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
—
Re-Analyzed by Ahmin (Kitsunemale)
(Originally analyzed by Chung)
K-pop Vocalists' Vocal Analyses 
Who is better between him and Taeyang? Both are so vocally overrated
LikeLike
Taeyang is in Weak category so Changmin is a bit better
LikeLike
No Taeyang has the same ranking as Changmin. They are both in weak to average.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh damn sorry for that mistake i was thinking Taeyang was in weak .-. I also think Changmin is a bit better
LikeLike
I am not sure but I believe Changmin is.
LikeLike
Taeyang may be very slightly better but they’re generally very even. Changmin seems to be more of a vocalist than Taeyang though.
LikeLike
Hmm IDK. Changmin can support lower than Taeyang and has a better head register. Unless Taeyang has a better mix?
LikeLike
I heard Taeyang sing and he’s definitely better than Changmin. His voice is just stonger and he’s better at hitting notes….
LikeLike
You kidding? Changmin worse than Kyuhyun? lmao
LikeLike
Do you have any reason to believe that would be incorrect? If so, do explain.
LikeLike
No need to be a vocal expert to know this. Just need two functioning ears.
LikeLike
Changmin is far from Kyuhyun’s level. You should actually carefully read the analysis. It doesn’t take an expert to comprehend simple words in an analysis that even middle schoolers can understand. All it takes is two functioning eyes to read.
LikeLike
Wow this is amazing! I’m #1 Changmin biased for years and I’ve of course noticed his voice isn’t perfect, and this complete analysis of his voice is so detailed! It’s no surprise that he’s a weak-average singer tbh and it’s cool to know exactly why. 👏 So freaking detailed and thanks for so critically ranking. 👍👌 in terms of voice, what man would have an “excellent” rating? (It can be any guy you know of, not just kpop).
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s really hard, we really can’t think of any man that we know of well as “Excellent”, we know great male vocalists but Excellent? Not sure.
LikeLike
May you name some non-kpop male vocalists who are great? Thanks.
LikeLike
As in not Korean? Honestly I don’t know.
LikeLike
Is it possible for Chen to be ranked good or even great?
(Sorry if this is out of context)
LikeLiked by 1 person
That depends on him, not us. If he improves of course!
LikeLike
I was wondering, there were some people on youtube arguing that Chanyeol and Xiumin from EXO is better than Changmin in terms of singing and they are in a very heated argument right now, is that true?
And apparently one of them called you their friend, their name is ‘Salimatou Blade’. Do you know them?
And one last question, one of them said Changmin is the ‘King of high notes’ but ‘Salimatou Blade’ said Chen is. Who do you think is the king of high notes in Kpop male groups?
This is my first time commentating, so I hope you answer! Thanks.
LikeLike
I wouldn’t know the true answer because none of them have very good vocal technique. All of them may fall under the same category as weak to average so without an analysis on each one of them individually, I can’t try and find out who’s better than who by a hair. I know who they are, but we are not friends, I really hate it when people quote me on childish arguments online. Anyway they are all not good and I don’t know who is slightly less weak than who. I don’t think anybody is the king of high notes amongst idols since they’re all straining at one point or another. Since all male idols strain at some point below C5 and only Kyuhyun can mix C5 with support, then it’s him. It’s most definitely not Changmin. Thank you for commenting!
LikeLike
@ahmin3 I was reading this one other blog, and Chanyeol was ranked higher than Changmin. I think they were called K-popprofiles or something.
LikeLike
Yes but I didn’t say that so do not quote me as if I did because I don’t like to spread wrong information around.
LikeLike
I don’t understand what you are trying to say.
LikeLike
As in, don’t go on Youtube claiming that I said something I did not about any vocalist. I did not ever analyze Chanyeol and Xiumin, I don’t know what their ratings are and I do not know who’s weaker between them and Changmin. I know the name “Salimatou” so please don’t quote me on things I’ve never said, I don’t agree with what was said and I don’t want my name associated with something I don’t believe in.
LikeLike
I barely comment stuff on YouTube. I’m not even apart of the argument they are on.
LikeLike
Mhmm…So you’ve never heard of anybody called “Salimatou”?
LikeLike
Well, on EXO’S videos I see a lot of her comments, but I don’t talk to Salimatou. She’s popular on Youtube. But, I don’t get in conflict with her tho.
LikeLike
Mhmm that’s interesting because both of you shared the same exact IP address at one point.
LikeLike
?????
LikeLike
Your IP Address and Sally’s were the same when you first came into the blog and when she came as well but right now yours has changed but it’s still nearby where her IP address was, so I figured you were the same person.
LikeLike
Sally? You must be talking about my sister.
LikeLike
Who happens to be Salimatou? Or whatever their name was lol because that’s the name Sally went by and that’s her YouTube page as well.
