relative pitch

American  

noun

Music.

1. the pitch of a tone as determined by its relationship to other tones in a scale.

2. the ability to identify or sing a tone by mentally determining the distance of its pitch from that of a tone already sounded.

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Etymology

Origin of relative pitch

First recorded in 1925–30

Compare meaning

How does relative-pitch compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• perfect pitch vs. relative pitch

Example Sentences

Most of us have excellent relative pitch, which means that we can tell whether one sound has a different frequency from another.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

The notation gives an accurate indication of relative pitch: letter A at the top of the scale, for instance, represents a musical note a fifth higher than N halfway down the alphabet.

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2013

Before starting into an a cappella song, Ms. Meath often located its key signature by feel, rather than with a relative pitch.

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2011

Many professional musicians don't have it; most have a highly developed sense of "relative" pitch.

From Time Magazine Archive

Simply having an ear well-trained in "relative pitch" is extremely useful in many ways.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones