User manual

Octave lines
Octave lines indicate where notes are played higher/lower than they appear in the score or part.
Octave lines are dashed or dotted horizontal lines with an italic numeral at the start. The numeral
indicates the number of pitches by which the phrase is changed, such as 8 for one octave and 15
for two octaves.
Octave lines that indicate notes are played higher than notated are placed above the staff, while
octave lines that indicate notes are played lower than notated are placed below the staff.
A treble clef phrase notated at
pitch
The treble clef phrase with an
octave above line
The treble clef phrase with a two
octaves above line
A bass clef phrase notated at pitch The bass clef phrase with an
octave below line
The bass clef phrase with a two
octaves below line
In
Dorico SE, pitches are adjusted automatically when an octave line is present. You do not have
to change the register of the notes within the line.
You can use octave lines across a few notes, a single phrase, or multiple phrases, but they must
not confuse the contour of the music. If used excessively and for inappropriate sections, octave
lines can mask the shape of the original melody. However, careful usage of octave lines can make
music easier to read quickly as the performer has fewer ledger lines to count.
An angular phrase with no octave
lines
The same phrase with many
octave lines, which distort the
overall shape of the phrase.
The same phrase with just two
octave lines to reduce ledger lines.
They do not change the overall
shape of the phrase.
It is generally best to use a different clef for a whole phrase if appropriate for that instrument, or
to input an octave line for the whole phrase in order to ensure the shape and register are clear to
the performer.
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Dorico SE 3.1.10