relative pitch

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of relative pitch¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

However, most musicians can be trained to recognize relative pitch.

From Literature

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

From Literature

Released jointly on the Relative Pitch label and on Berne’s Screwgun imprint, which also offers Belisle-Chi’s scores for sale, it’s a subtle stunner.

From New York Times

When someone can identify a note only when it’s based on a reference note, that’s called relative pitch.

From Scientific American

We haven’t found an animal yet that has relative pitch in the way we define it.

From The Verge