Vocal Range
F#2 ~ Bb5 (3 octaves and 2 notes)
Supported Range
C3 ~ Bb4/B4
Voice Type
Tenor
Strengths/Achievements
- Strongest vocalist in B1A4
- Arguably one of the strongest male idol vocalists
- Resonance is very present and consistent in his voice
- Able to support his voice even as high as B4
- Healthy vibrato produced consistently
- Intonation is quite impeccable
- Able to support his voice even as low as B2 at times
- Improvement from debut till present
- Able to keep a relaxed and connected falsetto even as high as D5/Eb5/E5
- Versatile vocalists, able to sing many different genres of music and modify his voice accordingly
- Although not having a very agile voice, melismas can be done with very good precision and accuracy
- Does not try to sing in ways that he can’t or outside his supported range, smart vocalist
Points for Improvement
- Falsetto is under explored and his least developed register
- Lower range is often airy and quiet, often stylistically
- Upper mix around B4 loses consistency and becomes more shouted
- Mixed voice can be overly chesty
- Nasality can be present in his voice
- Jaw/lip tension can be present in his singing
- Musicianship is almost inexistent in his singing
Registers
- Lower register: One of the better lower ranges amongst K-pop tenors, Sandeul is capable of supporting his voice as low as B2 at times, although he’s only consistently able to show support down to D3, without stylistic airiness getting in the way.
- Mixed register: One of the most consistent mixed ranges amongst K-pop idol tenors, Sandeul not only has improved this range, but also shows a consistent ability to bring resonance forward into his voice, keep tonal accuracy, good tone production and stamina. Mixed range can often be overly chesty, that being its only main flaw.
- Upper register: Though not a bad register, his falsetto is his least developed register. He doesn’t often try to sing in this register, but when he does, there’s a clear gap of power and resonance between his falsetto and the rest of his voice. Nonetheless, he’s able to sing in this register with control and a relaxed throat up until E5.
Agility
As a light-lyric, his voice has the natural ease with the upper register and the ability to stay in this register and produce all sorts of different ornamentations. Having that said, Sandeul is not a R&B vocalist, nor does he rely on vocal agility to deliver his musical choices. If the time is brought to him where he needs to show competence in note separation, melismas and vocal agility, he’s capable of producing slow to medium tempo vocal runs, with very good pitch accuracy and note separation, such as in his OST “아파서“. Not only does he possess the control and accuracy of pitch, but also he’s able to stay in a very high range and still control his pitch and keep up the stamina to maintain the climax of a song, in occasions such as “왜 둘만이 있으면 (Just The Two Of Us)“, “빗속의 여인” and “This Time Is Over“.
Overall analysis
B1A4’s main vocalist, Sandeul, is one K-pop’s strongest male vocalists and tenors. Amongst all the tenors and idols in the current K-pop industry, it’s hard to actually see male vocalists with an even column of sound throughout all of their registers, if not at least two of them, who’s consistent, professional and is also musically and vocally versatile. His voice naturally has a strong and forward sound to it and due to his technique, he’s able to effortlessly sing in most of the tenor range, with which he’s able to show the best of a tenor, where his voice naturally lies. His tone is very youthful and bright, but with a strong piercing quality to it.
His lower range possesses a very forward quality to it, it’s often very masculine sounding, bringing out the tone of his voice even in his lowest notes. He is able to keep a relaxed, stable larynx, a mask and chest placed lower range and a very stable tone production consistently down to D3, as heard in “사랑 Two“, “사랑 그놈“, “안 오실까 봐“. Many times, Sandeul opts for a more airy quality sound when he descends below D3, which may mislead the listener into thinking that he’s uncomfortable in a range below D3, as heard in “코스무스 피어있는 길” and “잊혀진 계절” but it is often through such performances that he also shows the ability to disconnect his vocal cords and create breathy, not supported sounds for stylistic purposes, and then in the same performances, he shows the ability again to hit the same low notes, with a connected sound, connected vocal cords, support and projection. Examples include his C3’s in “비내리는 명동거리“, “유리의 성” and “그녀가 처음 울던 날 (The First Day She Cried)“, and his B2’s in “빗속의 여인” and “꽃순이를 아시나요“. Even then, as he descends below B2 very rarely and the only times he’s done so, his voice becomes considerably less projected and more airy, it’s possible to say that below B2, he loses the support in his voice, such as the A2 in “사랑 그놈“.