LikeLike
Ah, thanks. I was pondering about the topic for some time. So technically, there is no king of high notes yet among male idols? I was actually thinking it might be Kyuhyun. About Chanyeol and Xiumin being better than Changmin, I’m kind of skeptical, as they would be around the same. But considering that Chanyeol has the rapper role in the group, isn’t around Weak to Average okay-ish? considering henry is weak and yet he’s not really a rapper.
Oh, and I’m sorry for bringing up ‘Salimatou Blade’, I was kind of skeptical about whether she was telling the truth or not, cause nowadays, I see lots of comments in argument about you being their friend and such.
Oh! And slightly off-topic! But have you heard Woohyun’s new solo song? I really liked the vocals in it, I was waiting for him to have a solo debut in so long!
Anyway, thanks for taking the time for answering my question, and don’t mind about that commentator, I argued with her before and she was just plain stubborn, so her pretending that she’s not the youtube commentator is probably her trying to defend herself.
Thanks!
LikeLike
That’s fine and I apologize for not being able to reply the lesson properly. My friends and my acquaintances are different people, people seem to confuse where they stand. I have not heard the song yet unfortunately. It’s okay, that commenter has been here for a while now and they’re nice and all but at first they came with a different persona or so they claim, their sister…claiming some messed up information to be true like voice types are pokemon levels and you can like evolve from a bass to a tenor as in tenor >>> bass and I was like mhmm.
LikeLike
Since I want to come out with the truth, Salimatou Balde is my sister, shame to say it. I was trying to keep it a secret because the first time she came here on her first comment she was trolling. And, being annoying. So, Salimatou Balde is my sister. I’m her older sister Asmaou Balde. You may see me also a lot on EXO’s videos.
LikeLike
Well sorry if I accused you but I’d appreciate it if your sister wouldn’t come up with random arguments online as if I were her friend or was on her side when honestly, I want nothing to do with the immaturity of fandoms. Thanks for telling the truth.
LikeLike
As you can tell I’m the nice one, but only if someone is saying something bad about a person I like. I don’t really get in arguments that. My sister was trolling here because she told it was a dare or something.
The argument with you was probably the most immature argument she had argue with people.
My sister is very stubborn so it will take her a long time, any comment that she does not feel like it’s right she would comment, but only if she has facts to back it up. That’s only if I see her comments.
But, it’s okay. Don’t worry I’m the nice one, just don’t forget that. Apparently she knows more about singing and dancing better than me that’s why I always ask you questions.( A LOT)
LikeLike
Mhmm I see I see, well I’m sorry to hear. Don’t worry though, if she truly believes in some of the things she’s said when she came here…I wouldn’t think she knows more than you or enough to …let’s say “she has the facts to back it up.” Even if she believes she does so it’s not necessary for her to argue with every person who has a different opinion than her own but to each their own.
LikeLike
Ahmin, qual a classificação de Dia e Haena (ambas do Kiss&Cry), obrugado, e obrigado por me ajudar e sempre estar disposto a tirar minhas dúvidas. xD
LikeLike
Eu sinto mas eu não sei já que elas não forão analisadas. A Dia deve ser perto de competent, mas eu não conheço a Haena bem o suficiente.. Ela tá em um novo grupo né? Eu vi ela cantando e eu acredito que ela deva ser average? Eu não lembro agora.
LikeLike
Sim, atualmente ela está num grupo chamado Matilda, é um grupo de 4 integrantes, e ela é a vocalista principal, qual foi o desempenho dela aqui https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pA20mc_lOw
LikeLike
Eu já vi esse vídeo agora eu lembro, a maior parte é dela gritando C#5s. Average to Above Average at most.
LikeLike
Oi, estou aqui pela Haena de novo, qual foi o desempenho dela no vídeo abaixo? Os falsetes foram bem produzidos?
LikeLike
Assim falsete como você sabe não exatamente ideal, então mesmo que ela tenha um falsete assim de boa, não é voz da cabeça. O falsete dela é um pouco espremido. Eu não sei muito bem o que dizer dos Db5’s e C5’s dela no refrão “I (Db5)’m gonna SWING (C5)”…honestamente, os Db5’s não parecem ser ruins mas eu to ouvindo tensão nos C5’s…Isso na verdade e gravado em estúdio então certas qualidades do vocal podem ser alteradas e por isso eu não muito mais o que falar, por não ser ao vivo. Não foi ruim, claramente teve tensão “I’m gonna fly like a bird through the night”, essa parte é aguda de mais e eu não esperaria que ela conseguisse cantar essa parte sem tensão nenhuma.
LikeLike
E qual foi o desempenho delas aqui https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkjOrhgZpU4
tag: Dia
LikeLike
Eu respondo a outra, mas me perdoa eu não tenho tempo hoje para tanta pergunta e tem mais algumas para eu responder. Espera que já já depois dos meninos do 100%, eu vou analisar a Ben e a Dia então a análise da Dia vem logo e esse vídeo vai ser usado para isso.
