had a freak voice of something like four octaves.
Quote examples
Christopher Young
American Composer
When I was younger, I'd make a point of driving to the middle of nowhere and spending an evening with just me, the wind, and the moon. Your skin crawls up an octave. This is what I tap into when I'm working on horror films. I'm just afraid a time will come when I lose touch with that part of myself.
Quote examples
Synyster Gates
American Musician
I don't like using fourths and fifths. Instead, I'll come up with a harmony line made up of major and minor thirds above the melody, then I'll drop it down an octave so that the melody is on top and the harmony line is major and minor sixths below it.
Quote examples
Rosemarie DeWitt
American Actress
I feel like, in my 20s, I was putting my hair in a ponytail and pinching my cheeks and raising my voice an octave. So I feel more comfortable being a woman than I did being a young ingenue.
Quote examples
Eddie Van Halen
Dutch Musician
On 'Honeybabysweetiedoll' I used a Whammy, a Boss OC-3 octave box, a Sustainer and a Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler. That's only on the intro, where all those weird noises are happening.
Quote examples
Emily Blunt
British Actress
I'm Sudafed-ed up, but it's alright because I'm having to do this rather sultry scene, so maybe it's OK that my voice is three octaves lower.
Quote examples
Igor Stravinsky
Russian Composer
I know that the twelve notes in each octave and the variety of rhythm offer me opportunities that all of human genius will never exhaust.
Quote examples
Mariah Carey
Musician
One day I promised God that if he would give me my voice back I would never smoke again. I got three octaves back after quitting.
Quote examples
Aaron Neville
American Musician
That's one thing you hear in my voice today. I could yodel from one octave to another octave. It always fascinated me.
Quote examples
Jackie Coogan
Fester never talked in the 'Addams Family' cartoons. So I raised my voice an octave and I gave him a beetling look.
Quote examples
Julie Andrews
English Actress
I was a child prodigy who had a freak voice of something like four octaves.
Example 1 of 10
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