About & Our Criteria

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Vocal Analyses

THE TEAM PAGE HERE

FUTURE ANALYSES HERE

This blog was made with the intent to share knowledge and share vocal analyses from different vocalists in K-pop. Nobody in the blog is a hater or an anti-fan. The analyses give positive and negative points and are all constructive criticism, nobody is telling you to hate or not listen to your favorite idol vocalist. We’re only letting you know what their vocal skill based on what vocal technique and music theory is from a musically professional standpoint. If you’re confused about rankings, categories and such, click the about and our criteria page. This post will also include the information existing in that page if you’re unwilling to click through just click read more. Otherwise click About & Our Criteria and most questions should be answered. We try to back up all our points with substantial evidence from the singers’ performances, we thoroughly listen to their performances from past and present. No one in this blog claims to be an all knowing expert, we’re all learning and everyday we learn more and more, just as we respect your opinions, please respect ours, which were influenced by the knowledge we have and the way we’ve been taught. We encourage healthy discussions about technique! Thank you.

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This blog is dedicated to compile vocal analyses done by our contributors in order to satisfy everyone’s curiosity regarding their idols’ vocal. The analysis will be based solely on VOCAL TECHNIQUE, not tone, timbre, emotions, stage presence, etc.

The analysis might change according to their latest performance.

If you would like your idol to be analyzed feel free to drop the question in the comment box. If you feel that the analysis is not accurate, you could suggest a video or recording and give us the reasoning behind your disagreement. We will gladly alter the vocal analysis page of the respective idol if your reasoning behind it is proven.

Comments will be moderated. Constructive discussions are welcome. Bashful and hateful comments will be deleted. Every idol mentioned here is talented in their own way. Even so, we are focusing solely on their vocal capabilities and we try our best to give an objective analysis regarding the matters.

So far, we will use this system as our judging criteria. We will elaborate more once it’s established. It goes from best to worst.

TERMINOLOGY

Tones/Semitones/Notes/Key
A key of a song means within the key signature of the song. There are 12 notes in total, C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B and back to C, completing one full octave. A tone is from a note up two semitones, so the distance between C and C#/Db is a semitone, whereas C and D are a full note apart. A major Key will follow a tone tone semitone tone tone tone semitone pattern, so C major is C D E F G A B C. Although there are no sharps or flats between E and F or B and C, they’re a semitone apart. # stands for sharp and b stands for flat and whether or not you name a note sharp or flat depends on the key, i.e. C# major and Db major are the same key with different names, C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C# and Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db, on a piano the same notes are played, just with different names.

Intonation
Being able to stay in pitch and in key. Good intonation means not going sharp, flat or singing a note that isn’t within the chord progression and/or key of the song. Going sharp means slightly above the pitch but not really hitting a note above, so like a note in between C and C#, and flat means a note that’s slightly below pitch, so a note in between C and B, for example.

Larynx Position/High Larynx/Low Larynx/Neutral Larynx
The larynx is the part of the body where the vocal cords are located. The vocal cords are very small and are divided into two parts that vibrate against one another in order to create sound. The speed of the vibration generally determines the pitch someone sings in. Much like tuning a guitar, the more stretched the vocal cords are and thinner they become, the higher the pitch and the thicker they are, the lower the pitch is. In order for a note to be hit, one should have a relaxed opened sound in the larynx, without any restrictions from the throat muscles. If the larynx is pushed down, it creates a froggy and fake “soulful” tone, if it’s pulled up, it creates a thinner, squeezed and tight quality to the voice. The natural state of the larynx is being neutral when it’s relaxed, if it’s forced either up or down, that means the muscles in the throat are creating tension and the larynx is trying to reposition itself in an uncomfortable and unnatural position to hit notes that are not within the individual’s supported range. 

Tonality/Tone Production
The way tone and sound is produced through good support. The voice comes out stable, without any laryngeal restriction nor tension, tone is clean and has the true sound of the individual’s voice type, without an uncentered pitch, excessive breathiness, nasality and tension.

Vibrato
The shift between two notes rapidly within, normally, a sustained note. The difference between the notes is usually less than a semitone. A forced throaty vibrato is usually produced artificially by using the throat, instead of the natural vibrato that comes out once the vocal cords are relaxed with good breath support.

