FretSpider!

Oct meaning 8. An octave is the interval between 8 notes. For example:

(A) – B – C – D – E – F – G – (A)

The above “A” notes are one octave apart. As musical notes go from A to G (with semitones in between) and repeat back to A, the octave is the next set of notes. As each octave is the same note (but higher tone) they can be played in harmony with each other.

Another example is in the following B Major scale.

To understand this diagram, the strings are the six horizontal lines, the vertical lines are the frets, the letters are the string names, the colored dots are the notes in the scale, the white numbers show the order of the scale, and the black numbers are the fret numbers.

This is a B Major scale in two octaves. The major scale is 7 notes long, the scale is then repeated from the octave to lengthen it, or give it more diversity or potential.

So the purple dots are the 3 B notes of the scale, they are all an octave away from eachother. The second note is C# (C Sharp), this is the case with the second note of the second half of the scale, therefore, these two C# notes are also an octave apart. etc.

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(These are the three B notes of the above scale)

So as you have just found out, an octave of a note is the next pitch of the same note. So if you have a G note on the 3rd fret of the 6th string, you would go through from G, A, B, C, D, E, F, and back to the next G, which would be fret 12 of the 6th string (or fret 5 of the 4th string – same note).

Octaves are a very useful way for harmonizing a riff. An easy way to remember where an octave of a certain note is, is to count two frets higher and two strings higher. For example, if you’re playing an A note on the 5th fret of the 6th string, the next octave of this note could be played on the 7th fret of the 4th string. – Quick tricks like these are essential in improvisation, they help with understanding how notes will sound together before they are played.

Try playing something you already know, now, use those notes and play it again while playing the notes an octave higher/lower. Sounds pretty cool hey? This gives you some substance on the riff and is a great effect when used correctly.

Here is a simple example of the main riff of Iron Man by Black Sabbath:

e|--------------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------------
G|--------------------------------------------
D|--------------------------------------------
A|----5--5-7-7--10-9--10-9--10-9---5-5-7-7----
E|-7------------------------------------------

Here is the same riff with the octave notes played over the top:

e|--------------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------------
G|--------------------------------------------
D|----7--7-9-9--12-11-12-11-12-11--7-7-9-9----
A|----5--5-7-7--10-9--10-9--10-9---5-5-7-7----
E|-7------------------------------------------

There are guitar effects systems available called Octavers. These are placed between the guitar and the amp, they grab the notes that you are playing and add an octave note (higher/lower/both) and usually allows you to adjust the number of octaves higher or lower you want to reach.