Meaning of small octave in musicAn octave refers to the interval between one musical note and another with twice or half its frequency. The octave interval is defined as the first eight notes of the musical scale. The octave above is known as the upper octave and the octave below is known as the lower or small octave. In piano and keyboard music, the lower octave refers to the keys on the left side from A0 to C1, corresponding to the lower notes in the musical staff. These lower notes produce a small and soft sound, hence known as the "small octave".
Under the Helmholtz Octave Designation System, a name applied to the octave which extends from C3 in the bass clef staff to B3 on top of the bass clef staff. In the Helmholtz system, the notes are indicated simply by lowercase letters (c, d, e, f, g, a, and b).
This octave can also be designated as the 3rd octave with Scientific Pitch Notation (SPN) (C3, D3, E3, F3, G3, A3, and B3). This is also known as American Standard Pitch Notation (ASPN) or International Pitch Notation (IPN) and was defined by the Acoustical Society of America.
The MIDI Octave Designation System has two versions, one where note 1 (8.176 Hz) is octave "0" making the Small octave the fourth octave (i.e. C4), and the other with note 1 (8.176 Hz) at octave "-2" making the Small octave the second octave (i.e. C2).
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