Although he’s able to show a more advanced control of his lower range, his mixed range is where Sandeul shows the most control, versatility and power. He has shown improvement in the consistency, support and mixing of this range from debut till mid-late 2012. From performances such as “그 흔한 남자여서” and “찍사랑“, where he used to show some tension and less support above G4. As time went by, he showed a very good improvement in his vocal delivery and his support in his mixed range, consistently hitting A4’s throughout his performances, with an even column of sound, resonance and control, such as in “내 방식도래의 사랑“, “남자답게 사는법” and “잊혀진 계절“. The consistency of tone production and resonance still stays as he ascends up high into the Bb4 area and B4 area, although then that’s where his only weakness shows. Due to how heavily he relies on a chest-dominant mixed voice, he loses the ability to expand his range higher above C5, also showing a lack of ease and brightness in tone, due to how much chest and how little head there is in his mixed voice. For that reason, although he may be able to sing Bb4’s with consistent resonance, such as in “왜 둘만이 있으면 (Just The Two Of Us)“, “밥만 잘 먹더라” and “차표 한장“, and B4’s such as in “해바라기” and”빗속의 여인“, he starts to lose the stamina and requires a lot more muscle coordination to stay up in such a high belting range. The excessive chest voice in his mix can also lead to damage in his vocal cords if he overuses them, which is unlikely for Sandeul, because he generally shows no tendency in singing outside of his supported range. The few times he has sung above B4, such as in “그것만이 내새상“, his voice shows less power and becomes more pushed and tight, not completely losing the support but instead losing the freedom he possesses in his lower mixed notes. However, he consistently shows resonance up until Bb4 and even resonance and support up until B4, with less consistency depending on his condition, letting his voice become a little more shouted and less relaxed such as in “The Time Is Over“.
Sandeul’s falsetto range is not only his least developed register, but also his least used register. He is capable of placing his falsetto very forward into his mask, producing a bright and projected sound, but in this register he loses the fullness and the control he possesses in the rest of his range. It isn’t a badly developed register, but it could explain the lack of head voice present in his mix, due to the lack of development of a true full head voice. Having said that, he is able to switch into this register without much effort, such as in the rehearsal of “왜 둘만이 있으면 (Just The Two Of Us)” and “나는 그대품안에“. The control and pitch became less precise in this register, although still much better than average. He has shown the ability to stay relaxed in this register during Fan signings and when singing with his fellow bandmate, Jinyoung, and sing up to D5 and E5 without tensing up or closing his throat. Due to how under used this register is, he has rarely gone high in this register, but he has been able to hit A5 before in a song for a Samsung Galaxy Promotion, with other K-pop stars, where he placed the note very forward in his mask and used an extra push of air to get it out, showing less control and a bit of tension in this register.
Sandeul’s consistency of tone production and support throughout his registers aren’t his only strengths. He also has consistently shown a very healthy, controlled and stable vibrato throughout his range, stamina to sustain high belting notes for long periods of times and control of his musical dynamics. At times his voice may become slightly nasal and have a whiny quality to it, which most often than not, is done on purpose and is a style he’s going for. With that, he shows a lot of control of where to place his voice and how he wants it to sound, showing yet another strength of his, his versatility. Not only can he sing ballads, from the top to the bottom of his range, with control in dynamics, airiness, softness, crescendos and diminuendos, such as “그대 앞에 난 촛불이어라” and “하나의 사랑“, but also he’s able to bring forth his voice into a smooth style of singing, with a more R&B-like sound and a rhythmic vocal approach, such as in “추억속의 그대“, a strong and present vocal performance when singing musicals, such as in “사랑이 온다면“. His versatility expands to Trot, Folk, and even jazz, such as in “나는 그대품안에” where he also sings a verse of “Fly Me To The Moon”. Even when the song isn’t a simple 4/4 time signature and requires a more 3/4, waltz-like time signature, where there’s a slight different push in tempo, such as in “코스무스 피어있는 길“, where he shows no struggle and no deviation of timing.