LikeLike
Do you think that Changmin himself knows about his vocal problem? I wonder is he aware or he actually thinks he is fine.
LikeLike
I am not a psychic so I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think he’s completely aware.
LikeLike
This is just my imaginary. If he also can make head voice to F5 or G5, what rate would u give?
LikeLike
I don’t know, just head voice? I mean he can, he just can’t support it. If he could support it, then I’d expect him to support a lot more in his voice.
LikeLike
Yeah i mean more or less D3/Eb3-E4/F4 but with support head voice to F5 or G5 lol
LikeLike
Hi, just curious, in the “Rising Sun” what technique he uses to have those extremely high notes?
LikeLike
Hi there. Straining. He uses a high larynx, squeezed throat, improper breath support. Those notes are not extremely high if you mean the ones at the end of the bridge, it only peaks at Bb4. Changmin has been able to strain much higher than that, like the E5 or Eb5 from Mirotic.
LikeLike
Thanks for replying! Haha, I see. I cannot tell the pitch; I thought those from rising sun are high coz he seems to be in so much pain (even much more painful than those from Mirotic)..
LikeLiked by 1 person
But i always thought that changmin is above average at least and that he can manage his notes well or was that because as a group members can hide some of their weaknesses
So what about yunho ?! People say that his voice becomes nasal sometimes or is he considered as a rapper ?! But his voice in November with love was good?!
What if they try to pursue a solo career ?!
And what is your thoughts about their performances together as a group ?!
Sorry to disturb but as a non musician person .. I really wanted to know and understand because a lot of fans discuss that and I really don’t understand
LikeLike
I don’t know rapping, this is a vocal analysis blog only. Yunho does become nasal and he has also a very limited level of vocal technique. They could probably pursue a solo career, being a soloist has nothing to do with vocal skill, as one can see from Britney Spears or Lee Hyori. I think TVXQ! as a quintet were a stronger vocal unit, but separated their weaknesses become more apparent.
LikeLike
I know that’s why I asked if he is considered as a rapper because the blog didn’t analyse him yet so I thought that . I’m sorry
But how can they pursue a solo career ?! Isn’t being a soloist means that if they have a vocal flaws it will appear more then . And from what I understood changmin is considered between average and weak as singer and Yunho seems to be considered weak , or does that means if they tried to fix some of their weaknesses then they can success ?!
Yes because the songs lines were divided into five so they completed eachother I think
And thank you for making me understand more about singing and singers voices world ^^
LikeLike
Well like I said Selena Gomez, Lee Hyori, Britney Spears are all soloists and they have very subpar vocal technique. Their appeal isn’t their vocals though, it’s their music and that would be the case for Yunho and Changmin as well if they were to pursue solo careers. Succeeding in their careers and being skilled vocalists are two things that are not related. Even if they improve, they might not be successful and even if they don’t, they could be very successful. No problem, it’s our pleasure. ^ ^
LikeLike
Recently Yunho, Sungmin, Eunhyuk and Shindong did a song for the Korean military, and Yunho is made (from the how the lines are distributed) as main vocal of the 4. Do you agree with this arrangement; as in, do you feel like Yunho is stronger than Sungmin vocal-wise?
Also, as a Cassie, I’m pleasantly surprised you enjoy listening to TVXQ (as said on the team page) even when they are not excellent vocal wise ^^
PS thank you for doing all these analysis and Q&As~
LikeLike
Well most artists aren’t excellent and TVXQ! had two of the top 30 make vocalists in Kpop so of course it’s enjoyable haha but I’m afraid I haven’t listened to this song so I can’t form an opinion.
LikeLike
The song is here ^^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIEqKoJoO90&feature=youtu.be
LikeLike
Interesting “the top 30 make vocalists in Kpop” ,who are they?
LikeLike
You’ll find out once our chart is done.
LikeLike
I’m sorry but the last note here is headvoice or falsetto?
LikeLike
An unsupported head voice.
LikeLike
How good were Changmin and Key here ? Key sung like a tenor
And what note they hit on 04:12 , 04:39 , and 04:43 ?
LikeLike
Key lacks proper support so he is singing through his nose and with a very tight throat throughout. The key of the song is different, so the range he’s singing in is about B3 ~ A4. There’s no news in Key singing like a tenor, he’s been singing like a tenor for years. lol Same for Changmin, he sounds very tight and whiny, placing his voice in his nose and not supporting properly so he ends up using his swallowing muscles too much, which close his voice. 1:44 that A4 was very tight. Let me get to your time stamps. I’ve heard this before. 4:12 D5 in mixed voice. 4:39 D5’s again. 4:43 D5 again. They’re singing a third below the original key, so Taeyeon/Seohyun/Tiffany hit F#5’s and Changmin’s hitting D5’s. Of course considering their already known supported ranges, those notes were all very strained and completely outside their supported ranges. There’s no idol or male Korean vocalist that we know of who can support D5’s consistently, or actually at all almost, so it’s understandable that those notes would be strained. It’s quite unfortunate for Changmin, he’s known for singing high but never truly has anybody focused on fixing his singing technique since to instructors it’s like “Oh he can sing high already, we don’t need to teach him.” Instead of understanding that a high range is good for potential but with the amount of tension he has, what good is that one octave of mixed voice above F4 all the way up to G5? It’s just a lot of tension and it needs to be addressed.
