Three-line octave

What it means

The three-line octave spans the pitch range from c''' to b''', two octaves above the one-line octave, which contains the standard concert pitch a'. It belongs to the upper half of the pitch range commonly used in Western music and sounds correspondingly high.

In the notation

In the German naming tradition the three-line octave is marked by three small strokes after the letter, c''' and so on, corresponding to C5 in scientific pitch notation (using middle C as C4). On the staff its notes usually sit well above the lines and require numerous ledger lines or the use of an ottava alta bracket.

Musical use

Notes of the three-line octave occur mainly on high instruments such as the piccolo, the violin in its extreme upper range, and very high soprano voices, where they mark the top of the respective range. On the piano, the three-line octave reaches close to the instrument's highest playable notes.

The three-line octave should be distinguished from the one-line octave, which contains standard concert pitch a' and marks the middle range of most instruments, and from the two-line octave, exactly one octave below it. The German naming system continues upward with the four-line octave.

Performance practice

When reading notes in the three-line octave, first establish the position on the staff by counting ledger lines or reading the ottava marking, before identifying the exact pitch. If you sing or play in this range yourself, pay particular attention to controlled intonation, since deviations are more noticeable to the ear at such high registers than in the middle range.