A sound is a vibration that travels through the air in the form of a wave. Each wave has its own frequency. In music, the reference pitch is typically assigned a frequency of 440 Hertz, known as A4 or the A above Middle C. The note A an octave higher will have a frequency of 880Hz (the wavelength is halved), while a lower octave A will have a frequency of 220Hz (the wavelength is doubled). Our brain perceives sounds with frequencies that are multiples of two as the same note, but at different octaves.
Goals
The purpose of this exercise is to help you place a succession of octaves in the musical space. The exercise practices upward and downward octave movements.
Tips for success
Try to sing the lowest note your voice can produce, then sing that same note one octave higher, and continue ascending by an additional octave. If you are unable to do so with your voice, use your instrument.
Musical examples
Wuthering Heights -
Kate Bush
Pop/Rock
In the introduction of this song, the piano plays an introductory melodic motif of eleven notes and then repeats it a second time, one octave higher.
Die Walküre, WWV 86B - Concert version / Act 3: The Ride Of The Valkyries -
Orchestre de Paris, Daniel Barenboim
Opera
Richard Wagner
In this introduction, the melodic motif is repeated identically across three octaves. The melody ascends, then descends, until it returns to its initial register.
Préludes / Book 1, L. 117: VIII. La fille aux cheveux de lin -
Daniel Barenboim
Classical music
Claude Debussy
In this example, the ascending motif played on the piano is constructed using the pentatonic (five-note) scale. It is then repeated across three octaves, with a slight variation at the end of the third repetition.