LikeLike
Do you have one for Yoochun?
LikeLike
No, we do not.
LikeLike
When I got into kpop I heard a bit of DBSK, I could swear that this guy had a good vocal technique because of his treble and the ease that he seemed to achieve.
Today listening to him again I wonder where I got this idea that he was a good singer LOL, perhaps because DBSK was a vocal group of great hamornia, and nobody there seemed to be bad, at least not while they sang together.
But I confess that the classification “weak to average” surprised me. I couldn’t imagine anyone in SM could be below average (Except Krystal).
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think he should be improve so much since he is basically the only one who carried tvxq music now of course along with yunho and I think yunho also improved so much to right? His control getting better
LikeLike
Singing for a long period of time does not mean one will improve their singing. It doesn’t matter if now he is singing more or before he was singing less, if his vocal habits are the same, nothing will change. If he sings for 1 hour a day or 10 hours a day the same exact way he did when he was 16, nothing will change in his singing. He will only improve if he changes his vocal habits, which he has not.
LikeLike
which genre do you think suits changmin then?(: moreover just wondering have you heard changmin live before? and hehehe just for fun given this current industry which will gain more attention, someone who have a unique voice but not so strong in vocal techniques or someone who has a typical (boring) voice but strong in technique?
also i read your team page but i kind of curious…are the analyses made on these website based on your viewpoints or an amalgamation of viewpoints from the ‘team’? i hope you don’t take offence but would you say that either way it is..these analyses are subjective rather than objective (contrary to what you say) since if its only based on your viewpoints it also means that it is just your opinion and if its a collaborative conclusion from all of your team would you say that its still subjective given the credentials of your team seems weak? also how accurate would you say judging someone vocals through videos that are possibly all recorded and/or edited in different manners than hearing someone live? and are you well versed in different types of stage performance singing compared to probably singing in vocal classes etc.?
p.s. i hope you view any of these questions as offensive…im just curious to know more as from a dancer perspective i feel like there could be differences between stage performances and vocal classes as well as between the different stage performances? like for dance there is a difference between performing on stage (concerts), competitions, freestyle battles, dancing in classes etc. and stage performances can be dependent on many factors such as lighting etc.esp when its seen through videos..so would you say that vocal technicality may change depending on the environment, such as sound system, size of theater etc.?
LikeLike
This isn’t about what genre suits Changmin the best. Changmin is welcome to sing any genre that he pleases, if he is able to work on his technique, there is no limit to how many genres he would be able to sing. I don’t know what “typical boring voice” means because I don’t think anybody has a typical boring voice. To me that’s just something fans say to try to explain why they don’t like someone’s singing or to put someone down because they don’t know why they don’t necessarily like their singing. I believe has a unique voice, but I don’t think having a unique or strong vocal technique are necessary to be successful in the music industry. The combination of the right voice, the right face, the right song, the right image, the right sound, the right production and all within the right time/era, that’s what creates a successful artist. It isn’t and was never about vocal ability actually. If it were, Britney Spears wouldn’t have been famous, or Madonna, or Nancy Sinatra. Oh and yes, I have heard Changmin singing live, SMTOWN Paris live 2010.
No, I wouldn’t say they’re subjective. I would say the rating system is a criteria we created that is subjective to how we were taught. The analyses themselves aren’t subjective because “credentials”… I think teaching singing, having been trained vocally, performing, being part of competitions, and having gone to school to learn more about singing, that is more credentials than many others who try to do the same thing have. If a note is strained, it’s strained. It is not subjective whether or not a note is strained, if the larynx is high, the throat is closed, the sound is tight, it isn’t subjective. THIS much is objective. The ratings? Sure you can view them subjectively but objectively speaking, someone rated Above Average will most likely have better technique than someone rated average, if you ask many instructors to listen to them both, but within the same ratings it gets a little harder to be precise. The only thing one could edit on a video is pitch, you can’t hide strain. You can’t hide lack of support, you can’t hide faulty technique. All that “editing” can hide is pitch. So we believe that judging through videos is quite accurate actually when it comes to vocal technique. Of course to people who have a limited understanding of what good technique means, it may not seem that way because they can’t hear it and believe that live singing is the only way to tell vocal ability. Actually it would be quicker, I could analyze someone that takes hours within 10 minutes if I could sit down with them in front of a piano. But unfortunately that is not possible, so videos are what we’ve got. So it is very accurate. Yes we perform, in this blog, we are instructors, students and performers. We never stop learning and I hope to never stop.