As a vocalist and entertainer, one could say Sandeul is one of K-pop’s most underrated vocalists. Not only is he a versatile vocalist, but consistent and has very superior technique. Even then, he still has room for improvement, at times he creates tension in his voice with his jaw and lip positions and he pushes a bit as well. For future improvements, Sandeul’s only real concern would be working on his mixed range, creating a pure and strong head voice and allowing that to balance out his mixed voice so that he can extend and expand his range further and show even more versatility. With the rate of improvement and the consistency he’s shown, one can only expect good things from the bright future Sandeul has ahead of him as a musician, artist and vocalist.
Musicianship
His only true biggest weakness is his lack of musicianship. As a vocalist, Sandeul possesses one of the healthiest and most consistent techniques. He’s a musical person, hears and understands music well and is able to perform many different style. Although that all is true, Sandeul lacks the natural ability to improvise, create new melodies, new rhythms and newly personalized versions of the songs he sings. He has a very straight-forward way of singing, doesn’t try to create things he can’t create and is a cautious, smart vocalist who doesn’t try to do what he doesn’t know how to. The few times he’s shown some kind of different interpretation of songs, show a very mild and not risky approach to the new melodies, such as in “나는 그대품안에/Fly Me To The Moon“. Exploring the full extent of his musical abilities could allow for a wider range of styles and interpretations of songs, only further developing himself as a musician, now that he has more than the basics of singing down and is ready to really deepen those aspects of his musical knowledge and delivery.
Label (Type of Vocalist)
HB Vocalists: High Range Belters
ML Vocalists: Mid-Low Range Vocalists
Vocal Range Video(s)
Video by: Ahmin (Kitsunemale)
Best Vocal Performances
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Analyzed by Ahmin (Kitsunemale)
K-pop Vocalists' Vocal Analyses 
Sandeul came back to KOMS and became Mask King for the special live! He lost the week after to Ali’s Wild Flower though :(. His defending performance was amazing though and I’m so glad his voice seems to have recovered!
What were the notes at 3:28 and 4:20 and were they good?
Super excited for B1A4’s comeback. Hope Sandeul can rest though 😦
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A4, resonant and it could’ve been less pushed but that’s not new for Sandeul. Bb4 is the 4:20 note, again it’s resonant but could be less pushed. He did great, nothing new though.
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Hi ahmin3, I have a question on whether or not this particular part where Sandeul was belting his high note and then immediately dropped to a slightly lower note while also sustaining it require a high level of vocal skill, and if yes, what is the right way to describe it (just trying to learn here). Is it run? control? stability? He showed it in his recent appearance in Mask Singer, at around 4:20 from the video in the previous comment by Eggnoodles. And also in the performance below between 2:42 to 2:46.
Although some people claim that a vocalist having good technical skill does not mean being a good singer, Sandeul really showed how having great technical skill can add even more emotion to a song by using it appropriately. These two songs wouldn’t have left as much impact on me emotionally had it not sung by someone skilled enough to pull off the climax.
These two songs are emotional and painful songs. When he was belting the high notes, he already left me in great pain. Then there he went to drop the note and SUSTAINED them. OMG please help me, my heart aches even more. Made me feel like I was watching a tragic scene in a movie.
Ughhh, I hate Sandeul. He’s too skilled.
