what is the difference between singing off key and singing out of tune?
In: 11
Out of tune means the pitch of the note is incorrect. Notes are at set frequencies, going over or under is out of tune.
Off key means you sang or played a note the does not fit in the current key signature, which without going into theory is what notes are allowed. For example in the key of C all notes are natural, so in most cases playing the sharp or flat of a note would be wrong. There are exceptions though.
Or another way of looking at it. Singing out of tune, everything sounds wrong, especially when accompanied by instruments or other vocal that are in tune. Out of key would be “that note sounds wrong”, but the note itself is in tune.
Humans, for the most part, don’t hear “key” they hear “intervals”, or the distance between notes. What we call “scales” or “keys” are just the same intervals applied in a sequence to different starting notes.
What I’m saying is if I sing a song on C Major, and then tomorrow sing you the same song in F major, you probably wouldn’t notice a difference, because you’re “hearing” the distance between notes (the “major scale”) and not the key.
So If the band is playing in C major, and I’m singing in D major, you’ll hear that I’m “off key”, I’m getting the intervals right, but the pitches are all wrong.
If the bank is playing in C major and I’m just saying whatever the fuck I want randomly, that’s out of tune I’m neither hitting the right notes, nor am I getting the distance between each note correct.
They are pretty much interchangeable terms when it comes to singing (IMHO) A singer can only produce one note at a time (mostly) so ‘technically’ the singer is really singing out of tune if they sing the incorrect notes.
For instruments, being out of tune might mean that the instrument has not been tuned properly. Although the player is doing the ‘right’ thing, the instrument is not producing the correct note.
Being off key is when the player has misunderstood what key signature the song is to be played in. The instrument is correctly tuned but the player is playing the incorrect notes or chords for the song.
Singing off-key is singing the melody right, but not in relation to anything else. It’s like if you’re at a conference and everyone else is speaking English but you’re speaking fluent Spanish. Your speaking is perfectly fine except for the fact that it doesn’t gel well.
Singing out-of-tune is singing the melody wrong. In our analogy, everyone at the conference is speaking English but you’re consistently using the wrong words so nobody knows what you mean.
* The way most people use these phrases, they mean the same thing…singing the wrong note.
* But more specifically, out of key means that notes doesn’t fit with the rest of the notes whereas if it was in key, it would.
* Out of tune means the you tried to hit a certain note and you failed.
You can count 21,22,23,24,25 or 31,32,33,34,35
These are the same sequence, but different starting positions. Or different key…..
You can count 21,23,24,22,26 this is the equivalent of being out of tune.
If the band is playing in the key of E, but the singer is singing in the key of F they are off key.
My music theory knowledge is a little lacking, but from my years of taking voice lessons, here goes.
Analogy: Imagine you are at a supermarket, and ready to pay. You reach the check stands and find there are ultimately two lines. One line is for “10 Items or Fewer,” the other is for everyone else. (Wait time is of no issue here, just go with the analogy.) Lanes are like songs, customers are like singers, and the quantity of items determines the best lane just like the notes being brought by the singer should match the notes for which the song was designed/written. There are certain expectations of which lane people are going to take depending on what they have with them. Now imagine two scenarios.
First, imagine someone in the express lane with way more than 10 items. They’re still in a lane for purchases, which is the correct business. Some people will certainly be annoyed with either the dismissal of the natural way of things or the accidental ignorance that the express lane is for a certain way of business. Singing in the wrong/off *key* is like this. The intervals – the differences in the number of notes in the scale between successive notes sung – could be correct to what’s written, but they don’t quite match up with the expectations of the “lane” of the original song. Some people may or may not be totally annoyed by this˚, but it’s down to the listener.
Back to the supermarket analogy, imagine the lines are sizable but there are two customers who seem ambiguously between the two. You’re not quite sure which lane they belong in, but appear to be in either. It’s quite frustrating because you don’t know where they’re going and seem to be in everyone’s way. Singing out of *tune* is like this. There’s a certain expectation of where the notes would hit in the song. Even if there is some creative manipulation of the *key* to account for this˚, it’s sounds completely souring. Neither the interval nor pitch being sung is in line with the key of the original song.
˚Note: Some people may be creative and sing in a relative key or different mode. For example, I sing bass-baritone and have performed Soporano songs in my voice by using the scale one octave down [for Britney Spears], or a fourth down [for Les Miserables “Fantine”] with the accompanist playing in the song’s original key. For analogy’s sake, this is like someone in the non-express lane with five items.
Latest Answers