Stability
The stability of the voice, meaning it’s not off pitch and it doesn’t sound wobbly, shaky and unsupported.

Registers
Chest voice, lowest range. Head voice, highest range. Mixed voice, the belting area of the voice.

Support
How the individual vocalist uses their correct breathing technique with the diaphragm to better support, project and hold their voice together.

Placement vs Resonance vs Projection
Resonance is the optimum sound a vocalist should focus on when singing. It is a full, clean and round sound that won’t sound thin, constricted or small. A vocalist who’s resonant will use different types of placements, i.e. their voice will be placed either in their chest, head or mask (cheekbones area, not nose) to project their voice, in each individual register. A vocalist may be able to be resonant in their mixed voice by normally placing their voice in their mask with chest resonance, or as they go higher, with head resonance. A resonant sound is always going to be a projected sound, now resonance doesn’t mean loud, because a loud sound may still be pushed and strained. You may project but still have tension, but in true resonance tension should not be present. Resonance is produced when the vocalist is able to support their voice. In other words, they have developed vocal cords that are able to connect fully in a healthy manner, without breathiness coming between them nor too much constriction, against the right amount of air pressure. Then the supported sound is enhanced with the proper placement of sound, while keeping the soft palate lifted, the larynx position not high, the swallowing muscles, jaw, tongue And throat relaxed and the jaw dropped so as to amplify the sound of the voice. The combination of an open throat, support, relaxed singing and proper placement is what creates healthy resonance in singing.

Vocal Range vs Supported Range vs Tessitura
Vocal range means the individual’s lowest singable note to the individual’s highest singable note.  A tessitura will depend on the individual’s voice type and where their voice sits most comfortably, shines the most and could project the best. A supported range includes notes outside the tessitura where the individual’s voice type may not be naturally inclined to project well in, however so due to the vocalist’s own ability, they’re able to still maintain tone production, support, projection and stability. e.g In classical music, sopranos’ tessituras are something in between A3/C4 to  A5/C6, however in contemporary music a soprano singing as high as C6 is very uncommon and unnecessary; a contemporary soprano, for an example Luna, is able to keep resonance consistently up until Eb5, which is almost ideal for a soprano who should be able to carry that resonance up until A5 without a problem. However so she’s also able to sing down to G3 with correct support, which although is outside her voice type’s natural tessitura, she’s still able to keep support and projection down there.

Musicianship/Musicality
Musicianship is the act of changing any song given to you and making it your own, usually on the spot. This includes melodic changes, rhythmic changes and added embellishments. Musicality is the act of interpreting music correctly according to each individual genre of music, by adding the correct use of vocal effects (e.g. raspiness, breathiness, growls, vocal runs, vibrato) and playing with the song musically by adding dynamics (e.g. singing softly, loudly, powerfully on the right moments of each song).

Passaggi/Vocal Bridges
A passaggio or a vocal bridge is an area of the voice where one’s voices transition naturally from one to the other in the modal register. Usually for males, the distance between the first passaggio, from chest voice to mixed voice, and the second passaggio, from mixed voice to head voice, is only about a 4th apart, whereas for females it’s about an octave apart. Passaggi are important for one to be able to tell what someone’s voice type is. A register break or the highest note you can sing in your chest/mixed voice before transitioning into head voice is NOT your first passaggio. The first passaggio is a note in your range where your voice naturally feels a switch of muscle coordination in your vocal cords. That doesn’t mean you can’t bring a chest dominant or balanced mixed voice above your first or even second passaggio. Lyric tenors usually have their passaggi around D4/Eb4 and G4/Ab4, whereas lyric baritones have their passaggi at B3 and E4. Lyric sopranos are usually at F4/F#4 and F5/F#5.

Legato/Staccato
A musical phrase usually will last a couple of bars. During a phrase, the melody may be played/sung smoothly connected without every note sounding chopped up, whereas staccato means emphasizing every single note separately with minor less than a second breaks in between every note. Legato is the most basic form of singing through correct breath control and support.

