TVXQ!’s Vocal Analysis: Changmin [Newly Updated]

0. C Vocalists: Commercial vocalists, Companies: SM Entertainment, Groups, Tenors, Vocal Analyses, Vocal Ranges: 3 Octave Ranges, , , , , , ,

Vocal Range

A2 ~ C6 (3 Octaves, 1 note and 1 semitone)

Supported Range

D3/Eb3 ~ E4/F4

Voice Type

Tenor

Strengths/Achievements

  • Very extensive mixed register, able to mix up until G5
  • Bright and relaxed falsetto/head register up until D5/Eb5
  • Able to produce non-nasal belts at time, with better projection
  • Able to somewhat support some of his lower range down to Eb3/D3’s
  • His throat and larynx stay more relaxed and stable, showing some support in his mix usually up to F4
  • Able to at times project his mix well, even with tension
  • Although strain is present in his mix, the mix is generally head-dominant, causing less strain than a chest-dominant strained mix
  • Able to produce head voice at times, rather a breathy falsetto

Points for Improvement

  • Nasality is quite frequently present in his singing, unintentionally
  • Notes below D3 show an excessive unnecessary use of airiness and become hard to hear
  • Lacks support and volume in his lower range
  • Tends to let his throat, swallowing muscles and tongue tense up on higher notes, making the sound come off whiny and tight
  • Falsetto register may at times be relaxed, but still lack the projection and placement present in his mix
  • Vocal runs are often imprecise and use a robotic staccato, lacking connection and flow
  • Falsetto, mixed and head notes tend to become very strained, pushed and tense the higher he goes
  • Intonation is at times off and inconsistent within one performance and in vocal runs
  • Uses a “Smile” technique in his belts, creating a high larynx and lots of muscle tension
  • Larynx isn’t always stable in his lower range
  • Transitions into head from mix aren’t very smooth
  • Mix is quite uneven, although headiness may strain the voice less, the tone in itself isn’t very versatile

Registers

  • Lower register: Not badly supported overall nor produced. Able to overall keep stability with the larynx and produced a non-breathy tone down to around Eb3 and D3. Notes below though may at times be overly breathy or just generally a stable larynx, but a quiet almost inaudible volume. The drop in volume takes away from projection and general placement. He also may at times lower his larynx to try and project lower notes, which is also incorrect.
  • Mixed register: One of the headiest and highest mixed registers amongst male K-pop vocalist. He is able to keep a stable larynx and soft sound generally up to F4 without much difficulty, but notes above tend to be shrill, tense, nasal and tight. Has the tendency to pull his mix up too high and strain his voice beyond his limit, producing a piercing unpleasant sound overall.
  • Upper register: The head and falsetto register tend to come together depending on the range he sings in. Generally switches into a falsetto if he’s switching from his mix mid-phrase or if he’s singing in his lower falsetto register, and above tends to produce a truer head voice at times and at other times a reinforced tense falsetto. At times may be able to easily go up to E5 and above, but the larynx isn’t stable and the sound is nasal.

Agility

Changmin’s voice should allow him to develop into a leggero tenor or tenore di grazia if he were able to truly develop the coloratura potential he has in his voice. His voice is so light and bright that vocal agility should be quite easy, however he shows more often than not that his runs end up being sloppy, overly staccato and incorrect in pitch precision. He tends to often not flow through his runs and sound sloppy in his runs, needing to work on a smoother flow between his runs and a more accurate precision.

Overall analysis

Changmin’s voice is one of the most noticeable and unique ones in K-pop according to fans and non-fans alike. Member of acclaimed SM vocal group TVXQ!, he is able to stand out for his uniqueness in tone. Changmin’s voice sits quite high in range, but he isn’t anything more than simply a light lyric tenor, his true tone is still a manly tone, however due to the lack of chest in his mix voice, he’s been able to teach himself to sing in a much higher range than many other male K-pop vocalists, setting him apart from them in that way. His voice has a piercing, bright and light quality to it, lacking depth or fullness in tone, however.

The lower range clearly seems to be one of his least developed registers. Able to go down to A2, his voice lacks volume and projection in his lower range, only truly being able to be supported around D3 and above. Even so, at times his voice will be slightly unprojected and quiet even in that range, though proper cord connection may be present. On notes below D3, his voice will at times lose tone and become breathy, and at others, he will lower his larynx to fill his voice out as if to produce a tone he is aware he wouldn’t be able to produce otherwise. An example of this would be the performances of “Duet” by TVXQ!, where his C3’s are produced by lowering his larynx, creating a rather false and shallow tone, lacking true stability and a true support sound. However so, his larynx is generally stable above D3’s, with a more present, but light heady tone.

His voice truly shows itself in his mix register by extending up to the impressive note of G5. Changmin is one of the few male K-pop vocalists who is able to stay in such a high range constantly without great signs of fatigue over the the years. The problem with this, however, is that Changmin never truly developed his chest voice, even in his lower range, in his mix to produce a full and resonant sound. His voice is generally very light and heady throughout every register, lacking at true versatility and more often than note coming off as too bright and piercing. His mixing is heady and therefore uneven, unable to balance out, but also able to keep the larynx stable on notes like G4 and under, due to the lightness of tone produced. At times, in performances such as lives of “I Wanna Hold You”, he was able to produce  more opened G4’s, although not consistently.

The mixed voice however, takes a turn for the worse as he ascends higher in his range above G4, where many times Changmin will not be able to place his voice forward, will swallow the sound and lack projection. His throat tends to also close, the back of his tongue tensing up and his larynx raising, causing the sound to become thin, tight and nasal overall. He has the bad tendency of choosing to constantly sing songs that stay in this range, going high up above on C5’s quite often, straining his voice every single time he chooses to sing up this high. He does not tend to get throaty or push his chest voice up, but rather produce a heady nasal whiny sound which still will damage his voice over time.

Changmin’s falsetto tends to come out often when he does not transition properly between his mix and upper register, becoming slightly unstable and lacking the projection present in the mix. His mixed voice may be strained, but at least it projects, even if through his nose. His falsetto on the other hand, turns thin and breathy, not being able to truly cut through and project. Changmin will then force it to project by adding extra strain on his voice cords, pushing more air out and creating a very sharp piercing sound which he often uses in his mix and falsetto register.

His overall breathing isn’t completely incorrect, however he isn’t too mindful of the true intake of air he needs to support his voice. He never truly developed his chest voice to produce a truly resonant sound often, lacking chest resonance. He many times presents nasality in his voice, but that doesn’t take away from the support his voice does have overall when keeping the larynx stable through his supported range. One of his biggest issues is his “smile” technique. It seems as though Changmin has been taught that if he smiles while singing high notes, he will be able to sing higher and mix better. This is evident in many performances of “이것만을 알고가 (Before U Go)”, where notes such as F#5, tend to come accompanied by a smiley face. The problem with the smile technique is that it stretches the lips too wide, creating not only lip tension, but also raising his larynx, causing tongue and throat tension, and finally dropping his soft palate, a cause of his nasality. His vibrato is often used as well and at times it may be a tight larynx vibrato which squeezes high notes and rather than relaxing them, closes his throat instead. The speed of the vibrato hence, may be uneven at times.

Throughout the years, he’s been able to improve his intonation and stability, his placement also isn’t as nasal and he is able to at times lift his palate and produce a non-nasal sound. His vocal ability however is many times overrated due to just how high he’s able to sing, without actually looking at how he’s able to sing this high. Pitch accuracy in his runs, a fuller rounder resonant sound by taking away the “smile” technique and evening out his mix, and truly understanding where to sing with the voice he has would be the smartest areas where Changmin could improve his vocals. However so he’s still able to correctly deliver music he’s given by his ability to harmonize and blend his voice in, showing he’s more of a group member than a soloist.

Musicianship

Changmin shows a lack of ability to truly change music accurately in terms of notes and rhythm. He may at times sing things differently, but that will generally cause uncertainty and lack of confidence, which result sloppy runs, transitions and overall tone production. He does not generally try and change music, which shows an awareness of himself, however does not allow him to further develop him as a vocalist and musician.

Label (Type of Vocalist)

C Vocalists: Commercial Vocalists

Vocal Range Video(s)

Some notes are wrong, only A2 ~ Bb5 is in his range. (Eb6 could or could not be his voice)

Videos by bxiaiao

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Re-Analyzed by Ahmin (Kitsunemale)
(Originally analyzed by Chung)

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339 thoughts on “TVXQ!’s Vocal Analysis: Changmin [Newly Updated]”

  3. He’s SUCH an overrated vocalist, and I’ve always known he was worse than how people portrayed him to be. So many people believe that he’s one of the best singers in K-Pop, but that’s clearly not the case. Thank you for the analysis!

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    1. Oh my I’m glad you feel that way lol yeah that’s just the case, the fact he sings high makes people think he’s amazing but no..

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    2. How is he an overrated singer when he only ever gets praised for his high notes which is what the OP (in a rather smug tone) says is all that he’s good at? I think kpoppers used that word without knowing what it means.

      Changmin would be overrated if he was receiving laurels for something that he actually wasn’t good at. And I’ve been a fan for years, the guy never gets chosen as one of the best singers by music professionals. When they do the male idol vocal ranking, he is always placed somewhere in the middle (most of the time just above Yoochun) which would make him average. He’s only mentioned when it comes to singing high notes which makes sense because it’s not like all kpoppers can do that. That’s why people are impressed by it.

      I’ve actually read several other amateur vocal analysis in the past and one even called him a ‘text book’ singer and that he had a bland ‘vanilla’ voice. So you probably think he’s overrated because you haven’t taken the time to read any other analysis of his voice before. He’s been active for going on 11 years and there are tons of analysis out there.

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      1. Well the only reason he’s considering overrated is because people do think that he’s an amazing vocalist just because he’s hitting super high notes. Yes he has the natural gift of being able to mix very high with his voice, but what use is that gift when he’s straining his vocal cords, adding muscle tension and letting his larynx raise when he does it? He’s just basically yelling on high pitches. The thing isn’t that he is overrated, and I can say this as a cassie, TVXQ! as a whole is an overrated vocal group. People act like they’re the best vocal group ever, which isn’t completely false since their harmony and voices blend very well together, but individually they can be quite messy, hence the term overrated follows them individually because of the whole of the group being quite overrated. Now none of the 3 TVXQ!/JYJ vocalists are bad at all, but none of them classify in the good area either. I’ll be doing the Junsu and Jaejoong analyses soon if you’re interested in reading them, so you can tell me if you agree or not… I hope that clarifies it.

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      2. Nope, I haven’t read any other analyses of his voice before, but I’m primarily arguing that he’s heavily overrated by international and Korean fans, which I probably should have specified and stated in my original post. And, following up with Ahmin said, all of TVXQ/JYJ are heavily overrated by fans. I was just on NB the other day, and I observe comments such as “Junsu is so much better than Chen” (when they’re both decent vocalists, thus they aren’t far in terms of level) “Jaejoong as well because he can sing any type of genre with good technique along with possessing one of the biggest range according to music critiques” (when Chen is better technically). One instance isn’t enough evidence, but you can see this type of comments occurring widely across AKP/OH/KS forums. Yes, that doesn’t contribute to my main argument, but I’m just stating that, like what Ahmin said, they’re heavily overrated by I and K fans, including Changmin. I hope I’m not coming across as a hater because I do like their music lol.

        By the way, I really hope this blog becomes popular and well-known because I see so many posts throughout forums/YT that aren’t true regarding the vocal technique of idols, and it can become frustrating, especially when various idols are being compared, and their arguments are completely flawed.

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      3. Thank you so much for your love. I’ll be posting Jaejoong’s and Junsu’s analyses very soon and hopefully they’ll be spread to the audiences all of the world. LOL right! lol

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  5. As a fan of Changmin, thank you for analyzing his vocal. His performance in Mirotics once made me believe that he is awesome. I have read your article http://www.soompi.com/2014/06/11/introduction-to-k-pop-vocal-analysis-an-interview-with-kvab-part-i/#.U7wC5HKSwdU
    So, I’m not very surprised when Changmin is just an average vocalist. You say he can improve in the future however, he is 26 now, is that a bit too late to improve his vocal technique? Anyway, never mind the negative comments of the article. They just do not know what is vocal pedagogy is? Keep doing your job. A great review

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    1. I wouldn’t say 26 is late to improve vocal technique, I just think that at this point, he’s had 10 years to improve his technique and the change hasn’t been that huge so it really just depends on him. Thank you for being understanding ^ ^

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      1. really, yunho in the same lavel with changmin? do you will make analysis for yunho voice too?

        by the way, thanks for your information, i’m dbsk fans and i’m looking forward for JYJ members too, did you watch all their peformance video before making this analysis?

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      2. Of course, I watched as many performances as possible, but you don’t need that many to see the vocal skill of a vocalist. You need many to see his supported range and consistency though. Yunho is kinda more like an average vocalist, but not too far from Changmin. I don’t believe I’ll analyze him though.

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      3. haha its ok, i know you are busy, its just that i’m suprise knowing yunho almost on the same lavel with changmin, i means i though he is on weak vocalist or weak to average, and his voice is so nasal then the other member. anyway thanks ^^

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      5. Hi, sorry to interrupt you since the post has posted since 2014. but i am very curious about how do you think with Micky”s (member form JYJ) vocal.

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      6. I’m not sure what you’re interrupting haha but mhmm yoochun is a baritone with generally shallow support and very nasal placement.

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  7. I cant stan his voice .
    but in the end all of these analysis is just you own opinion on who’s good ,average and whatever . and people can either agree with it or not , yet kpop kids are going to take it as some kind of fact because you explained things they didn’t get about ” singing” .

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    1. The ratings are a ranking system we’ve come up with and that’s completely our thing, but… The facts I explained on the article are real facts based on truth and his singing, listen to his singing and you will see. Please do not call this my own personal opinion because you don’t understand what I’m talking bout when it comes to vocal technique. I’ve made valid true points, the ranking can be disregarded if you want, but the other things are all true.

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      1. this isn’t about this guy’s ranking he’s not even someone I consider average . I hate his voice .
        explained techniques and what not doesn’t make anything you say less of a opinion . doctors know fact about the human body but still disagree and make mistakes in their diagnosis . music critiques know everything you’ve said and they don’t all agree with each other .
        so the ” because you don’t understand what I’m talking about” clause won’t make your opinions facts .
        you explain fact about music and singing but the placement of each factor with each person is all you own view of this and not a fact , this is basically what you think about each one and their abilities based on what you know ,and should be seen as that .
        but I can see you need it to be ” the truth” or whatever ..
        don’t worry about that , kpop fans will do that for you .

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      2. Uhm yes you’re right. It’s an opinion based on what ik so yeah you’re very right, so people might disagree with me or agree depending on what they know, so I don’t think you’re wrong. Now at first it stroke me as though you thought I was wrong because of what I said about him not being nice, but I feel really it’s like I wasn’t saying he’s bad enough for you? Like I realize now it’s like you think my review is too positive? Well it’s actually sort of not a good placement for a vocalist as overrated as he is, so I do hope that helps you feel better about you hating his voice ^ ^

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      3. you still don’t get it but it’s ok , you didn’t get it the first time .
        never mind carry on .

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    2. This is a completely objective analysis tho, because authors here judge on his technique, like for example, does he have muscle tension in singing, is his larynx stable throughout his range, and stuff like that. If the analysis here is a subjective analysis, the analysis would be about his emotions and tone of his voice and stuff like that :3

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  8. Sorry, but for some reason there is no reply option for my comments so I can’t do it directly.

    @ahmin3: You and Stan probably both misunderstand what my point was. I’m saying that calling someone ‘overrated’ based on what fans say (and not professions) is not actually professional. You’re confusing what experts say and how they rank someone like Changmin’s vocals with what fangirls and fanboys say. How is someone who has been out for nearly 11 years and has not won one poll for his vocals or been ranked highly by any program or professionals overrated? How is someone who has spent the majority of his career being overshadowed (along with Jaejoong) by group mate Kim Junsu overrated?

    To explain what I mean, I’ll use an example. Yesterday I watched a Kesha video of her song ‘Blow’ on YouTube. In the comments section her fans were going on and on about how awesome her voice is and saying that she’s the best pop singer in the world. I actually rolled my eyes at some of the comments. But at the end of the day that’s what fans do. They praise their idols. However their comments don’t carry the same weight as professionals. So can I say that Kesha is overrated because her fans go around saying how she’s the best singer? That’s basically what you and Stan are doing. You’re calling Changmin and Jaejoong overrated (Junsu is actually the overrated one) based on the fact that they are popular and their fans dote on them. Because you’re not going to find any poll or survey hailing either Jaejoong and Changmin as the best vocals in Kpop.

