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Ottava brackets

Ottava brackets raise or lower displayed notes by one or more octaves, leaving the sounding pitch unchanged. The purpose of the octavation is to reduce the use of ledger lines, especially when wide intervals occur in short passages. The \ottava takes a positive integer to indicate playing higher than printed, or a negative to play lower. The effect of the ottava brackets lasts to the next entry of a different octavation, and can be ended by using \ottava 0.

In the following example, all notes sound at the same pitch:

\relative c'' {
  a2 b
  \ottava -2
  a2 b
  \ottava -1
  a2 b
  \ottava 0
  a2 b
  \ottava 1
  a2 b
  \ottava 2
  a2 b
}

By default, only a number is printed at the start of the bracket. That setting may be changed to include an abbreviated ordinal, either in superscript or in normal letters; the initial bold font weight of these characters may also be altered, as explained in Selecting font and font size.

The following example demonstrates various options, as well as how to go back to the current default behavior:

\relative c'' {
  \ottava 1
  a'2 b
  \ottava 2
  a'2 b
  \bar "||"
  \set Staff.ottavationMarkups = #ottavation-ordinals
  \ottava 1
  a,2 b
  \ottava 2
  a'2 b
  \bar "||"
  \override Staff.OttavaBracket.font-series = #'normal
  \set Staff.ottavationMarkups = #ottavation-simple-ordinals
  \ottava 1
  a,2 b
  \ottava 2
  a'2 b
  \bar "||"
  \revert Staff.OttavaBracket.font-series
  \set Staff.ottavationMarkups = #ottavation-numbers
  \ottava 1
  a,2 b
  \ottava 2
  a'2 b
}

Selected Snippets

Changing ottava text

Internally, \ottava sets the properties ottavation (for example, to 8va or 8vb) and middleCPosition. To override the text of the bracket, set ottavation after invoking \ottava.

Short text is especially useful when a brief ottava is used.

{
  c'2
  \ottava 1
  \set Staff.ottavation = "8"
  c''2
  \ottava 0
  c'1
  \ottava 1
  \set Staff.ottavation = "Text"
  c''1
}

Adding an ottava marking to a single voice

If you have more than one voice on the staff, setting octavation in one voice transposes the position of notes in all voices for the duration of the ottava bracket. If the octavation is only intended to apply to one voice, the Ottava_spanner_engraver should be moved to Voice context.

\layout {
  \context {
    \Staff
    \remove Ottava_spanner_engraver
  }
  \context {
    \Voice
    \consists Ottava_spanner_engraver
  }
}

{
  \clef bass
  << { <g d'>1~ q2 <c' e'> }
  \\
    {
      r2.
      \ottava -1
      <b,,, b,,>4 ~ |
      q2
      \ottava 0
      <c e>2
    }
  >>
}

Modifying the Ottava spanner slope

It is possible to change the slope of the Ottava spanner.

\relative c'' {
  \override Staff.OttavaBracket.stencil = #ly:line-spanner::print
  \override Staff.OttavaBracket.bound-details =
    #`((left . ((Y . 0)
                (attach-dir . ,LEFT)
                (padding . 0)
                (stencil-align-dir-y . ,CENTER)))
       (right . ((Y . 5.0) ; Change the number here
                 (padding . 0)
                 (attach-dir . ,RIGHT)
                 (text . ,(make-draw-dashed-line-markup
                           (cons 0 -1.2))))))
  \override Staff.OttavaBracket.left-bound-info =
     #ly:horizontal-line-spanner::calc-left-bound-info-and-text
  \override Staff.OttavaBracket.right-bound-info =
     #ly:horizontal-line-spanner::calc-right-bound-info
  \ottava 1
  c1
  c'''1
}

See also

Music Glossary: octavation.

Notation Reference: Selecting font and font size.

Snippets: Pitches.

Internals Reference: Ottava_spanner_engraver, OttavaBracket, ottava-bracket-interface.