what is the difference between singing off key and singing out of tune?
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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.
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