P.S. response, I understand but singing and dancing are completely different so one can’t compare them as if they were the same thing. The sound of one’s voice can change depending on the stage, which is why we watch videos from a variety of sources from live performances to make sure we can gather things such as consistency into consideration. There is a lot more thought into this than you’re thinking. Although it is odd to me that you’re asking the same questions you asked last year on this analysis.
LikeLike
whoops so sorry there was a typo..i meant i hope you don’t take any of the questions as offensive(: and oh i just realised there was a similar comment which is probably made my younger sister (we are both dancers and share the same computer so sorry if that confuses you) but that said i think you might have misunderstood some of my points (sorry if i confused you again) firstly, i never intended to compare singing and dancing…its more of trying to understand the thought process behind the evaluation because both singing and dancing are performance art so knowing that there are many factors that might affect an evaluation of a dancer i was just wondering if similar factors do affect an evaluation of a singer thats all(: secondly, with regards to the objectivity or subjectivity of the analyses…i wasn’t doubting your credentials more of questioning if its just a solo evaluation on your part then there might be subjectivity cos i mean after all i feel that listening from videos itself whether it is strained or wtv might differ across ppl?? and as with any art forms i think voice or sounds can be perceived or differently (thats what i think may correct me if im wrong) so if its only you then won’t be be subjected to purely your own (sound/voice) perception? and as for the weak credentials it was more of referring to the ‘team’ which are i read are mostly vocal students and to me i dont know if that is considered good credentials for judging ppl on their singing (and more so if they lack the stage training or have not performed as or trained actual singers in the industry) cos for dancing, dance students aren’t considered the best people to judge so thats what i was wondering about…and btw this isn’t really about changmin hahaha i just decided to comment here after scrolling down and looking at the other analyses for sm entertainment(: nonetheless i really appreciate your effort on making these analyses!
LikeLike
Oh I see well you both used the same email so I thought you were the same person. No I get what you’re trying to compare but to judge dancing and singing it’s very different. No I understand you not doubting it but we are only two in this team, one talented student who despite not being an instructor has a great ear, and one instructor, that being me. Even then I still have an instructor as well, I ask her questions when I wanna make sure I’m not crazy. Lol Strain is absolute, if you’re unable to recognize strain that doesn’t mean that it’s subjective, it just means the listener is unable to differentiate sound qualities in singing. No, we make sure to discuss things. If we all hear the same form of strain and describe it the same way, we know we are hearing the same thing. It’s not about comparing their voices to mine, strain, support, all these sound qualities are universal. Thank you for your comment and I really do appreciate your questions, they’re pretty valid doubts one can have.
LikeLike
Hi ! Was Changmin’s voice correct in this please ? :p
LikeLike
This is a studio recording and not a solo piece either. When you ask questions like this please provide time stamps for the video as well as more specific questions. What do you mean by “correct?” Cause I’m not sure how to answer your question.
LikeLike
There isn’t any Live version ^^”…
Did he improve, even a little bit ?
LikeLike
This is from last year though. Could you still provide a specific minute and second for your question? Cause I remember listening to this and I don’t remember noticing any change to his technique.
LikeLike
From 0:58 to 1:09, 1:46, 2:47 ?
LikeLike
Everything except for the note he ended on at 1:09 was strained. It was Bb4, B4, G#4 down to Eb4. B4 to C#5 at 1:46 and a lot of studio effects throughout. 2:47 also too many studio effects and everything is strained, there’s unfortunately nothing new.
LikeLike
Ok thank you very much ^^.
I don’t expect something new for their comeback (TVXQ’s) this year, but let’s see !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some time ago I read somewhere that in their early days Changmin would sometimes get headaches after performing. Since he was rather young then and didn’t receive as much vocal training pre debut as others is it possible that the premature straining of his voice may have had long-term effects on his vocal quality? If so would this be reversible with the proper vocal training.
Thank you so much for this post- when I read this about a year ago I got really angry and thought ‘what does this person know about singing’ thankfully although it had only been a year I can recognise that you can accept critiques and still enjoy a singer for their songs/tone.
Thanks again for you in depth analysis
LikeLike
Actually when I teach and from what I’ve heard, when people aren’t used to mask placement or head placement and sing higher than they’re used to, it causes them to feel light headed. So that could be part of it, and I think most of vocal damage should be always reversible but there’s always that little bit that may never come back. I am so glad you’ve come to that understanding, I know a lot of people react that way and it kind of makes me sad, but it makes me even happier knowing you’ve overcome that and that you worry about his vocal health now!
LikeLike
i am shoooook.. never listen to tvxq yet some people just praise him too much when it comes to vocal ?
