Gutted contralto picked up items on score, but not opening sequences of notes (7)
I believe the answer is:
octaves
'notes' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both related to communication as well as being plural nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for octaves that I've seen before include "Eight-note spans" , "lot of notes" , "Musical intervals of eight notes" , "Groups of eight consecutive notes on a scale" , "8-note hand spans (mus.)" .)