    Actually most other amateur vocal analysis that I have read more or less state the same things as you do. If you’re a Cassie you should know that their fans love analyzing their voices. So on any given day on one of their Tumblrs there will be some kind of vocal critique and most of the time they point out the same strengths and weaknesses as you did.

    The problem is that you’re taking the accolades that TVXQ received in the past as a quintet and projecting them onto the individual members. Together they were known for their harmonies, their near perfect lives (that are said to sound better than the cd versions) and their music removes. However the fallacy in that is the only one member received laurels outside of the group…Kim Junsu. The only time that Jaejoong won polls was when they spoke of his beauty/him being the visual of the group (sadly for him, visuals in kpop are synonymous for talentless). You have no idea how many times since he released his solo album that I had to read comments like ‘another member from that group can sing? I thought it was just Junsu.’ and ‘Oh, a visual who can sing? That’s unheard of.’. It wasn’t until the group split that anyone even paid attention to Changmin. When ‘Before U Go’ came out, people were like ‘oh, he can sing too’ and ‘why didn’t anyone ever talk about this kid’s vocals. They’re always talking about Junsu.’

    So when I say that you shouldn’t call Changmin or Jaejoong overrated, I’m speaking from the respective of a nearly decade long Cassie who has never seen them get any individual praise for their vocals outside of the fandom. Sure people say, ‘all TVXQ members can sing’ but that’s about it.

    Calling a vocalists overrated in kpop is overrated. And unprofessional. It takes a rather objective analysis and makes it subjective.

    Also, I hope you’re not planning to label Jaejoong and Junsu under TVXQ because that might cause some unnecessary fanwars. I love all five members with all my heart but at the same time they are in two separate groups now. If you want to have your analysis taken as ‘current’ and up-to-date I think you shouldn’t operate under whole Jaejoong as the lead and Junsu as the main vocalists of TVXQ especially since they haven’t been in that group since 2010. Sure, I understand that you have to watch their older performances to get a gauge of any improvements in their voices but at the same time it’s important to look are where they are now.

    P.S. I like the new pictures you posted up for Changmin:)

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    1. This is a very passionate detailed comment. I apologize for calling him overrated based on what fans say, but I still do stand with my point that he’s slightly overrated for just being able to hit super high notes, which does not make him a good vocalist, but the general public, TV hosts and overall masses of people generally tend to associate with good vocal ability. That’s the only thing really, also the fact that even outside of the cassiopeia fandom, fans outside have been also convinced by them that TVXQ! is the best vocal group ever. That however does not apply to Changmin, since people just think Junsu is a vocal god.

      I’ve never heard of such amateur analyses you speak of, I’d be very interested in seeing them because from what I’ve seen, fans generally tend to over exaggerate their idols’ abilities and ignore their flaws and act as if they’re perfect. I’ve yet to see someone say Junsu isn’t like amazing. I’m planning on labeling them as “JYJ/TVXQ!’s” just because to me in my heart, they still belong that way and I don’t want a very long title saying “JYJ (former TVXQ! member)” or something… however if it offends people, I might as well change it.

      Thank you! I hated the older ones so I went and made a new one myself!~ I like them too ^ ^

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      1. “fans outside have been also convinced by them that TVXQ! is the best vocal group ever”

        That’s my point. You’re talking about TVXQ when this analysis is supposed to be the individual members, not based on what people say about the group as a quintet. You’re projecting what people think and say about the former group onto the members when it’s not applicable here. They were an acapella group known for their harmonizing and stable breathing during performances. What does that have to do with Shim Changmin by himself as a vocalist? Obviously they were able to hide their weaknesses within the group which they’ve even said before in a documentary.

        I would somehow post some of the analyses that I’ve read but most are randomly posted on Tumblr and it’s hard to go back to find them. Last year there was a really good one from an ELF who talked about the members techniques the way you do. She pointed out this weird thing that Jaejoong does by switching from his chest to his nose or something like that. She says that it’s a weird habit that she’s never seen anyone do and that it causes him to clip his notes off at the end. But yeah, because I read that one I understood the stuff you posted here.

        Glad you decided to label Junsu and Jaejoong’s analyses differently.

        I”m off to read them now!

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      2. Oh that’s true he does do that and you’re welcome I understand your point. Yknow one thing that makes me cringe? The last Adlibs the members do when they sing Tonight live, apart from Junsu, it’s just a mess. They’re just yelling every single performance I see of it, that’s when I’m like really Cassies, I’m the only one who years that?

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    2. I don’t know (and don’t much care) about Changmin but Jaejoong wasn’t just a visual. And I am sure people were amazed by his vocals even before seeing as he was the lead singer. I actually fell in love with his voice when I didn’t know K of K-Pop and I heart Doushite… as the anthem for some anime pairing. I had put his vocals in the later half of the song as my ringtone and over time developed a little bit curiosity over who the singer actually was. So I doubt that many people doubted his vocal ability.

      On a side note, I was surprised that Kyuhyun and Ryewook are both better than Jaejoong. I kind of enjoy Jaejoong’s songs more and Kyuhyun’s voice tends to bore me a lot but now I will try to listen to more of his songs. I used to consider Jaejoong one of the best vocals but I guess showing more emotions in the voice makes the difference or does it? Is it already covered in the technical details cause Jaejoong’s songs really move me but Kyuhyun… Not so much (more like not at all unless he is with SuJu).

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      2. ,well if u find kyuhyun’s voice boring i respect if that’s ur opinion bcos what people like will always be according to ur preference, but to me i dont find kyuhyun’s voice boring .. when he sings i find it more like he’s serenading .. i find his voice, sweet & charismatic, & he’s one of the rarest singer that doesn’t need to shout their lungs out just 2 impress people .. actually w/ kyuhyun’s circumstances knowing that his lungs isn’t in 100% good condition due to his accident b4, and his eardrum’s 50% damage due to ear infection but still can give an excellent performance i consider him a genuis when it comes to singing ..

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      3. I used to find it boring when he sang solo but when he is with Suju I loved his solo. But I can agree now that technically he is superior in vocals though Jaejoong’s voice will always be the best one for me. I also love Ryeowook’s voice now.

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  9. Hello, can you make the current ranking of the vocalists ‘average to above average’ already analyzed here?
    They were: Changmin, Daesung, Jessica, Gain, Good, Seohyun, Tiffany.

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    1. What do you mean? Like amongst these ppl who is better than the other? I can’t tell you because they’re in the same area for a reason, they kinda even each other out… It’s irrelevant who’s slightly better really lol

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  10. still don’t understand what make changmin in average to above average? i though he whould be in above average …at least ? and jaejoong in above average to competent ? what they should fix in their technique?

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    1. As the criteria says
      “Above Average

      One somewhat developed register with the others being average or weak
      Inconsistent with resonance
      Even in their supported range strain and tension can be present
      Nasality can be present within the voice at times
      Intonation issues can be frequent”

      For Changmin, his resonance is not only not consistent, it’s almost not there, it’s rare. Plus even the support isn’t always there, the has the habit of pulling his voice back and tensing his throat even very low in his range, which causes him to be more than “present” and instead more on the frequent strain side of things. Jaejoong fits this category better, which also has to do with where in their range this happens. As both are tenors, their tessitura naturally is from C3 ~ C5 theoretically, give or take. That means if they’re straining as low as G#4/G4, that’s really not that high for a tenor. For Changmin he strains usually anywhere above F#4/G4 and Jaejoong G4/G#4, which is barely a semitone difference. If Jaejoong was to be consistently supported and resonant up until G#4/A4 even if not resonant, plus less perhaps more agility or a better developed head voice, then his category could go up slightly. I see why you’d think Jaejoong shud be a bit higher, I don’t for Changmin, but I do for Jaejoong. Jaejoong still would need better developed registers overall to be competent fully and to be in between just something else to bring him the push, he still matches the criteria as well as Onew, Woohyun and Sunggyu would, yknow what I mean?

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      1. yup i know thanks ^^

        and one things again about this…changmin “showing he’s more of a group member than a soloist.”

        this is mean his technique suit with a grup member better, then as a soloist ?