Agility
Vocal agility is an embellishment and it means, being able to sing many notes accurately and quickly, by separating each individual note while still being able to connect them within one sung vowel. Those are usually called melismas or vocal runs.

CRITERIA

The new labels on the blog will classify vocalists and label them within their own stylistic choices, vocal register development, supported ranges and where their strengths lie. This isn’t to say anybody is better than anybody. This will merely classify them within their own styles. A vocalist may fit into more than one category at a time.

MH Vocalists: Mid-Range Head Voice Vocalists

Vocalists in this category haven’t developed their head voices very high but are able to use them within a relatively low to mid range in their voice type’s tessitura. They maintain connection at will and are able to access their head voices at will.

Sopranos: Up to at least D5 up to A5
Mezzo-Sopranos: Up to at least C5 up to G5
Tenors: Up to at least A4 up to E5
Baritones: Up to at least F4 up to C5

HV Vocalists: High Head Voice Vocalists

Vocalists in this category have developed a relaxed and open sound in their head voices. They can manipulate dynamics, qualities within their head voices, they maintain supported qualities and manipulate the placement in their head voices well.

Sopranos: Starting Around Bb5
Mezzo-Sopranos: Starting around G#5
Tenors: Starting around F5
Baritones: Starting around C#5

MB Vocalists: Mid-Range Belters

Vocalists within this category generally perform the best within their mid-belting mixed voice range. Once they go high, they might have issues with keeping their throats as opened as they were in their mid belting ranges. They must be able to produce resonance in their mixed voices to be classified in this category.

Sopranos: Up to at least C5 up to D5/Eb5
Mezzo-Sopranos: Up to at least Bb4 up to C5/C#5
Tenors: Up to at least G4 up to A4
Baritones: Up to at least Eb4 up to F4

HB Vocalists: High Range Belters

Vocalists in this category perform best and have the most ease within their upper mixed voice ranges. They are able to keep an opened sound without losing tone quality, without losing support and without losing volume while still being relaxed. They must be able to produce resonance in their mixed voices to be classified in this category.

Sopranos: Starting around E5
Mezzo-Sopranos: Starting around D5
Tenors: Starting around Bb4
Baritones: Starting around F#4

M Vocalists: Mid-Range Vocalists

Vocalists in this category are those with relatively narrow supported ranges, whose strengths lie in singing within an octave of their range without going too high or too low too often. They generally keep support within a mid one octave range, but outside of that strain can become more apparent and intense.

Sopranos: Falling somewhere within A3/Bb3 ~ Bb4/B4
Mezzo-Sopranos: Falling somewhere within G3/G#3 ~ G#4/A4
Tenors: Falling somewhere within E3 ~ F4/F#4
Baritones: Falling somewhere within C3 ~ C#4/D4

ML Vocalists: Mid-Low Range Vocalists

Vocalists in this category have somewhat developed their lower ranges, but could still further develop the strength in the vocal cord development, projection, support and connection as they descend lower in range.

Sopranos: Going down to about G#3/G3
Mezzo-Sopranos: Going down to about F#3/F3
Tenors: Going down to about C#3/C3
Baritones: Going down to about A2/G#2

LR Vocalists: Low Range Vocalists

Vocalists in this category generally develop their lower ranges well and are comfortable singing lower than most within their voice types. They have developed chest voices, sung without tension, with connection, projection and ease.

Sopranos: Anywhere starting on F#3 and below
Mezzo-Sopranos: Anywhere starting on E3 and below
Tenors: Anywhere starting on B2 and below
Baritones: Anywhere starting on G2 and below

S vocalists: Stylistic Vocalists

Vocalists within this category usually prefer to sing in a specific specialized generally breathy way, narrowing their genre to keep themselves true to their style. They can often prefer breathiness, soft singing, throatiness and falsetto over singing with more connection and belting with more openness/roundness in tone.

C Vocalists: Commercial Vocalists

Vocalists in this category lack in terms of clarity of tone and overall management of airflow. They don’t necessarily prefer stylistic qualities like breathiness or soft singing. Instead they prefer to sing in a way that’s specific to their own music only, preferring to sing with high larynxes, or more air pressure, etc.