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He is just singing a vocal line, jumping from a sustained Bb4 down to G4, then in this one it was B4 down to A4, then down lower. This isn’t particularly difficult because he’s not changing the pitch drastically. He’s not singing a huge interval like an octave, but the high notes themselves are quite difficult. This isn’t a run either, it’s just well executed notes in centered pitch. People who claim that are just trying to find excuses to explain their subjective tastes and choices for liking someone more than someone else, so don’t mind them. You can be a good technical vocalist and emote as well, most good technical vocalists do so. I understand what you mean exactly, if a vocalist doesn’t have the technique to pull off big parts in songs, it leaves me with something missing.
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Thanks for the quick reply. “Well executed notes in centered pitch” was what I was looking for. Not particularly difficult, but very impactful. I hope more people would appreciate Sandeul.
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hey ahmin, could you say a little bit more about that second song? something like analyzing that performance. i think it is a beautiful song. onew sing in his supported range? his second time singing is good, i like it. and sandeul high notes feel crunchy, maybe because chest dominant? taeil sound like naul haha that softness. and i guess ken doing his ordinary strain notes?
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Sure I’ll copy-paste from Onew’s analysis some months ago:
“0:14 wtf was that sound that came out? lol Actually nobody asked about this, considering it’s a completely new performance. Let me take a listen.
I believe the range for the verse is C#3 ~ C#4, which is fairly easy for all of them. They kind of whispered the C#3’s, but they sound comfortable and supported. 1:12 F#4’s with lightness and support, Taeil is a bit nasal but overall they sound all comfortable and supported. Ken does have a bit too much compression in his vocal cords, but he also sounds supported. 1:28 throat tension on the A4 for Onew, but the G#4 and below range was fine, well placed. He could have rounder placement but the overall support was good. The A4’s were much better for Sandeul, although he could have been a bit less pushy. 2:03 tightness in his throat, but not too bad. It’s just the nasality. 2:11 a bit closed for Ken too, but when both he and Taeil were singing lighter they were using less pushing and tension which helped them in the end. 2:18 strained pushed G#4 for Ken though. 2:20 oh of course he could go for a C#5, much more tense than the G#4. 2:23 more closed in placement and throat shaping, but not too tense for Taeil. 2:39 A4 to B4 for Sandeul, very well placed and resonant but too much chestiness. 2:40 ~ 2:54 Ken’s throat is very closed throughout, the tightest of the the 4. 3:00 good transitions into his head voice, even though the vibrato was a bit wobbly and he fell flat at 3:09. Overall they all did as expected, no decline and no improvement.”
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Hi, quick question, is cnu an average vocalist or less? And is he the second best vocalist in b1a4?
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I don’t know for sure, from what I’ve heard he’s most likely a weak or at most weak to average, I can’t say who’s better between him and Jinyoung.
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Hello! A friend of mine is gathering questions for Billboard to ask B1A4 in February when they’re on their US tour. They want questions relating to their music. I was wondering if there is anything that you’d like to ask Sandeul or the other members about their technique and/or music. Thank you.
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Please ask Sandeul if he is aware that he is rated really highly in this blog that does vocal analysis. Also remind him that many of us became his fans because we found him through this page! 🙂 Would like to see him perform a perfect version of “Forgotten Season” too.
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Well this is hard really, there’s nothing really I want to know, there’s more that I want him/them to know as opposed to me wanting them to tell me anything. I suppose one thing I could ask is how often do they practice their singing and how? What kind of exercises they do, what kind of instructors they have had in the past and what kind of technique they were taught with. Like Bel Canto, SLS, etc.
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It makes sense that you’d have more advice than questions for him, but thank you very much for the suggestions! I’ll be sure to ask my friend.
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If only Sandeul could read this page….. ahhahahha
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I think Sandeul hit a B5 here:
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Oops the time is 9:14
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Actually I am not sure what octave he is singing in, it sounds belted like a B4 but the note prior did sound like it was falsetto. I’m confused cause of the quality.