LikeLike
Common misconception
Hitting high notes = good singer
Changmin tend to sing higher ( or strain higher ) beyond normal kpop male singer which makes people think he is a good singer
i mean if the standard of being good singer = able to hit high notes, then even a monkey is a good singer since they can like C7
LikeLike
Or dolphins for that matter. It is a common problematic phenomenon known as “The high note addiction disease” in Korea
LikeLike
ikr. it’s not about how high the note they sang. it’s about the quality of the note they sang ,whether its high or low doesn’t matter.quality over quantity
unfortunately most people don’t aware that
LikeLiked by 1 person
do you think that he is able do a supported E5,F5 and G5 ?
taking into account his vocal potential, if he use good vocal technique, do you think that he can be at the same level that Kyuhyun or more ?
in terms of vocal, do you think that tvxq(i include the 5 members) is the best male kpop group ?
LikeLike
I am sorry but I don’t understand your first question. Do you mean is it possible for him to eventually support E5, F5 and G5? I don’t see why not. Also I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to be just as good as Kyuhyun. Potential is guess-work, I can’t predict the future. TVXQ the best male k-pop group vocally? No, how could they be considering their analyses? Their vocal average skill compared to other groups isn’t the highest, if you read the analyses, you can see that.
LikeLike
Yes is that what i mean sorry i forget a word.
i know that he can hit highest note than most of kpop male vocalist.
as i tell you before i don’t know many about vocal technique, but i know that support is use the diaphragm and strain is use the larynx.
so in my mind, do a supported note seem more difficulte than do strain note,
i know that changmin can hit easly many note and that his voice Cracked juste once time in one live of mirotic.
but he practice as a long time a and he obviously know the difference between strain and support.
so mayebe it’s difficulte for him to support some note.
LikeLike
Well logically singing properly takes more physical harmony and balance than just straining, but it should feel easier once your body gets used to it. I’m not so sure he knows the difference between strain and support.
LikeLike
So in my case if i want learn how use my vocal proprely, i should learn to support my voice ?
support it’s seem a base of good technical vocal, so why in your opignon many kpop signer don’t use a support ?
Lee Daehwi probably joind MXM (composed by 2 trainee who come with daehwi at pd101 )with Woojin
Daehwi is the strongest vocalist between the four so do you think do analysis of him when he debut with his agency in the future ?
he is so talented, he know sing, dance, rap( but his position is vocal) procuce, compose songs and write lyrics
he have only 16 years old *-*
LikeLike
Yes support is the first thing you should learn to sing. Many Kpop singers either want to sound stylistic or they’re taught to sing high, as high as possible, no matter how. Even if they have to yell. He’s young, only 16. He can be analyzed maybe, I don’t know for now.
LikeLike
i understand
it’s not smart to do this beacause support make note sound clear and more beautiful, in my opignon
and for daehwi i mean in the future,when wanna one disband and he debute with agency
i know that there are a lacks of materiels now.
LikeLike
Yesterday, changmin sang two songs “bolero” and “begin” at a concert in Japan. I think his voice is different from before, and I think he made a change. Would you like to hear it
LikeLike
If you have a link. Different how?
LikeLike
Yes, I have a link. Please wait a moment
LikeLike
This is a link to 〈begin〉, which is video on China’s website. I don’t know if you can open it.This video has the sound of changmin teammates, and I think you know which one is changmin’s voice.
http://p.weibo.com/show/channerWbH5/1034:d87a090660676fed7c903a32047958dd
LikeLike
Yeah don’t worry. I know what weibo is and I know what Changmin sounds like yes. lol I also hear Yunho’s singing. I am very sorry but unless you tell me what you or the fans claim to hear that’s so different, I can’t really perceive or focus on anything specific that I could catch on because personally, I hear nothing new or different. I hear the same kind of vocal habits that I’ve heard from him for years.
LikeLike
This is bolero’s link.Thank you very much.
http://p.weibo.com/show/channerWbH5/1034:8262961f7da8b072917732227c3148f7
LikeLike
The fans at the scene described how they felt, and the voice of changmin was rushing in like a stream of water. Now, changmin’s voice is like the center of the concert, surrounded by the whole scene, like waves. I don’t know if her description is correct.
LikeLike
That sounds very subjective and quite poetic but it’s not much to go by for vocal technique unfortunately.
LikeLike
Thank you very much for your comment
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have you heard me send you bolero? Although I feel very embarrassed now, I still want to hear your comments. Because I want to know him correctly, thank you very much
LikeLike
Yeah I did listen to bolero and I felt the same thing. I still hear quite a bit of tightness and the way he squeezes his throat muscles early on in his range and also his diction, in Begin around F#4 and higher as for Bolero, a lot of high squeezed belting. So nothing for me, but don’t feel embarrassed and I’m sorry if I made you feel that way! It’s okay! It’s normal.
