Music GCSE
Octave span and letter names
What Octave span and letter names means in Music GCSE, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definition of Octave span and letter names
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Octave span and letter names in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: Pearson Edexcel
A scale usually extends across an octave, returning to the same letter name at the upper or lower octave, with seven distinct letter names in the example.
Topics that use Octave span and letter names
- Appendix 3: Musical vocabulary - Organisation of pitch (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
- 12-bar blues
- Aural identification
- Bass line
- Broken chord
- Chord sequences
- Conjunct
- Decoration versus structural change
- Disjunct
Using Octave span and letter names in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
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