MA Vocalists: Melismatic/Agile Vocalists

This category is exclusive for the vocalists who have learned to how to properly move their vocal cords from note to note, at the center of pitch, with precision, control and ease. They have flexible vocal cords that respond to changes in pitch without sliding through them, but instead hitting each single note at a time with accuracy.

WR vocalists: Well Rounded Vocalists

Vocalists in this category have developed their ranges to sing within a variety of genres and styles while keeping a strong connection between their vocal cords and air management to sing with minimal strain within a wider range, from chest voice to mixed voice to head voice. The development of each of those registers should be both consistent and balanced.

For further question you can check our “The Team” page and contact us directly if you’d like.

Regards,

Ahmin & Pandayeu

FUTURE ANALYSES HERE

THE TEAM PAGE HERE

11,135 thoughts on “About & Our Criteria”

    1. Actually I really wanted to hear you sing myself. And I’m not disappointed I did. Sure there are a few moments of lack of stability, you’re shaky and ever so slightly pitchy. But I’ve heard much more troublesome singing before, trust me. This is actually nice, you have a nice voice! You’re holding back quite a bit, but your pitch isn’t bad, your diction could be more opened. But you’re not tone deaf at all. Don’t ever listen to anybody who says that. Don’t ever listen to someone who gives criticism without being constructive. Criticism that isn’t helpful is just ignorance and misinformation.

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      1. Thank you so much 😀 actually im really aware that im shaky (especially the last part haha) did some few recordings before but the video file is too large that’s why i had to look for my old phone and shoot really fast before my parents come home and im actually holding back because i feel like i sing really loud and i dont want to disturb my neighbors

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    1. And also, our choir (yes I’m in a choir yay) is introducing a Lax Vox tube to relax our voice, so I don’t know if you have heard of it and what do you think about it. Thanks in advance!

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  4. Hi. I don’t know if this is allowed here but I really wanted to know what to ask because I couldn’t tell. In a song called “So Good” from Red Velvet’s recent album, at 2:23 to 2:29 Seulgi did a riff and ended with a low note and it sounds like a B3 or C2. I’m learning music and I don’t want anyone wasting their valuable time in my silly questions but if possible, could someone correct me? Link to song: https://youtu.be/jXQg_1NvF4U

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    1. Allowed here, where? On this page? I’d really rather you ask a question about a vocalist that’s been analyzed on their analysis page. This is about Seulgi, so Seulgi has an analysis, there should be no reason this question couldn’t have been posted there where other fans would see it and find the answer themselves whenever they like. Instead nobody would think to look here for this answer. I’m okay with a question about pitch that’s specific. I’m so confused by the notes you used actually. B3 or C2? Those notes are so far away though. Did you mean B2 or C3? Because those are a semitone apart, while C2 and B3 are almost two octaves apart. I heard the riff and the last note sounds like F#3 to me.

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  5. hey not sure if anyone asked about them before or if you are familiar with the group
    but I would like to know if yuqi the lead vocalist can support(0:30)? also miyeon the main vocal sounds like she can support even to my untrained ears but I wonder are her high notes strained(0:55, 1:14)?

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  7. I’ve seen some people saying that Xtina isn’t really a mezzo, but a coloratura or full lyric soprano. What are your thoughts on this Ahmin?

    Also would you give Jihyo a supported range? I know you probably won’t since she hasn’t been analysed yet but I was mainly wondering if she could support B4’s and lower that G#3.

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    2. I am pretty sure she supports B4 but Jihyo’s lower range has always seemed very underwhelming below Bb3. So G#3 sounds hard to believe. As for Christina, I don’t know. I have also wondered, but I just don’t know.

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      1. So Jihyo’s supported range would be Bb3-B4 then? Not too bad I suppose. I suspect she can’t produce resonance, can she?

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      2. Nope, I didn’t say that was her supported range. I said she could support those notes, that’s all I said.

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  8. Also! I was browsing through some comment sections in which you said overall, japanese vocalists are not too impressive.
    There’s a female trio called “Kalafina” that sung a lot of openings/endings for anime such as Kara no Kyoukai, Fate/Zero and Madoka Magica.
    I was wondering if you’ve heard of them? I feel like they have decent technique or at least they can support. Although they’re not Korean, would you mind if I link you a couple of short videos to ask about them? I’m really curious, but I’d understand if you’d rather not.