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    1. Hyunseung and Seungho not so good, Yoseob is I think above average he’s not bad, sojin and Minah are quite even and also bad but not as good as yoseob~

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  12. Changmin hit a A5/B5 in a vocal battle in a TV Show in Korea and a Bb5 and a C6 in another TV Show but in China, I think the Eb6 is him because in that run the C6 sounds identically as his C6 note in the show, so I think that he hit those notes. And well, I also think that he is a little bit overrated singer in K-Pop, by the way… he has an amazing high pitch, I really like it, it’s a special gift and that’s why people call him ‘a great vocalist’, he’s like Christina Aguilera you know XD great voice, amazing high notes, BUT A TERRIBLE TECHNIQUE. sometimes his voice turns annoying and his runs are terrible! the only thing I like of him is his upper-belting register, it’s impressive depite the mishandling of his voice.
    (sorry for my english lol)

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    1. There’s no mixed voice in those higher notes, he had already switched to his mask placed head voice aka heady mix at that point. But you’re right there is a B5 in the first video and there is a C6 in the second one ^ ^ Idk if the Eb6 and D6 are him for real, but definitely C6 yeah… where he was yelling a lot and oh you’re the Edgar guy from youtube? I’m the kitsunemale guy who commented on your Baekhyun and D.O. vocal ranges correcting the pitches lol sorry bout that …you didn’t find a G#5 for Changmin?

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      2. From the video you gave me, I think one of the notes he hit before he went a bit sharp to A5 was G#5, so he might have a G#5 and an A5 in that video lol

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  14. This may be kind of late but, I’ll ask anyways.

    1.) In terms of technique, how similar are Changmin and Yunho? I’ve mistaken Changmin for Yunho countless times because they sound so similar. When it comes to live performances though, Yunho’s voice sounds somewhat “thicker” and more “compressed” while Changmin sounds “whiny”, “high pitched”, and “free” to ascend along his range. These are all just lay terms of course, I have little to no understanding of technique at all.

    2.) You mentioned Changmin had not shown signs of deterioration and I agree, if anything, he’s gotten way better along the years. Does this mean that this super high singing, although not completely proper is easy for him? I can imitate his belting in Superstar quite easily, being 95% sure we’re using the same technique.

    Thanks. ^^ Great work with this.

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    1. Changmin was born in 1988, he’s only 26. His technique isn’t as bad as Park Bom’s, for him to show deterioration that’s very easily noticeable will take a while, plus he’s so incapable of good placement and stability in singing that it’s not even noticeable when he goes off because he’s been singing that way for years…. I wouldn’t say he got better really, maybe from debut till 2008, but since 2008 not quite… as for similarityies, Idk but Yunho and Changmin aren’t far apart in skill, Yunho also has employed his mixed voice way more effectively over the years, his voice is less heady and less free as he ascends in his range though. So Yunho, I believe is either a tenor or a baritone, but I linger towards tenor, apparently has achieved resonance in the past on G4’s, but is also inconsistent, sings through his nose with a closed throat and lets his larynx raise, problems Changmin has, but with a higher voicw which has a lot of head voice into his mix. The reason why, although bad technique, Changmin’s voice may last is because a heady mix causes less strain to the vocal cords, for being a lighter and brighter sound. That doesn’t mean that the strain isn’t going to affect him eventually…

      Thank you for the support!! ^ ^

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      1. Thanks for the reply! ^^

        I have a few more questions, these will be the last I swear. XD Changmin’s voice really stands out among the rest to me, I wanna understand more about it lol.

        – About his vibrato; is it a throaty vibrato which is forced or natural? Basing on how iy sounds and personal preference, it sounds unique and kinda cool albeit really fast sometimes. His body, neck and shoulders shake A LOT during the really intense vibrato during ballads. Again, I can sorta mimic it, but it’s really difficult with the high notes. And it’s really heard to produce; is he producing it correctly or not? I’ve also noticed that he sometimes (?) can adjust the speed albeit always fast. Junsu’s vibrato is, as far as I’ve noticed, the same speed whether high, low or falsetto.

        – More on high notes because yaay. Since I’m just plain obsessed with impersonating different singers and voice actors, I do try to mimic his sound, ignoring the techinque and I find that I can imitate the tone about 90% similar to his lives. Before U Go is one example. Does he sometimes just force his falsetto to be really whiny and loud? Because that’s kinda how i do it.

        – Supposed he did use a technique that you would consider to be “great”, would he still sound whiny and super high or would he actually sound like a man? LOL

        – From his facial expressions (which are almost always hilarious LOL) he seems to have difficulty producing high notes when the vowels are “ee”, and “oo”. the “ee” becomes a weird “eh” instead. Is this consistent among singers or is it something he experiences as a result of his technique?

        – Has he shown any signs of vocal nodules? From what I’ve read, Hyorin, Yonghwa, and Daesung have all had nodules. If his technique is improper and his larynx shoots like freaking cray cray, wouldn’t he have developed nodules a long time ago?

        – Does the technique put sime kind of crazy tension in his head or jaw or something? He always makes crazy faces when singing, and forces his eyes closed especially when attempting to start vibrato.

        That’s the last of it. I won’t be pestering you anymore. Thanks. ^^

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      2. If a vibrato is throaty, it can’t be a natural vibrato. If it’s produced by the quick manipulation of the larynx up and down, which is what he and many others tend to do, then it’s not a natural vibrato. I actually got scared when I noticed some people whose vibrato makes their larynx jump up and down and I checked myself, mine never does that… so I was relieved lol anyway I believe it’s just not natural if it’s throaty..because he has an unnatural vibrato produced by manipulating the larynx, he can control the speed of his vibrato at will which is stylistically desirable but still not 100%

        Yeah he does and trust me. Making your falsetto whiny and loud is not that hard, even as a baritone I can kinda mimic his sound too but no it’s not good for U to pull your mix that high with his technique

        If he used great technique on his highest notes he would NOT sound whiny nor like a man lol it’s too high, he would just sound fuller, brighter, freer, richer and less like he’s in the bathroom squeezing the notes out lol

        No no ooh and ee are hard vowels to mix on ^ ^ so it’s normal .. Hyorin NEVER had nodules, she’s had irritated vocal cords, I think tiffany, daesung, yonghwa and maybe Onew have had them though.. But it’s not everyone who’s directly affected by bad technique, I mean christina lol idk if she’s had nodules, never heard of any but instead of nodules, U can hear the deterioration in her voice as opposed to hearing bout her having nodules

        Idk bout forcing the eyes closed for a vibrato but I’d say yes there’s a lot of tension everywhere really and no problem im glad to help ^ ^

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  15. Hi! I would like to know what do you think about this performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdGhj4ydUZI “Just The Way You Are” which Changmin and Kyuhyun sang in SMTown 3. Is there any problem with the sound system that he can’t hear himself, may the song doesn’t suit them or is Changmin this bad at singing?
    I know nothing about vocal technique and stuff, but from what I hear, both Changmin and Kyuhyun are doing bad.

    Waiting for Yesung analysis, while enjoying most of the entries of this interesting blog.

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    1. I thought it was TVXQ!’s “The Way You Are” until I heard the song lol I don’t know from what I’m hearing, besides Kyuhyun’s really tight pants, I think their harmonies weren’t blending it so well… but the pitch of the performance was fine! Changmin’s intonation was fine and so was Kyuhyun’s…. Changmin just sounds like his usual self, kinda tight and whiny, and Kyuhyun sounded fine, opened and resonant.. I think they did their general standard in this performance, Changmin was how he usually is and so was Kyuhyun … ._. why do you think it was bad?~
      Aww yes I promise I’ll get that done!

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  16. Hello, could you check out TVXQ’s latest live performance? Have Changmin and Yunho improved? I think it’s impression that they cover a five persons’ song.

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    1. I have listened to this already but only the bridge, Yunho’s vibrato seems to be too quick and uncontrolled and he was singing kind of high for his voice and Changmin sounded like his usual… slightly yelled and messy, I can’t say they’ve improved… sorry >_<

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  18. Umm, hi! I know it’s a bit late since you posted this analysis, but I was wondering if you heard Changmin performing “Rusty Nail” by X-Japan… And I wanted to know if you can review that performance, in my opinion it’s his best live performance, but I don’t know about singing techniques lol
    Also I wanna thank you, I’m a Changmin bias, and I used to think that he was extremely amazing, that no one can’t beat his vocals, blah, blah, but your analysis was so accurate, that make me realize how wrong I was (but I still love him♥) Thank you so much for doing this, I really respect your work. Happy New Year! best wishes for you

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    1. Hi! Wow this is a very mature and loving response, thank you! Youre awesome! I have not seen it, could you link it? I wouldnt mind reviewing it but i can only do it like later…

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      2. He still has a bit of shallow sounding lower part of his voice, not too much, but it doesn’t seem full, safe, controlled, just slightly colorless then as he ascended into the chorus, you can hear the obvious strain and high larynx. Regardless though, his tone is cleaner and more stable than usual, he sounds very on point with pitch, very confident and very confident with his singing. 2:13 was a bit too whiny and flat but that’s okay. (Changmin always looked slightly awkward on stage, don’t you think? Like the way he moves is so cute but so awkward lol also he be raunchy with the lack of clothing ;3 lol) Dynamically he kind of stayed the same throughout the whole performance, in some of his sustained notes, like @4:37, you can hear how his voice sounds small, thing, not like it’s ringing and echoing through the whole arena, but more or less staying closed inside his mouth.. and how he sounds slightly pressed, like his vocal cords are harshly pressed against one another and causing a lack of freedom in tone and resonance. It’s basically what Changmin taught himself how to do, he’s very fortunate that he has a high voice, quite honestly.