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Hi! I have a question about B1A4’s new performance in Immortal Songs towards the end. How was Sandeul’s sustained B4 and sustained C5? I think the B4 was resonant, but I’m not sure about his C5–mainly because it sounds better than his other C5s and I don’t know what to make of it. I think it’s because he’s sustaining them on an ah vowel. It starts at around 4:20 (though he belts a separate sustained B4 at 4:12.)
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The B4 is pretty good, a bit shouty, a bit pushed. The C5 was well placed, the vowel was good but he moved his jaw and added extra tension to his neck and jaw, he also sang AH HHHa, so he added the H in the beginning which pushed more air into his vocal cords which is one way to cheat using the right amount of air with vocal cords, instead he just pushed air.
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Not related to Sandeul but what could be CNU’s vocal ranking? CNU is one of the group’s vocalists and is often overlooked, which he is known more as the dancer of the group.
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More likely than not a weak vocalist or a weak to average vocalist. He uses throat pressure to sing, I rarely hear him supporting well.
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Hi! I know you’ve said before that you won’t be analyzing the other B1A4 members but I was wondering if you could do a quick small thingie (??) for them? Like just a list of who is better techincally, and like 2/3 of their strengths or weaknesses.
I understand if you can’t but thank you nonetheless for this analysis on Sandeul ☺️
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I have heard that both of them have decent pitch, Jinyoung is a bit thinner in tone quality, but CNU has a chestier approach. He is very throat-based though, and sings with too much of a shouty technique. Jinyoung isn’t as shouty, but he’s thin and tight with shallow support. Both of them seem very close to the weak rating. Sorry about that.
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No reason to be sorry!! Thank you nonetheless for your reply 🙂
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I’m not sure if it was asked before but did Sandeul support the high note that Daesung originally sang? I think it’s 3:06 (the goyAAAAAAAA part).
It sounds like backwardly projected to me
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It’s not the most opened he’s sung but it’s just A4, it’s not a challenge for him.
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Hi, This is my first comment on your blog. I often open your blog to see how skilled my idols is. Recently I really interested in sandeul cause he’s rated so high. so I watch several of his live videos, I think He’s really amazing as a vocalist, His voice is not so soft as many ballad singer but I like his heavy voice, as one of my favourite, Shinee’s jonghyun sings with heavy voice too, I think. but I have a trouble to identify wether the singing is resonant or strain, What do you think about this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdq6HfkinyI ?! the G#4 at 03:14 ?! is it strain or resonant? It looks like that he is yelling, and shouting
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Oh he is not shouty or yelly at all in quality, but he sounds rough and tired. So he ended up a bit flat, I think it’s just fatigue.
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Hi, I have 3 questions hahah.
1. Can this be considered Sandeul’s worst performance? Because I feel like his pitch precision isn’t spot on in this performance. And usually his stages always blows me away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlV_LeAQDE
2. How would you rate Sandeul’s partner in duet song festival?
3. What would be Sandeul’s rating when he first debuted?
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I wouldn’t say it’s his worst. I would have to watch every performance of his ever. I would say he was at least above average and Sandeul’s partner produces resonance so that means perhaps at least above average.
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Did his buddies get any better or do they still as bad as before? (I mean Jinyoung and CNU. Excluding Gongchan, we all know he sucks)
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His buddies.. lol 0:24 very nasal and closed throat vowels, he is shallow throughout. 0:31 E4’s and rather closed in the throat and whiny. Don’t say anybody sucks, that’s not nice. He just has very underdeveloped technique, there’s a respectful way to put it. He is a lot airier than Jinyoung but it’s not like Jinyoung has amazing technique either. 1:14 wobbly vibrato, weak support. Gongchan is really airy. 1:34 He has better placement and a chestier approach than Jinyoung, but he is pushing from his throat so he sounds shallow, just a lot less soft or shaky. 2:04 when CNU sings he sounds like Hankyung from Super Junior, shallow but chesty..the tone of their voices is kind of similar. He sings in his throat and because it’s less nasal than Jinyoung, he sounds fuller by contrast but I don’t really hear proper support. 3:01 He has moments of his voice cutting through, but then Sandeul sings and the difference in a sound that’s not shallow, that’s well placed, cuts through easily and there’s no throat shows. I wouldn’t say Jinyoung got better, CNU is better than he might have been a debut but not better than he’s been for the past few years. 4:26 there we go resonant B4’s.