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    1. I’d really rather not, and did you say openings/endings? I know a couple of songs from Fate/Zero and Madoka Magica, at least I must have heard them once in my life. If they had support, I feel I’d have taken notice of it.

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      1. The songs are “To the beginning” (fate/zero op) and “Magia” (madoka ed), maybe you’ve heard them lol.
        Oh okay, don’t worry and thanks anyways~

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    2. Ahmin’s expressed before he hasn’t heard any Japanese vocalists who have shown proper support so that might be able to help considering Ahmin doesn’t usually check videos of non k-pop singers unless it’s a very specific question!

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      1. Yes, I stated that in my initial comment, I already knew, but thanks for the explanation nonetheless.
        However I highly doubt Ahmin has listened to every single Japanese vocalist in existence and I am sure at least some are able to support, even if it’s not a common thing. It’d be strange if there wasn’t a single Japanese vocalist in the entire world who could sing with proper support, and that’s why I asked.
        (sorry if I sound rude, it’s not my intention)

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      2. Oh there are Japanese vocalists that can support, for sure. I’ve never heard one that produces resonance, but Stephanie, Kokia, and Ito Yuna have shown that they can support.

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  10. Hello i just want to ask something everytime i try to hit notes around E4-F4(im a guy) there are times i feel too chesty and theres something on my throat, but there are times i can feel the sound is bouncing above my mouth something like that and i dont feel any constriction on my throat. Can you tell me what is that feeling when the sound is like bouncing/passing above my mouth?? Thank you.

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    1. No, I’m afraid without hearing you I can’t really explain what you’re feeling. Singing is a sound, I can’t guess things without hearing what they sound like.

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  12. Hi Ahmin! I would like to ask. In the karaoke shop near where I live, I can adjust the key of the song so that it suits my voice. However, I don’t know how many keys there are in an octave. But there is one thing I know that for a Soprano song, my voice did the best if i change +3 keys, down an octave, from the original key. So how many keys should be deducted from the original one (imagine the original one is 0). I’m a Baritone btw
    How many keys should I put down in the case of a Tenor song?

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    1. Well that’s good! Most Korean karaoke places allow that. Well if you watch this video that I made:

      I say exactly and explain what you did. You changed a soprano song +3 keys, which is exactly what I do and what I explain that the most ideal baritone key for a soprano song is, because of the distance between the voice of a soprano and a baritone. So according to what I say in this video, the baritone equivalent of a tenor song is 4 keys down. If you think about it, they’ll be the same key. An octave has 12 notes, so if the key we’re in is for example C. The soprano key is C, so you bring it up 3 keys, it goes C to C#, to D, to Eb. Now the distance between the soprano and tenor key are about 6 notes, so if you go up from C to F#, which is 7 keys, it’d be C to C#, to D, to Eb, to E, to F, to F#, to G. If you go down 4 keys from G to F#, to F, to E, and down to Eb. So you end up on the same note for all of them. The rule is consistent. 3+ for soprano, 4 down for tenor if you’re a baritone. 7 up/5down for tenor from soprano. That keeps it all relatively consistent. I recommend watching the video.

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      1. Yes, I watched it long ago and it was totally helpful. Actually it was your video that taught me how to change keys. I was a bit confused with the number stuffs

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  13. This is Ahn Yujin from Izone. She starts singing at around 0:20. Correct me if I’m wrong but I hear some kind of shallow support?

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  15. Hello, admim can i ask you about yuju’s improvement on her mixed voice as she supports D5(or may beD5s) in the song in LOL during their concert tours. I think her placement after C#5 is more relaxed and also she does become more consistent on resonating the note. Does she improve her lower register cuz she also supports G3s. Also, in her new song, is the note after 3.03 supported

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    3. 2:40? Here? It sounds nice, but it is a studio note. I’d much rather hear this live for me to say anything about her improving her singing or supporting D5’s. The song isn’t even really new, it’s from 2016, so it’s hard to include it in a comment about improvement. And in the live version she uses head voice at 4:30.