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  19. Thank you so much for making this analysis! All the time I hear “Oh Changmin is the best singer he sings high note.” I’m like Selena Gomez can belt/mix an A5 and she’s terrible! His low notes are not good especially for a male. I can belt higher than him so am I the best singer? NO WHAT THE HELL IF YOU CAN SING HIGH NOTES THAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU A GOOD SINGER!!! I literally want to punch someone in the face when I hear them say people who sing high notes are really good. What makes me wanna punch them in the face more is these singing ranking and album websites saying their experts where I knew better than them when I came out of my mothers womb! Saying Changmin is the best male singer in kpop I just want them to fix their ears and take time to look at this amazing website. Putting Park Bom as #7 in best female kpop singers is sad:( Just prove them wrong like you always do:)

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    1. Really?! Selena can mix A5?! I dont really want to ever heard that. Haha thank you, I just wish people would be more willing to learn instead of being biased lol

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      1. Yes she did it was the most strained thing I ever heard in my life. Someone told me it and I did not believe them so then I looked up and I was like OMG!!! I have a question for you, my voice sounds similar to Raina’s but I never use falsetto, only head voice and my music teacher said it’s my best register and it’s well supported. I have problems belting/mixing notes above a D5. At that point I kind of do what Solji does, squezes or tightens them. I used to be very very good at belting, not that long ago. I used to support a E5/F5! I honestly don’t know what happened, I think I focused too much on low notes and head voice. How can I get it back?

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      2. I really can’t tell you for sure because I’m not sure what you’re doing wrong. it’s all about support and opening up the throat, if you’re squeezing, then it’s simple, you bend your knees down when you get to the higher notes so that you remind your muscles to do the supporting work so that you don’t rely as much on your throat.

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      3. Thanks so much for the trick! I wanna make a Youtube video of me singing but it will be under unlisted. I do not want the public to see it. I have a question about unlisted. If someone looks on your channel can they look at an unlisted video? Also can your subscribers see it? I have another question which is very random but what is the first kpop video you ever saw?

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      4. They can’t~ Only people with the link can see it. ^ ^ First Kpop video? I think Because I Am A Girl by K.I.S.S.~

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      5. My first kpop mv is Abracadabra or Mirotic! That’s why I love BEG and TVXQ! Another random question what would you rate Kelly Clarkson? Her G5’s slay!!!

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      6. I’m not sure cuz falsetto/head voice and lower range wise she’s not as stellar and I don’t keep up with her, I’d dare say she’s at least good? But I can’t say for sure.

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    2. I’m pretty sure that now Yunho is better than Yoochun. He can at least keep his sound more forward and is less airy. Yoochun nowadays always sound like his voice is stuck in the back of his throat and that he is swallowing his tongue, not to mention his nasality and airiness. It’s quite sad actually, because I actually really love Yoochun’s vocal tone, but his technique… He deteriorated too, before 2006 he seems to be able to place his voice more forward and was less airy

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  23. Opinion on this performance?
    You may say you’re a cassie but you don’t seem much of a TVXQ fan, you seem to be JYJ biased. Sad.

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    1. Excuse me? You may call me anything you like, but the last thing you can call me is biased. Just why do I seem biased to you? Because I gave Jaejoong and Junsu higher ratings? Please read the criteria AND the analyses, so you understand why. I am cassie as in I like ALL of TVXQ!, as all 5. I don’t like JYJ’s music at all actually, I prefer HoMin’s music, but ultimately I prefer their music as a whole. Regardless of my taste in music, this is an objective vocal blog, it doesn’t matter who I like more, it’s their skill that matters. 1:32 G4, tight 1:40 A4 strained as well. High larynx as well, my opinion is his pitch was nice throughout, but the rest matches the pattern explained in the analysis about his voice. Thank you for leaving a comment anyway.

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      1. I called you biased because of the way you talk about them. I don’t care what you say now, your comments show your biasness. You’re like 22 years old-so much experience it’s hilarious- and saying that pig-squealed Junsu has a pleasant timbre it’s just too much.

        It’s seem that your judgement is clouded by the general opinion- and we all know what general opinions are 100% bullshit. But it’s ok. You’re not the first one to kissass to get support. “Let’s give them what they want to hear” is the general rule.

        And you actually didn’t make an analysis from new performances, with specific examples, how can you claim to make an objective one if you take in consideration performances from 5-10 years ago as if he sings like that even now.

        That’s just flawed thinking and 20 or so years old “vocal coaches” should not be deemed as experts or taken too seriously. Nothing personal. You’re also the only one who wrote the college you graduated, the other ones were like “oh I like kpop”. Yeah. Sure.

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      2. I actually did make an analysis with new performances, at least from the time I posted it. The analysis had examples from both past and present. Yeah because I’m the only one who graduated from a music college. Now if you don’t agree with the analysis, can you give me parts of it that seem untruthful to you? Can you tell me what parts of it aren’t right? If not, then you don’t need to read it at all if its going to upset you since you must resort to calling me biased.. Anyway thanks for taking the time to read this and insult me ^ ^

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      3. I honestly don’t get what are you trying to say by typing “general opinion”. What’s a general opinion? Any example of it? Or was that just you being on fire because you thought he went too hard on Changmin?

        I wish people can read the whole analysis before jumping to any conclusion. Jesus.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Calm down Honey! I appreciate you defending from the bottom of my heart, but you don’t need to stoop down to their level! ^ ^

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      6. Sorry M and Ahmin. When I get mad I get really mad. I don’t want to hurt M’s feelings so please delete that comment. Now I realized I’m the bully. Just really delete that comment. I’m begging of you. Wow, I never shown that side to the internet before…I think my brain is fucked up

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      7. No problem, you didn’t do anything bad and you had good intentions. You’re no bully at all. ^ ^

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      8. Thanks so much for deleting my comment! ❤ I have anger issues and it's very hard to control my anger. I also get easily angry but I'm working on it. Please don't think of me as rude or mean or whatever. I'm really not that way but sometimes my anger gets the best of me. That's what happened there. I hope you understand ^ ^

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    2. *TO M* The author of this analysis may be young, but he still has experience. This a vocal analysis. It is supposed to be written seriously. I have actually been checking the website maybe… once or twice a day (I have school usually), and he is never biased. What is the most stupid about your comment is that because he thinks someone is not as skilled in singing as the other, they hate Kpop… You think I’m wrong? “the other ones were like “oh I like kpop”. Yeah. Sure.” (this was copied and pasted) Like, honestly, BTS is my bias group, and I love them a lot, but I can say that JYJ Junsu, Jaejoong, or even Yoochun are better than Jungkook or Jimin. Does that mean I don’t like BTS? Of course not! I agree that the videos were kinda old, but they still show off his skills, updated or not. He is writing these for not only the fans to know how well or not so well the idols actually sing, he also makes these to help beginner singers (he even started uploading videos about vocal technique few weeks back). Therefore, this would be the worst place and time to be biased. That’s all I’ll say for now. Good day

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  24. Is Yunho’s note at 2:22 resonant? and what note is it? Thanks

    Also who do you think is the weakest vocalist in DB5K?

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    1. I believe it could be either Yoochun or Yunho and it was a G4, it had some support, with nice placement but the throat wasn’t totally relaxed and the note wasn’t fully stable.

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  25. Can u give brief analysis about their duet? Its their most recent duet, did they harmonize better here than their JTWYA duet? Thank u so much ^^ video below :

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    1. The harmonies sounded pretty nice. @1:40 that was not a good vowel for him to sustain the A4 on but he didn’t do bad actually, Kyuhyun that is. Besides the tension in Changmin’s voice during the chorus where he was harmonizing with Kyuhyun, the actual pitch and harmony were good, he was blending very nicely with him. ^ ^

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    1. He has been very occasionally been able to show some nice support around G4 and G#4 and in a nice lower range, his head voice falsetto area isn’t always strained and is actually quite developed, even though strained. He has shown very occasional resonance, so that’s why.