LikeLike
Thank you very much for your reply. Your reply has solved my confusion.
LikeLike
I want to hear your comments, because the fans at the concert yesterday said that changmin had a big change and felt that his voice was better than before
LikeLike
岌岌可危
LikeLike
hi, i m his fans. i thought his voice is perfect until i read your analysis. hope he can realize his own weakness >_<
by the way, i would like to ask as if this song is suitable for him?
thank you.
ps: i have zero knowledge about music. So i had learnt a lot from here =)
LikeLike
What do you mean by suitable for him?
LikeLike
https://youtu.be/jCltVBSPTBw how yunho and changmin vocal here? There’s some improvement? They lowered the note here right? Different from when they sing as 5
Also yunho seems struggling here right ?
LikeLike
No, this is the same exact key. They did not lower it. There’s no improvement nor change to how they’d usually sing. Changmin is mostly throaty and tight on his vowels. Straining F#4’s, while Yunho is in his throat, placing the sound inward and in his nose with little to no support because this is at the top of his range as a baritone.
LikeLike
Wait…omg yunho is a baritone?…wow, then he must be one of the baritones who sing like a tenor – all of the duo’s song are very high…so does yunho support in his baritone range ?..cause he improved after the break up right?
LikeLike
I don’t think he does.
LikeLike
Amazing they didn’t lowered the key, so yunho singing with jaejoong key and changmin too with Junsu key… overall they did a good job right? I means they covered jaejoong and Junsu part which I think it’s a difficult part from the songs
LikeLike
hey I’m just checking if you still think of yunho as a baritone, just in case you learnt something new, I’m just quite surprised to hear he is one, i was sure he was a tenor due to his ease in a tenor range, and somewhat of a light sounding voice,
LikeLike
Nope I’m still pretty sure he’s a baritone. Haha
LikeLike
Finally… Someone who shares my thoughts.
DBSK fans have been praising him so much. Even saying he’s better than Jaejoong.
And the whole time I thought: “What the hell?! Is something wrong with my ears? He’s not good at all”
I have never been impressed with his voice. And I think he never improved either. He still sounds exactly the same as when he debuted.
I hope I don’t sound mean by writing this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Though I don’t have any musical knowledge I read your analysis & I don’t understand 90% of analysis. I watched this vedio in youtube & saw people were arguing about the high note either baekhyun’s or he just lipsynced on changmin’s voice. I’m also confused. Whoever sang this, I want to what note was at 1:00 & screamo part at 1:05? Is that in their comfortable zone? People bashed Baekhyun & said he can’t reach changmin’s notes. I’m curious who can do better on that note.
It’s my comment, I hope you will answer. I’m sorry if myy question is too silly.
LikeLike
Hi, not the admin, just attempting to help.
As for not understanding the analysis, I believe you are new. Just simply read the about the voice page and the criteria page. Those pages were always designed for newcomers. Once you read that, everything else becomes easier to adjust. As you read more analyses, especially the ones of your faves (because those are the ones you know the most), the knowledge starts clicking a lot faster. It worked for me, and I truly believe it can work for you.
For future reference, since this video is explicitly about BH’s singing, it should be on his analysis, which is here on this blog. All exo main vocals are on the blog, take your time looking through.
Now the song, those lines are 100% Baekhyun. I checked the original Mirotic just in case, and the voices are definitely different. The 1:00 note is a C#5 and the screamo part is an Eb5 or E5 peak. When you read their analyses (Changmin, Baekhyun), you’ll realize these are strained completely. No one is doing better than anyone. By the way, they can both sing ridiculously high.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. You’re right,I’m new & really don’t understand anything. I wasn’t sure who’s voice was that, I though it could be Changmin too. Actually I was so curious because i didn’t understand why people bashed Baekhyun too much. Is Changmin some vocal genius or only he can do this kind of high notes. I read both analysis & didn’t find any reason of this kind of bashing. Anyway, I’m sorry for mistake & thanks for your kind explanation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t worry, welcome to the blog. After reading the basics, post your questions in the appropriate pages and they will be answered by fellow users and admins and, sooner than later, yourself. Don’t listen to immature fans, they have even gone to the lengths of using analyses from various vocal blogs to bash other people’s faves. The focus of the analyses here are to highlight the way vocalists use their voices, their strengths, points for improvement, and the importance of vocal health for longer lasting careers.
LikeLike
Excuse me, can you tell me which notes did he sing at 2:55, 3:00, 3:42 and 3:46? Thank you :3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2EMYg6eCPw
LikeLike
I’m confused as to how Changmin’s smile technique creates muscle tension and raises his larynx to a harmful position. Doesn’t that technique also engage even resonance in the mask, or buzzing in both cheekbones?