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Lol sorry bout that sucky part. That was kind of a joke for me. Hope it wasn’t too offensive. But who, in your honest, educated opinion improved more, based on what you’ve heard so far? CNU (looooves to shout) or Jinyoung (too nasal and airy)? Do you think they can still improve their technique (I mean, they’re not getting any younger…)?
By the way I heard CNU used to sing in a rock band in high school? You think that might be why he likes to shout? It’s in 13:55
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People can always improve their technique that’s up to them. It’s fine but be careful cause some people might not be patient like me or kind to jokes, since people love to fight on the internet. It might be why he doesnt try to sing in any other way.
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The internet is a battleground for the fiercest keyboard warriors. I’m but a lowly troll who watches them from my otakucave. Anyway… a quick, dumb question from someone who has no idea about proper vocal techniques. People love to post “vocal rankings”, based on “evidence”. Some of them are credible while others are utterly biased. For example, in this group, how would you rank the remaining 3 (San is #1 obvs)? Most people rank Jinyoung over CNU (because he has a “clear voice with clean high notes”). Idk where they got that. Lol Jinyoung is no Jessica (don’t kill me lol I just love Jessica’s voice and her singing)
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Honestly I have no idea who’s above who in B1A4.
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I don’t even listen to B1A4 (songs not my taste, I like rock music so I’ll lean towards CNU, who should really learn screamo). I just got curious about it since some not-so-popular guy (Sandeul) is rated so high. Was just wondering how good the rest of the group is, vocal-wise (so minus Sandeul…they’re weak average but not terrible)
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They’re mostly weak to average at most yes.
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I just got back into KPop so I’m using this blog to see how my old faves stack up. I guess I was right about Jessica, Seohyun, KRY and BEG vocalists being good. Thank you for making this site informative and (mostly) unbiased.
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Mostly unbiased? lol Where’s the part that’s not unbiased?
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Some analysis are shorter than others, especially the non-mainstream singers (so biased towards idols?). I guess there’s just not much to say about them, or you’re not really into them (which I totally understand, even if someone is really good, if you don’t “feel” them, you may not want to listen to them that much, and if you like someone, even if they’re not so good, you may listen to them more, thus, a longer analysis).
I’m rambling lol
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Well sometimes there’s more to say about someone simply because they have more issues or qualities. Some other times, it’s due to the amount of material or the author’s style. I generally write a lot, it’s easier when I’ve listened to them more so I can go into more detail but I don’t think the length affects the “bias” factor, since we put in just as much effort but sometimes there’s not much to say. What do you mean non mainstream? My longest analysis is Park Hyoshins analysis which is over 3K words in length, nothing else I wrote comes even close and he’s not an idol. lol I think the author factor is the most important for sure.
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Kyuhyun is good to great.
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I consider non-Idol singers (Younha and Ann One for example) as non-mainstream. Author factor is important, but some readers just scream “BIAS!!!” if this vocalist gets a higher rating/longer analysis than their bias vocalist. An irl friend said this is biased towards SM cause they never get a “Weak” rating. I’m like “Dude, Sungmin is rated “Weak”, he’s from SM, and people consider him on the level of KRY.”
I get that you only analyze half of the vocalists (large groups) or the best one or two, but a little suggestion?
What about a “mini analysis”, like their voice type, vocal range, a few observations accompanied by a single video with their best performance? For all the weak vocalists who people have been requesting for ages (I hear you BTS Jimin stans). Sure it’s not as comprehensive, but with all the analysis you’ve been doing in the comments section, you can probably compile a mini vocal analysis for some highly-requested people.
