Loco
"In place" – cancels a preceding octave transposition instruction.
What it means
"Loco" (Italian for "in place") is a performance direction that cancels a previously indicated octave transposition. After a marking such as "8va" (play an octave higher) or "8va bassa" (an octave lower), "loco" shows that from this point the notated pitch is played exactly as written.
In the notation
"Loco" usually appears in small print above or below the staff at the point where the octave transposition ends, often at the end of a dashed line marking the extent of the transposition.
Musical use
The marking mainly serves notational clarity: rather than writing many ledger lines, a passage is briefly notated an octave higher or lower and "loco" returns to the actual register. "Loco" should be distinguished from a plain return to the original register with no preceding octave instruction, which needs no special marking.
Performance practice
When practising, pay particular attention to the shift back to the notated register after an octave marking; "loco" is easily overlooked when the dashed line is short.