Unsingable

Describing something, typically a piece of music, that is difficult or impossible to sing effectively, usually due to an awkward melody, a vocal range that's too high or too low, or unusual phrasing and intervals. This can result in a tune being considered unpleasant to the ear or cumbersome for the singer. Factors such as poor melodic contour, complex rhythms, or unsuitable lyric stresses can contribute to a song's unsingability. The term implies a failure of the composer to consider the practicalities of vocal performance or the aesthetic pleasure of the singing voice.

Unsingable meaning with examples

• The experimental composer's latest piece was sadly unsingable, featuring leaps of octaves and a rapid-fire delivery of nonsensical syllables that even trained opera singers found challenging. The avant-garde nature of the piece focused on percussive sounds over the ability to express vocal melody.
• While the orchestra played beautifully, the vocalist struggled with the chorus. Due to the range, the notes were far too high, making the already difficult notes unsingable, and requiring a re-write before the song could be considered for radio play.
• The pop star's new single, despite its catchy beat, was ultimately unsingable. The overly complicated melody, combined with the unusually long held notes in the vocal, presented insurmountable vocal hurdles that no pop star, let alone the general audience, could overcome.
• The amateur songwriter, though full of enthusiasm, crafted a series of unsingable tunes; full of wrong notes, and intervals which jumped all over the octaves. Despite their potential, the songs just were not composed, and are unlikely to be listened to by anyone.