Just a suggestion and thank you for replying (keeping me awake lol)
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Oh Ann One there wasn’t much material for her, and I know her in person so there’s no bias against her in anyway. lol Yeah I’ve seen the SM comments and I was like “I guess Krystal, Changmin, Henry and Sungmin suddenly left SM or something.”
I understand your suggestion and I appreciate it but..there are a few reasons I wouldn’t do that. 1. I would have to do that for a lot of people and that could take away time from writing actual analyses. 2. It takes away credibility since the analyses are less lengthy and wouldn’t have as many examples, which makes convincing fans harder. 3. I don’t like half assing something. If I’m going to do it, imma do it right. So that’s why it’s been suggested before but I can’t do it.
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Totally understand. Lol let me half-ass B0A3’s analysis:
Jinyoung – Tenor, Weak to Average, Nasal and airy
CNU – Idk tenor,? Weak to Average, Chesty but shallow, improved since debut
Gongchan – probably tenor, Weak Vocalist…….
…and that ruins everything. I loved Younha, Jessica, Seohyun and BEG’s analysis though.
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I’d doubt Jinyoung is a tenor before doubting CNU is one. I think they’re all tenors except for Baro. That ruins everything what? lol Well I’m glad you did!! Haha
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Jinyoung (with his really thin voice)…can possibly be a baritone? And here I thought CNU could be the baritone (cause of his fuller voice) Never thought of that possibility. So CNU’s a tenor, huh… lol ruins the credibility of the analysis if it was done like that. I really like this blog, I’ll keep an eye out for updates!
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Well I thought of him being a baritone singing with a high larynx, cause of where he mixes but I think he’s most likely a tenor. Yeah see it would be very bad that way and if I write a paragraph might as well write a whole analysis. Thank you!
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How does CNU’s singing in musicals compare to his recording studio voice? Does he sound better technically? I wish his voice was less shallow in live performances, his tone is quite nice.
I think Jinyoung regressed from debut, he sounded a lot fuller back then but now it seems he sings with a more airy and nasal voice?
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CNU in this video you posted he is kind of nasal, throaty, there’s too much air passing through and not enough connection happening between his vocal cords so I don’t really hear a steady stream of air nor a good enough stretch of his vocal cords. He is often flat and he isn’t able to place his voice anywhere but his throat. 1:24 He is a very shallow untrained tenor to me, the G4 kind of gives it away to me. There is no moment in which I hear support but he does have a nice voice.
With this old clip of Jinyoung I hear nasality and airiness, as well as a lot of flat notes. 0:21 0:27 0:35 0:38 0:42 all flat. I don’t hear connection nor support when he sings in this lower range, I had once thought he could be a baritone back in the day but I think he’s just an untrained tenor. 1:23 the way he sings around Eb4 sounds more like an untrained tenor who hasn’t learned to support.
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I don’t know if anyone’s asked this, but did you ever review Sandeul and Ken’s duet on Duet Song Festival? Anything that can be said for either voices? Thanks!
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https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByJIL7N4Z83Ed2pBejd2X0Z6Tnc/view
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Well there’s nothing that’s not in the analyses, do you have any special reason for asking? Anything caught your ear?
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Hi there, I think Sandeul hit Bb5 here ^^
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Now I am mad that I did not know about this.
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People were hyping jun when the star of the night was sandeul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2g7Tq7rmgo
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Hey ahmin! As I saw Sandeul’s analysis, I’ve stumbled on the point o his musicianship and have seen that it is his great weakness. I am questioning that statement, because he was able to create different versions of the original songs. Here is an example: https://youtu.be/f9ugiyriYs4
In this video Sandeul was able to add more emotion to the song. Although he was not improvising nor I don’t think he was changing the melody, he did make his own version of the original song. Thanks for you analysis and your responses are quick as always.
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I forgot my question LOL:
Is this video an example of good musicianship from Sandeul? Thanks.
