[Vocabulary] What does "terrible" mean in this context?

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krisstte

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Dear All,

could you help me, please, to understand the meaning of "terrible singing voice" in this context? Is it awfully tuneless, unmusical? Or maybe thunderous, throaty?

"Music was Dad’s passion. He played guitar and whistle, and we spent a few summers in ear-splitting discomfort when he tried and failed to learn the pipes. He loved a good rousing Jacobite song, belting out in his terrible singing voice the praises of Bonnie Prince Charlie, while the rest of us tapped our feet and laughed."

Lauren Westwood "My mother's silence"

Thank you very much!
 
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Rover_KE

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Welcome to the forum, krisstte.:)

[STRIKE]Dear All,[/STRIKE] Unnecessary. Just go ahead and ask your question.

Could you help me, please, to understand the meaning of "terrible singing voice" in this context? Is it awfully tuneless, unmusical? Or maybe thunderous, throaty?

"Music was Dad’s passion. He played guitar and whistle, and we spent a few summers in ear-splitting discomfort when he tried and failed to learn the pipes. He loved a good rousing Jacobite song, belting out in his terrible singing voice the praises of Bonnie Prince Charlie, while the rest of us tapped our feet and laughed."

Lauren Westwood "My Mother's Silence".

[STRIKE]Thank you very much![/STRIKE] Just click the 'Thank' button after you get a useful reply.
His singing voice could have had any combination of the features you suggest – or all of them.
 

emsr2d2

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All we know for sure is that listening to him sing was a terrible experience.
 
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