LikeLike
The smile technique is essentially making the lips wide. It’s different than the inside smile or the “biting on the apple” methods, which hopefully help the soft palate raise and the throat open, while placing the sound forward. But a tight, wide smile, although bright in placement, engages the larynx, raises it and causes the throat muscles to tighten, making the sound smaller, thinner and tighter.
LikeLike
Oh, okay. I think I understand what you’re talking about. Thank you for answering my question! =-)
LikeLiked by 1 person
would you like explain more about inside smile technique? or do you have the link so i can read it?
LikeLike
Can you watch this video? Please https://youtu.be/-nr7k7TSlSU
15 years since his debut and I don’t know all about techniques but if he forces his voice I dont understand how he still sings in that way without problem.
LikeLike
Changmin debuted at the age of 16, in late 2004. These videos are from 2012 and 2014, neither of them are recent nor are they 15 years after his debut. I’m not sure what you’re asking, cause it doesn’t quite seem like a question. Especially because you’ve made a point about him singing without a problem which is not correct. Both videos were not only both used in the process of making his analysis, but this 2014 video is full of tension and vocal strain, while the 2012 has issues with shallow support, nasality and pitch. So what’s your question exactly? If it’s about vocal damage, differently from a vocalist like Christina Aguilera who’s suffered vocal damage due to faulty technique with a chesty mix, Changmin uses a headier mix so his damage would take more time. Not to mention he’s only turning 30 this year, and vocal damage is gradual and happens as vocalists age too. So we’ve seen these videos and I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking, or what you were trying to achieve through the question since it seems like a challenge more than a question.
LikeLike
here too ….
thanks
LikeLike
I am not ahmin but i don’t think he even support half of the notes he sang there..
LikeLike
Thanks for the TVXQ member analysis! It’s really great to see stuff like this from people who actually studied music and knows what they’re talking about from a technical perspective, rather than just fans fighting over which of their favs is better.
Question about Yunho, I do believe that he has improved when I look at where he is now compared to pre-split. But do you think that he has improved enough to be better than Yoochun? I think in terms of ranking it’s probably Junsu > Jaejoong > Changmin, but Yunho and Yoochun are always a mystery to me in terms of if one is better than the other (even if just slightly.) I find Yoochun more pleasing to listen to as Yunho always sounds so nasally, but Yunho definitely has had more practice since Yoochun basically took a break from singing until his solo album recently. Both of them sound very strained when it comes to high notes.
If you have time, can you do a quick comparison based on where these two are in 2019? Would really appreciate it if you can help me answer this question that I’ve had forever haha.
LikeLike
Hi dear! I agree with you completely! I must say I am guilty of having thought of ways to argue who’s better than who in the past, even though it was an educated thought-process. In the end, it doesn’t really matter, it’s about the professional becoming better for themselves, better than they were. I don’t really wish to compare who’s better than who, but I can say that Yoochun had a lot of natural gifts singing-wise and because of that he never really worked to improve anything and eventually his bad habits took over the good part of his voice. Whereas Yunho actually worked on technique, and showed a degree of improvement from his early debut days. To say that any of them have tried to change their technique in anyway in the past few years, I can’t say I’ve noticed an active change of vocal habits. To me, they’ve stayed stagnant for a long time. The thing is Yoochun sings breathy but also nasally. He is very shallow on the support and connection of the vocal cords, whereas Yunho is too tight with how he places his voice and the shape of his throat. Neither do very competent job at properly using their vocal cords. So I can’t say one is better or I’d rather say I don’t think it matters, I’d rather they become better than what they are instead of better than one another. I haven’t listened to them this year specifically though so this is off of the past years of listening.
LikeLike
Oh, thank you so much for the quick reply, you’re awesome! If you are interested, here are the solos from both of them which were released this year, though I don’t know if it would change your opinion:
Yoochun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6dO_o5PmI0
Yunho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_gmjmIqA4M
I definitely feel that Yunho has put more effort into improving his vocal technique over the years, while Yoochun has been more or less the same (or maybe gotten worse?). But the one thing Yoochun does to his benefit is that he stays within the range that he can support more often than Yunho.
I think because Changmin’s range is so high, Yunho has also been singing in a higher range to match him, even though from what I remember Yunho actually sounds a lot better with the lower notes. I kind of wish that they’d let him continue developing his lower range, because while he is more consistently able to hit the high notes now (even if still strained), I think his lower range actually isn’t as good as before, or at least we barely get to hear it anymore, which is a huge bummer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why do you think extensive mixed register is a strength? Is it because Changmin has the potential to support higher notes than other vocalists if he get enough training?
LikeLike
Yes because working to change the habits on an existing range is easier than expanding your range.
LikeLike
Does vocal range only depend on how heady a vocalist’s mixed voice is? Does supported range have anything to do with it? Thanks.
LikeLike
No not at all though more head muscle coordination in the mix does help extend the vocal range. The supported range does not affect it directly.
LikeLike