Well, I never could PLAY the fiddle in tune very well, even though I took a couple of years of classes as a kid. But I could TELL it sounded bad, and I could tell when the notes sounded right.

In the case of my friend, it was not a matter of being a bit off key. He just couldn't tell an A from a C sometimes. Gotta be related to what Sharyn is talking about, though his voice was considerably higher than the lower range of his stand-up bass and he had CDs of male singers to hear. I'd imagine it's a matter of training your ear to hear what's there rather than anticipating.

Having said that about "not telling A from C," I've gotta admit that sometimes I sing harmony without intending to and don't realize I'm doing it until someone points it out (like the choir director who's trying for unison or whole-octave separations)!

Genie