      Also the video you’re providing is also a studio track. The notes at 3:09 and onward are D5’s followed by a sustained C#5. None of which I’d call really supported but they’re tight. They’re generally tight and small notes.

      If you’re asking about improvement regarding live performances from recent concert tours without videos, I don’t know. I can’t answer. Just please wait for her analysis as she’s never been analyzed so to talk about improvement is kind of odd because we have never had a established full analysis done yet. It will address anything it needs to.

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      1. Thanks you so much. In my point of view, she still not showcases her ability in support much in lower register and head voice. She tends to mostly use mixed voice and all the same notes to sing. She does support G3s and G#3s and F#5s, but i haven’t heard her singing above A5 with head voice. I will try to gather more clips about her improvements in supporting and resonating C#5s and hope in the upcoming album, she will support D5s

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    1. Well those are G#4’s, so those are notes I have never heard him support. They get thinner, the throat closes and there’s a higher larynx position. The tension from the G#4’s carries down to phrased F#4’s as well to an extent.

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  17. Hey Ahmin, long time no see,
    I don’t think that you remember me and that’s okay but since this year Spring, my technique declined to the point where my vibrato couldn’t even come out…. Because of some personal issues, I couldn’t warm up my voice so I had almost no support at all and my voice kept cracking
    Today I’ve tried to fix my issues and tbh I don’t think it’s awfully bad like my usual voice but idk, so I thought that you could help me to just tell if those notes are supported… (I gave up on the resonance thing it’s so hard)
    E4: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0X3XWLCXMlB
    F4: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0NDTpv8cpc6
    F#4: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0kqICitOghr
    Thanks!

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    1. Oh honey, you’re funny. You think I’d forget you? You’re one of the people who’s sent me some of the best audio messages I’ve ever heard, it’s a bit hard for me to forget you. The vocal cords themselves are working quite well in these audios, there’s pushing on the F#4. Gradually more and more as you got higher, but overall the connection is good. The biggest thing is I’m hearing a constriction with the tongue, it’s more obvious on the E4 than higher actually. You need to make sure you don’t make the sound spread out when you sing, but instead focus on it being more tall and rounded so that you don’t squeeze the back of your throat in an inefficient way.

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      1. AHHH seriously :OOO??? That’s such a nice comment coming from you vocal king
        But omg I would’ve never thought that you would reply to my comment TT-TT why didn’t I see this earlier ??? Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my questions, tbh I wish to have a great musical ear as yours because I really can’t hear what’s going on with my technique most of the time… That’s why I send you so much covers and notes, I’m so confused about my voice most of the time. I hope they’re not too much !
        Thank you Ahmin I will do some efforts on my pronunciation now 😊😊 (lol my tongue is Satan…)

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  18. Hey Ahmin what do you think about pop singers learning classical techniques? I mean do you think there are techniques in classical singing that more modern singers could use to improve their techniques (if that makes sense)?
    Like Kim Bum Soo for example

    (Apparently, he learned classical singing in Italy)

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    1. I think that classical singing can give a very strong basis for support and vocal cord connection. It really develops the head voice for most female voice types and the upper chest voice, or the chest voice in general for males. And for every voice type, it helps with evening out your vocal registers and bridges well. But it isn’t exactly suitable for pop singing just because of how it uses the larynx in a lower position, it relies a lot more on volume because those singers had no mics at that time and needed to project in a specific way over an orchestra. So I do think that the best way to sing, or to do anything in life really, is to mix and match whatever works the best for you from different approaches and use as many tools as possible.

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  19. I just wanted to pass by to wish Ahmin, Pandayeu and anyone who reads this a Merry Christmas!! Hope y’all have a great day today 🙂

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    1. I’m so sorry but you’re assuming we know what she sounds like with just her name, and we don’t. I have no idea who she is, so I can’t answer this question.