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  27. So a register can be considered developed even if it is strained? As long as you can hit the notes?
    Just trying to get the terminology down. Thanks

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    1. In terms of extension, I’d say yes. I’d say someone can have a developed register in terms of the vocal cords and muscles being developed enough to allow for the notes to be hit, but you can still have faulty technique used to hit the notes, like Ariana Grande where her mix is developed or naturally extensive, but then her technique is faulty. You don’t have to change your e-mail/username btw LOL

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      1. Yes I know that lol. I’ve only started posting things publicly online this month and I am super self-conscious and insecure about everything I say and do online, which is weird because I’m nothing like that in real life, even in situations where I really should be more self-conscious. I need to get over myself and stop being so insecure online. It really is true that a person’s biggest obstacle is him/herself.
        Besides, who cares about what others think of you when in reality they probably never even think about you.

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      1. Yeah LOL, it’s not often that you hear idols hit such low notes. I wonder why they don’t focus on their lower registers more, probably because higher notes, whether good or bad, always sounds more impressive to most people. But as the “bass” in DB5K acapella I think Yunho actually sang many low notes like this. Is this a really low note for a tenor to hit? If he is a tenor anyway

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  29. What do you think of this performance? I feel like this is one of his best performances. How were the notes at 0:45 to 0:50 and 2:56? Also, was his vibrato at 0:48 natural or forced? I noticed his jaw shaking, but it sounded pretty controlled. However, his lower notes seem kind of unsupported and shallow, or maybe it’s just stylistic. On a side note, what do you think of jaw wobbling when singing? I know Whitney Houston is an amazing singer, but why does she do jaw wobbling when she sings? Her vibrato doesn’t seem to be produced from her jaw though.

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    1. His tone is a bit shallow and he sounds a bit too much like the sound is based on his throat, even thought the placement isn’t bad. He is a bit nasal and sometimes he was a bit flat. That vibrato wasn’t bad, that note wasn’t too bad either but it’s just he is very much in his throat..1:24 flat, 1:29 flat, 1:36 voice placed in the back of his throat.. He is very handsome though. His vibrato isn’t bad, but there’s a bit of jaw tension. This performance isn’t bad, but his resonance is mixed with forwardness, then back of the throat placement, then nasality, and then throatiness. His technique seems kind all over the place in terms of placement to be honest, but it’s not bad, it’s like it’s finding its sweet spot.
      I’m not sure what to say about Whitney Houston’s jawbrato, I’d say it’s not the cause of her vibrato but it could mean potential tension yes.

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    1. It sounded like a really pingy and nice head voice. Using the Oo vowel usually helps a lot so that’s why that F5 and G#5 sounded so nice and forward, the run afterwards was pretty sloppy though.

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      1. Thanks
        How do you improve your agility? I’m sad that after 12 years of singing runs, Changmin still sucks at runs. That run was through pretty easy notes in his support range too.

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      2. You have to practice note separation, accuracy and flexibility. For that, you basically have to do what anybody would do for something that requires speed, you do it slowly at first and then you gradually speed up the pace until it’s nice, accurate and flows well. The problem with many vocalists is they don’t have the patience to deal with doing things slowly then speeding up, so they throw runs around without caring for accuracy at all.
        This video shall show you the process:

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  31. hii!! i just chanced upon this blog (cos of changmin) and i must say i am pretty intrigued by the analyses you have made on this blog and would love to ask a few qns here!! so hope you don’t mind!!^^

    firstly, may i ask whether for each analysis is it the opinion of one person or a group of person cos it seems like its made by one person?(:

    secondly, what videos or performances did you use to analyse changmin on, cos after reading your other analyses and it seems that most of your analysis is based on performances in well rested state (i.e. not in concerts or dance performances etc.) and based on my memory i think changmin doesn’t actually have those kind of performances to be judge on? (pls correct me if i am wrong) i am curious about this as i feel that despite your efforts to be objective i feel that it might be hard to do so if the conditions are different (not isolated to changmin analysis but just using his analysis as an example^^) like for example if you analyse changmin vocal performances based on his dance performances or ballads in concerts (prob after loads of dancing) compared to vocal shows like immortal song etc (from your other analyses) would it lead to discrepancies in your analysis? cos im not sure if you dance but as a dancer i believe that dancing do affect singing and maybe as a vocal student you are probably well versed in the area of singing but i feel that there might be areas with regards to dancing + singing combi that you might not know of if you do not dance which might inevitably lead to some gaps in your analysis? moreover, i feel that different singers might tweak their techniques or whatever to best allow them to dance and sing which might not show their true potential (thats my opinion so i might be wrong LOL!! pls enlighten me if you know about dancing and singing)

    thirdly, i read your criteria about how you rank the singers, is it a universal criteria or one that you make up?

    that said, i really enjoy reading your blog and i hope you dont mind me asking those questions. i can’t say i agree with your analyses cos it feels like the conditions are different for every singer plus hearing live, hearing on fancams, hearing on recorded shows etc. all will result in discrepancies but i guess thats hard to control since you work with what you have (: on a side note, i noticed that you have commented that you are not hopeful that changmin can improve much since you feel that he did not improve much over 10 years…that made me feel sad ): lols!! but i feel that the reason that maybe he is not able to improve as much as he could might be due to his hectic schedule, his need to work on his dance (considering those who improved much on their vocals prob were very skilled in dance alr), and that SM often capitalise on his high voice esp when TVXQ was five since everyone sort of have a ‘vocal role’ in the group but i do believe he can improve so much more he works on it!!(:

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    1. Well first of all, welcome to the blog and I am glad that you stayed, read carefully and expressed your opinion in a very well mannered and mature way. I am going to answer both your first and third question together. The criteria within the blog is a personal criteria created for the blog, so in other words, it’s just how we rank people and how we judge singing and what is important and of course, some other instructors, teachers, vocalists and professionals will have different opinions on what they consider to be the most important aspects in objective vocal technique, not tone nor “emotion”. With that said as opposed to the popular “Korean experts” who are general music critics and not vocal coaches, the differences in opinions from professionals who are vocally capable will most likely be only on details and will just be things such as people within the same ratings we have here might end up being better or worse than one another based on the individual person who’s analyzing them, but the general rating should be more or less the same without many discrepancies if we were all to follow similar rules at the end. Now then the analyses, therefore, are the opinion of all of the analysts in the blog together following the criteria that we have in the blog, but are personally made by each analyst when finally deciding the ratings after going through the analyses. We do talk it out with one another and for the most come to an agreement with final ratings and vocal issues so that we know we can all hear the same strengths and weaknesses for each vocalist.

      I do apologize because at the point in which I wrote Changmin’s analysis, I was just starting up with writing analyses for the blog by myself, so I didn’t have the structure of always linking the videos and mentioning them in the analysis, but I do remember videos that I watched and I can link some of them here. Some are part of the vocal range videos at the end of the analyses, but for the most part we stay completely away from videos that show the vocalists’ weaknesses while they’re dancing. If they show good vocal moments while dancing, then that’s fine and it means they good stamina, now if they show more weaknesses while dancing, we do not condemn it because it is excusable to mess up while dancing. So we don’t give someone more praise for being able to do it, as we do not treat someone badly for not being able to do it either. In the end, we usually go for single performances, solos, acoustics, band live performances, not full concerts, generally ballads or vocally challenging non-dance routine up tempo songs. So from the top off my head I remember Changmin solo performances that I used so I’ll link them. Again I apologize for not linking the videos in this analysis like I did on analyses afterwards.

      As for why I said I don’t believe he’ll improve it’s simply because I don’t believe he even takes vocal lessons anymore. Be it for schedule reasons or even for arrogance reasons, I don’t think he takes them. Like Seohyun of SNSD didn’t for sometime and only back into it, I don’t believe that vocal lessons are a priority for well established vocalists and singers with careers that require them to be busy and overwork a lot. If he were to take himself seriously as a vocalist and stop just singing high notes that are obviously outside his comfort zone, he could learn how to better improve his technique.