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He wasn’t the one to change the arrangement necessarily and emotion is subjective. What you’re describing might fall under musicality and yes that he’s very good at. Musicianship isn’t very important for their overall analysis don’t worry. ^ ^
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Speaking of musicianship, is that what Sandeul displayed here? Where he does the woah-oh at 1:46 that is not in the original song, then goes up instead of down in terms of the notes at 1:51?
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If it’s different from the original yeah! That’s it!
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hello! i wasn’t quite sure where to ask this but this has been something i’ve been curious about for very long.
i understand that in the comments you said that cnu isn’t a very technically superior singer, and i was wondering, how does he do a musical then? from my super limited knowledge, i know that you have to be quite good to actually be in a musical. but many kpop idols which don’t seem to be ranked very technically high (like Tiffany), seem to have participated in musicals.
do you have any idea as to how they perform such musicals or do i have a misconception on the technique you need to perform a musical? this isn’t actually vocal technique related but i was just curious and trying my luck in case you might have the answer :”) thank you for all the work you put into this!
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No you really don’t need to be good to sing in musicals. Many musical singers are very chesty throaty shouty vocalists, especially in Korea. I was listening to the korean soundtrack of Mamma Mia the other day, from 2007? And it was full of shouting. Leo and Key have also been cast in musicals. So no, you really don’t need great technique to be in a musical. Is that kind of an answer?
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oh yes! that makes sense now. but you said many musical singes are very chesty throaty shouty vocalists, does that apply to broadway/west end too? or just korea? i mean i’d think you’d have to be not bad (?) to perhaps pull of phantom of the opera but yet again i’m an untrained ear.
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It does apply to broadway/western vocalists, but to a lesser degree. Instead of being solely throaty, they’re simply a bit too chesty and so the higher they go, they quickly lose support. If you watch this thing on youtube called the Broadway Disney Princess Party, you’ll find many videos of broadway sopranos mostly singing high and a good majority have great support and resonance up to C5/C#5, but start shouting above that. Phantom of the Opera is a head voice one and I haven’t heard too many people sing that. They usually have better head voices than they do mix for some reason, at least up to an extent. Of course there are great broadway musical vocalists too, but many of the young ones tend to be chesty and become shouty eventually. But they have more support behind it than many of the Korean ones, like this one girl who sang On My Own.
For me her support isn’t strong cause I hear more of her using air and placing her sound a bit too much towards her nose. She gets shouty quickly too. She just shapes her throat with kind of tension throughout and it becomes more apparent as she gets higher, instead of opening up the back of her throat.
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ooh okay. thanks so much for your detailed answer (:
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On the topic of musical singers, can you comment on the singers in this video? I’m really curious to see what you think. I know your response won’t be a full blown analysis, but I would really appreciate the insight!
(the singing starts at 4:55)
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It’s not that the response won’t be a full blown analysis, it’s that it shouldn’t because I simply can’t. He has really good support and placement throughout, he mixes very well and listening to him is really easy on my ears. I hear no struggle, no high larynx, no strain, no forceful air pressure. Up to at least A4, he was not having any issues.
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I see! So his upper register is less developed? And what about Tania who starts singing at 7:42? I love the way they sang together. Gave me goosebumps
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I guess Sandeul is not in the well-rounded vocalists because of his upper and lower registers? 🙂
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I think it’s his upper register, more so than lower. His lower register isn’t bad.
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No, it’s only because of his head voice.
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I think my baby Gongchan improved~!
Jinyoung too~
And sandeul is a really good vocalist ❤
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If he’s already this good in 2015 (when this analysis out), what would you say about his early career (2011/2012)? Is he already quite decent in skill back then or there’s quite big jump?
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As the analysis states, he got a better hold of breath management, support, and mixing over the years.
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It’s been a while since his performance in King of Masked Singer with this song, so I thought I might leave it here for people who would want to compare and enjoy both versions! 🙂 How is his chest voice in this one?
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I wonder if anyone has shown Sandeul this article.. comin from 2020 and I think some of the advice here still works. Have u listened to his recent songs and what do u think? Thxxx
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