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      1. That’s right, I’m sorry for assuming like that, I thought you guys been keeping track of those new groups, especially (G)I-DLE since, well, they’re like the hottest rookies this year and all, but of course it doesn’t mean everyone would know about them already, so thanks for replying anyway!
        Maybe if someone else knew the answer, please don’t hesitate to answer my question

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      2. I haven’t had time to keep up with rookies if I don’t like their songs.. but I mean you’re welcome to post a video of her singing as that would be the most logical thing to do when you’re asking about someone’s singing…

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      4. Ugh damn, now. I’m so sorry but this isn’t enough. I hear a slight low quality in her voice but to say she’s a mezzo based on this is too quick of a judgment.

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    1. There’s an effort to engage better connection indeed, I’d agree with that. But to say it’s supported is a bit of a stretch. I hear tension, it’s a shallow approach to support if anything. As opposed to connecting with the vocal cords and adding the air pressure to help, she is over pushing with the air pressure, constricting her throat and minimizing the sound.

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  23. Just wondering. . . Have any of you seen this video? Do you all agree with this woman’s impressions of the big 3’s vocal styles and habits?

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  24. Hi, it’s me again (I know I have asked so many questions lol). Recently I’ve been working on this song because I want to perform it at my choir’s concert, so I hope I can have some remark about my support ability in here because I still have a hard time distinguishing between support and strain or if the support is rather shallow (no pun intended). Thank you so much!
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LV1xkJ1hOvqY2gUthbo65xNVIedXdYm9

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  25. Assuming you’re familiar with Baek Ayeon, do you know if she supports? I watched her Lady Marmalade performance with TaeNy and I think she maybe perhaps possibly can?

    0:28-0:41 is she supporting here? It doesn’t seem like a challenging verse so hopefully she’s not doing bad there
    @1:31-ish, is that supported? Let me take a wild guess and say that that’s a C5, but probably not
    And lastly @3:20, did she support there?

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    1. Oh Baek Ayeon surely supports, I’m familiar enough with her to know she supports, but I haven’t heard her produce resonance. Never heard her support in the fifth octave. Video is blocked for me, so I can’t watch.

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  27. Hello there! Happy New Year admins!! So I haven’t asked about singing in quite a while as I got a bit busy and then got sick but it’s alright now. Are you doing well? So I would like to ask you about my head voice today ahmin. I would say that it’s my weakest register and hopefully can improve it.

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  28. Sorry I have a non-kpop question, but I remember back then that Ahmin mentioned Felicia Ricci as a good coach. Do you know of Eric Arceneaux? If you do, do you think his methods are right?

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      4. So a browser extension works well, for Chrome I use Proxyflow it automatically unblocks the video for you.

        Rest assured about illegality, while content creators ask videos on Youtube to be removed in some regions it’s not technically illegal if you view them I think. But even if it is, think of it as a great resistance against internet censorship/restriction –> I have absolutely zero guilt using a vpn in China lmao.

        Liked by 1 person

  30. Hi, Ahmin! Uhm, I have some questions for you. I’m not a singer but I want to learn how to sing properly, but I have some problems with my voice. First of all, it’s really ¿shaky? I’m not sure but when I record my singing I feel it’s like, shaky. It’s not balanced. So I wanted to know some tips to make my voice stabler. I also want to know how to support. My breath support is really poor. When I sing I run out of breath really quickly and I feel I’m going to collapse. I wanna know some tips to improve my breath support too. And also I wanna know how to use a mixed voice and a head voice (I use more a falsetto, but I’m tryin’ to connect my vocal chords). Those are my big questions and I really need some help. And if you want I can record my singing. So, that’s all. I’m sorry for any grammatical mistake, I speak spanish and english is still really complicated for me, hehe ^^

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    1. It’s funny that you say you speak Spanish, can you said “¿shaky?” so I knew you spoke Spanish already haha Yo puedo ententar explicarlo todo en español, pero estoy cierto que puedo hacerlo bien. But actually, I don’t think I need to explain anything to you as much as I feel you’d benefit more from watching videos that I’ve made, they’re more precise than typing a text out. This video should help with support:

      Other videos on my channel address head voice.

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  31. yeah it’s audio but i heard some Reveluv said that was Irene’s whistle D7 XD i afraid it wasn’t but i want to ask you about it??

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      1. Ahmin already commented on this: “All those notes aren’t shouty a bit, they’re screaming. That’s not singing. It’s not even trying to pretend that it’s singing, it’s straight screaming up. The register used is a whistle register though, yes. It’s D7’s.”