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      1. wow thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! really appreciate it that you didn’t take offence or anything!!(: honestly its really awesome that you are using what you learnt for something interesting like this!! in response to the part on improvement, may i ask whether do you think that changmin has talent in singing? and is it possible for someone who is not gifted in singing but can hold a tune to be good at singing one day?(: (this is kind of for me alr hoho hope you don’t mind me asking!!) i love performing and thus have picked up dancing for some time but im always hesitant about singing though i love to sing as much as i love dance cos i have always heard that one has to have a good voice etc. to begin with regardless of vocal training):

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      2. I mean Changmin has not only been able to use head voice, he has the natural ability to mix up to a G5, I mean come on if that’s not talent and lots of singing potential, I don’t know what is. Yes I do believe through hard work, incredible progress can be possible, just look at Taemin! Having a good voice is completely subjective, many people like my voice, many people hate it (mainly because they’re butthurt about their biases but I digress.) So it’s up to how much you’re willing to give and sacrifice for your craft. ^ ^ Thank you for your compliment by the way!

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  32. Is Changmin supported in this little segment? I think all the notes are in his supported range now, but I don’t know what his supported range was back in 2006. I thought he sounded good, but kind of whiny and pinched, but I don’t know if it’s just nasality. Can you sound whiny but still be supported?

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    2. Junsu sounds fine to me and Changmin was singing F4’s and below, with a few G#4’s. They were all very lightly mixed, nasal placement with some support. The G#4s were a bit shallow and had weak support though. His mixing is just very light so even if the notes aren’t supported, they don’t sound very strained either. Yes you can sound whiny and still be supported.

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  33. 0:42 Is it strained?
    I know that from 0:50 onwards everyting is strained,But I wasn’t sure about this one.

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      1. I’m about to ask what made Daesung retained his rank (since his supported range is almost the same as Changmin) until I realized he has a more developed head tone and falsetto register XD

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      2. Daesung has a worse lower register though. Changmin has also produced good head voice before, even up to G#5 during a live dance performance actually, which is higher than what Daesung can support with head voice, although it was on a Oo vowel, which helps. But yeah, Changmin still has a less developed head register. In terms of the mixed register both support up to the same notes. Changmin is more nasal, but he has apparently resonated higher than Daesung has according to the analysis, although I don’t think Ahmin gave much weight to that because it was so rare. Is one more consistently supported in their supported range than the other? From the analysis they seemed pretty even to me, so I was a little confused. The songs that Changmin sings definitely exposes his flaws more though.
        Ahmin can you clarify? Thanks

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      3. Changmin’s lower register and overall stability/pitch can be pretty inconsistent as well. Daesung has stability, more consistent support and resonance, as well as a much better head voice. They might support up to the same note, but consistency and placement play an important part as well in the final decision. I had to dig deep to find Changmin’s resonance and it was like for a quick moment, Daesung’s resonance isn’t as consistent but his support is. I hope this clarifies it. I don’t know about you but the difference between Changmin and Daesung is pretty clear to me.

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    2. Thanks I see what you mean ^ ^ Personally I actually prefer Daesung’s singing and vocal tone over Changmin’s and even before I came across this blog I thought Daesung was a better technical vocalist, so performance wise I can definitely see a difference. But I really only watch TVXQ’s dance performances nowadays (I really can’t stand nasality in slower songs with male singers, IDK how you do it lol), so I thought my (often inaccurate) judgement would be skewed. It was just a bit unclear to me from the analysis, but I see it now thanks.

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  35. What notes is Yunho singing from 0:24 to 0:27 and also at 2:50? Is there any vocal fry involved? He’s lowering his larynx right? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juf7oJAbnrk

    How about this guy from 0:45 to 0:54. Is he using vocal fry? I have a hard time differentiating between actual singing and vocal fry in the lower second octave. :p

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    1. G#2 ~ C#3 and then F2. There’s some vocal fry used to project better. I’m not sure I’d call it a low larynx all the time, but yes for the first video. It’s hard to tell cuz there’s a lot going on.
      Second video G#2 ~ E3 with a quick E2 in the beginning, he seems to be forcing a lower tone because he cant project properly in his lower range. It’s not so much vocal fry as it is just tension and lower larynx.

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      3. Honestly, I’m not surprised. He always did remind me a little of Taeyang, with really nasal placement and kind of weak support, I think, even in his supported range. He’s also the one vocalist who I think have the least chance of ever improving, since he probably thinks, just like much of the general public, that being able to sing super high makes him a great vocalist, and being in Japan so much around more nasal singers probably doesn’t help him recognize his flaws either. And then there is also pride as a more senior idol…
        I’m so sad that the best singer in TVXQ is only weak to average 😦 But I like some of their music so whatever. Would Yunho be classified as weak then?

        Liked by 1 person

      5. OMG WHAT?!?! Is it Yunho’s lower register, or mix? It’s not the head voice/falsetto right? I don’t think I’ve ever heard Yunho sing with head voice.

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      9. Yunho is better than Changmin? My life has been a lie xD. I was at first confused and was sure this blog was hacked when I saw Changmin’s decreasing rating. But I read your answer to Lyra… But it just seems wrong to think he is weak to above average? idk… I mean I love some of his songs and he was pretty good even in some live version like of Duet. Do you think the fact that both of them dance a lot might be affecting their ability to sing live properly? I mean if they did an only ballads concert maybe they could showcase their abilities better? Maybe it is that they dance a lot and then sing and this tires them so they can’t sing it that good? Don’t you think these kinds of factors might be affecting the analysis? Just curious.

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      10. I am not sure if that is true because I haven’t really listened to Yunho with the intention of analyzing him so don’t take what I say to heart lol I never take singing live while dancing into consideration unless they can do it right, so for Changmin I’m based this off of him singing still while standing and singing mostly a ballad or like just a rock song but nothing with dancing. So those factors do not affect the analysis unless it’s on concert and it’s like a song at the end of the concert of course, but we generally listen to performances like special showcases or something like that. I also felt putting Changmin this low was wrong but if we look at it objectively, all Changmin can do is sing really high but what good is mixing up to G5 when everything above F4 is kind of yelled? Yknow what I mean?

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      11. Oh good! I thought it might be especially unfair on them because they are known for dancing rigorously and being only a duo they tire out more. But if they are judged based on special showcases then it is quite fair 🙂
        I don’t have knowledge of western music so I know nothing about anyone’s vocal ability. (Even the music that I learned when I was a kid is all forgotten and is just another qualification now XD) . But I am just learning these things from you people. So I will take your word for it…

        I am afraid that this might lower his rating too… But I must satisfy this curiosity… Isn’t Jaejoong’s range almost the same as Changmin’s? How come he is so high? Is he misrated too?

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      12. Oh that’s okay, I understand your need to ask. It’s a very valid question. As for Jaejoong……yes they have about the same range but range is not anything we care about. Many of our higher rated vocalists haven’t even showcased a full 3 octave yet, but that doesn’t make them any less vocally skilled. Range has nothing to do with skill when it’s just range, Jaejoong can hit about the same number of notes as Changmin, but ..better. He can hit them properly, his low notes, his higher notes, his mixed voice is much more opened, free, supported, he is not nearly as whiny, closed or screechy as Changmin. So there’s no reason to lower Jaejoong’s rating and he is not misrated, he is pretty accurate. Supported range is important to us, it indicates how well developed an individual’s voice is, their full range isn’t really that relevant. Be sure to read the criteria and read the analyses carefully to make sure you understand the reasons. ^ ^

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  36. From 4:06 to 4:17 Yunho, Yoochun/Junsu, and Jaejoong sang in this order. I’m still having a hard time differentiating between shallow and good support and depth of tone and stuff, so can you check to see if my guesses for each member is right?
    1. Yunho: I think he actually had decent support and tone production here and somewhat better placement than usual? Man I wish he can sing in this range in his songs because he actually sounds really good to me.
    2. Yoochun: ⊙﹏⊙ T_T
    3. Junsu: Was there some pushing with the throat but with resonant placement?? I wish someone would tell him to stop holding his head like that.
    4. Jaejoong: good support in the beginning, but after he took a breath did the support become shallow? He sounded kind of shaky.

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    2. It’s hard to tell for Yunho cuz he’s dancing and he’s kind of being more rappy with his singing but it was okay. Junsu was only a bit husky, his A4’s were good..it’s hard cause he was dancing at the same as he was singing, and this is at the end of the performance. Jaejoong sounded fine. Yoochun was nasal and couldn’t project.

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  39. Can I ask why he was so misrated the first time around? I mean, it’s not like his analysis was underdeveloped or something, it was a full, elaborated analysis when it was posted. I’ve never seen any other singer on this site to get downrated twice like this. Does he regress or he’s too inconsistent?

    For someone who can mix so high up to G5, the highest note of his supported range being just F4 is pretty sad. :/

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    1. When I first started analyzing vocalists, I was going for the older ratings that I was told instead of trying to come up with the newer criteria, so until the criteria was established, I was still influenced by older ratings. In the past, I was told 2AM’s Changmin was competent, G.O., Woohyun and Jea were good. I then listened to them myself and I was like oh.. no this is wrong. So then after being told by the other writer, Haruko, and listening to Changmin better, as well as Minzy, I realized that Minzy being average was an old rating and seemed inaccurate and Changmin being close to AA was as inaccurate as calling Jea a good vocalist. So yeah it was an influence of older opinions which caused me to overlook certain aspects of his singing and instead I tried to look for things to make him be rated as high as he was. So Minzy and Changmin were misrated at that point because of old opinions regarding ratings. I am glad Jea, Woohyun, G.O. and others weren’t misrated due to old opinions as well…

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  40. omg wow, why does he keep dropping:O
    and i thought his first rating was low, but now it’s just…lower than what everyone thought
    and everyone calls him one of the best vocalists>.>

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    1. Yes we have all listened to this. Chen sounds good up to G#4 and Kyuhyun up to Bb4, that high sustained note near the end that Kyuhyun sings is a resonant Bb4. The overall technique shows good placement and good projection, good breathing habits, no real strain. Changmin was straining a lot, his voice lacks volume and easily gets drown out by the other two quite easily. That part where Kyuhyun is sustaining the Bb4, Changmin is being drown out and straining in a high larynx mixed voice.

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  42. hi im curious to know underrated/overrated individual idols and groups (overall in terms of vocalists) that are in the industry? it was mentioned here that tvxq is vocally overrated and i just wanted to know others of the same or opposite to that! thanks!!

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    1. I am not sure about many but if Bom is truly thought to be a good vocalist or Taeyang, then they’re overrated. At the same time Sandeul and Ryeowook are quite underrated, as well as U.Ji and Luna. Solji and Jea are overrated while 15& are quite underrated. Those are some examples I can think of.

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  43. I know nothing about vocals and stuffs. I’m just asking. Why are DBSK vocalists so praised if they’re not really good? :-/ cuz becoming a cassie that’s what we learned, that the five of them are really good vocalists and Junsu is the best idol vocalist in Korea. And are not Changmin’s high pitches actually good?

    Just curiosity 🙂

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    1. Because of Marketing and advertising. SM always sold them as “the group with 5 main vocalists” and the title stuck because some people think any kind of high singing is good singing. No, Changmin’s high notes are not good

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      2. No boo, and YOU are?? There is an “About Us” page that tells you who we are and our experience/credentials. If you have a problem with that, then there is a red button with an X in it. Click it 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  44. What about Yoochun? He’s like a “lead” vocalist like Yunho, but I’m curious if he could be better than Changmin (and Yunho).
    2015 lives:

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    1. One of them is blocked for me, the first one. Yoochun sings though his nose with an airy half supported tone. I believe Yoochun is a baritone. He’s not really a lead, DB5K was never specific, they were a harmony group primarily so they considered Yunho a “bass” and Yoochun a baritone in the group. He has very weak support and tone production, I think he’s at most as good as Changmin or…worse.

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  45. your replies are a fuckin mess and inconsistency in this post, is almost a joke this whole site. and btw who the fuck think that you and the others admins think you are??… I can’t believe kpopers actually take you guys seriously

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    1. Could you be more specific instead of using foul words? What have we said that is so messy? None of the analyses are bashful or disrespectful so please read carefully.

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      1. “Resonance has been achieved occasionally on G4’s” “Proper resonance is at times achieved and produced, though not consistently”

        i’m not really a changmin fan i was just shocked he is in weak to average and was able to produce resonance, or at least it is written in their. IS his analysis outdated?

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      2. That was my fault, I shall edit that part. There was one time when he hit a more opened G4 in Beautiful Life or something but it’s not supposed to be part of this. I’m sorry, when I wrote this analysis I was trying REALLY hard to give him a boost in rating because I was still believing things I had been told about him. Oh jk it was I Wanna Hold You.

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  47. Hope after changmin finished his enlistment, it doesn’t matter to me how long it’s going take for their comeback; he’s coming back with a better vocal techniques. I’m practically mad that he’s rated as a weak vocalist. Really wish he tries harder if he has the leisure in the future. If only someone influencial can make him read this analysis, he’s finally awaken and do the vocal training that he missed. As a matter of fact, he’s trained mainly as a tenor with non-stop activities, restless and sasaengs. I would love to if he improved as a competent vocalist in the near future! Best of luck to Changmin. Be an all-rounder vocalist 😉

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  48. Very interesting analysis. I thought only the analyses for Jaejoong and Junsu are available, so I was only able to read this now. You really hit the nail on the head in saying that Changmin sings with tension in high notes. I’m not personally an expert in vocals, but whenever I watch their performances (both new and old), sometimes when he hits a high note, I feel a slight pain?.. like he’s not comfortable up there.. I don’t know. I thought it was just me but maybe this explains it a bit. Anyway thanks for a great analysis. And wow, I thought you guys were getting it when you ranked Kyu higher than Junsu, but the hate comments above were just unbelievable. But as much as other people don’t appreciate what you guys are doing, there are people like us who support your page. So please continue the good work. :)))

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    2. You’re awesome haha well of course Changmin being a member of TVXQ! and having such a high range adds it in to us getting hate if he’s not rated high but it’s completely expected. Honestly I often feel physical pain myself too when I hear strain so you’re not alone haha

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  49. Hi ^^
    So … I was curious do you like Changmin’s singing, voice?
    What do you think about his voice in ‘Rock with you’ and ‘Into the water’?

    And thank you it was really interesting analysis 🙂
    P.S.: wow x_x it’s so shocking that Yunho is better than Changmin x_x But I love them anyway ^^
    And sorry for any mistakes, English is not my native language ^^

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    1. His singing voice? He has a nice when he sings with better technique or in a lower range. I am not a fan of vocalists who are males and sing as high as females, straining a lot, even in rock, but that’s just my personal taste. I don’t enjoy strain. I am not sure Yunho is better, it’s a possibility. Your English is fine!!

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      2. so Who are this male Singer you know that always or usually sing as high as a female ? I know jaejoong and junsu singing like that right especially jaejoong he sound like a female sometimes and taeyang too.
        Anyway for the reason Chang min dropped vocal ranking this is because he is getting worse or since the beginning the analysis you make a mistake?

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      3. Oh no Junsu and Taeyang have limited mixed voices, I’ve only heard them mix C5 or so. I meant tenors like Changmin, Jaejoong, Naul, Baekhyun, Jonghyun, Chen, Daehyun, Taeil, Gunwoo, Leo.. Yknow who constantly sing above C5 more than Jessica would. Lol
        The analysis was made based on what I watched but the rating was based on what I had been told but after reading again I realized the rating didn’t match the analysis, Haruko was the first to notice. So he didn’t get worse, the rating system just wasn’t fully ready when he was analyzed.

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  50. Other than TVXQ, who would recommend as a boy band who could sing? I just want to find some new refrence anyway. Thank you so much for paying attention to my comment^^ and sorry for asking some stupid question.

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    1. Actually TVXQ! isn’t really at the top as one of the best male idol groups vocally. They’re definitely one of the better ones, but there are idol groups with better individuals. EXO’s BaekChenSoo, SHINee’s OnJongTae and Super Junior KRY have stronger and more developed vocal technique than TVXQ! as a group. For other male groups, I believe 100%, The Boss and 2AM are also up there, TVXQ! is more on their level than the other three.

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      1. Oh I see… Because idols who could sing nowadays is not many, somehow I feel so sad about it. Chang Min voice is a gift but somehow he’s overrated, I think. I hope I could see many objective vocal analysis.
        Good to see another cassie who is very objective^^ Thank you for answering and believe what you think is right! You’re great! Have a nice day~

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      2. You think so? Why? The amount of idols nowadays who sing well is about the same, if anything the generally average of vocal skill for idols has only risen over the years. Back in 2005 the number of idols with an exceptional level of vocal technique was very small, but 10 years alter we have much more skilled idols debuting. Yeah I honestly was a cassie for a long time, I would say I still am but that can be dangerous in the fandom lol Thank you, you’re sweet!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Haha, you’re welcome. I’m waiting for another analysis. Because I’m also a cassie but it sucks when some cassies start to say bad things about another idols, like: “They’re not as talented as TVXQ.” It’s very subjective and not fair I think. Some cassies are really scary, way too extreme. thank you for replying, take care!

        Liked by 1 person

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