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  35. hey Ahmin
    how good was the c5 at 2:18? Park hyoshin sounds a bit more heady compared to his other performances (i might be wrong tho tbh).

    this was his first tv appearance in like 4 years

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  36. Hi Ahmin, I have a problem whenever I sing in a karaoke. Usually, whenever I singing at home, without karaoke, I and my friends agree that I have a really loud and clear voice, though I swear that I didnot try to make it loud; i was singing really normally. And it gets really loud when I am singing in mixed voice (or that is what I assume it to be). So i expect that I can blow up the karaoke. But everytime I sing there I can barely hear my mixed voice and my chest voice is much clearer. Somehow the mic doesn’t get the voice
    Is there any explanation for this situation and how should I correct it?
    Thanks!

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  37. excuse me for question about non-kpop singer TT
    but i want to ask if she can support her headvoice during F#5 to Bb5? from 8:08

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  38. Hi Ahmin 😀 can you help me?
    After you advice me about the vocal i practice a lot, and now i just want to known my vocal it’s right way for developing.

    what about My Bb5?

    and my mixed it that bad? T0T
    there have any notes that i can supported? thank you so much 😀

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    1. How are you practicing your singing? I’m not really interested in hearing you singing really heady high notes. I’d rather hear how you’re practicing your mixed voice, how you’re connection your vocal cords more. You’re still not using much chest, there’s a lot of air in your lower notes. You were really heady and pushing air on the first clip. And again the Bb5 is a really high note. You know that there is not a single man in this blog that has a head voice up to Bb5 with support, so like I said, focus on the notes below that first and how you stretch your vocal cords with proper support. Not on getting a Bb5 out. Your head voice isn’t badly developed, it’s got a lot of potential but it is quite pushed. The Bb5 was less pushed than many would that high, but it still isn’t fully relaxed on just enough air flow and it is relying on over exaggerated airflow instead.

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      1. I would say sorry and thank you so much for your kindness to me. I am not sure about my practices but I work a lot on my low notes and yes I just never tried mixed voice before. And when I sing it I don’t sure that I placed with the correct placements so the notes A4 Ab4 even G#4 It that good for mixed voice or unsupported? Anyway, So I am so sorry if I interrupted you too much.
        Thank you for my bottom of my heart.

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      2. You don’t have to be sorry to me, this isn’t for me. This is for your own good and your own development. That’s all there is to. Why don’t you try singing a song in your chest and mixed voice, a song that’s not too high and show me you doing exercises that focus on your mid and low notes? It wasn’t really well supported nor really mixed, it was borderline head voice.

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  39. Hi ahmin, your videos were really helpful and I feel like my vocal knowledge have drastically improved. However I still can’t really support, I try to relax all my throat and face muscles but it still sound like I’m not supporting, and there’s throat tension? I was just wondering if you can listen to my vocal exercise and tell me what I’m doing wrong? If it is throat tension, is there anything I can do to relieve it? When I’m singing it really feels like I’m relaxed, but from recordings it sounds like it’s still there?

    Thank you very much!

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  40. Hi Admins! I am aware you know of The Ark’s Yujin, although they haven’t been active as a group for a while. Yujin has opened a YouTube channel and promotes as a solo artist now. For this, I would like to ask if the C#5s at 2:43 were supported? They sounded not bad to me, as opposed to the Eb5 after lol The Eb5 was strained with a high larynx, am I hearing that right? Is there any other tension on the note?

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      1. To me she sounded quite relaxed up until C#5, just putting in the amount of diaphragmal support needed to reach that note. But above that, the strain was rather… obvious. lol

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      2. Oh I see! 🙂 True. She has such a nice voice. What’s with all the idols becoming youtube stars all of a sudden? xD

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    2. Oh hi! I’m glad she is still doing music, I’m happy for her. She has a very nice voice and a lot of potential. You’re very right. The difference is quite obvious from C#5 to Eb5. They lack openness, but then her throat gets tighter, the larynx high and anything above is quite strained although mixed with a bright more favorable mix. The C#5’s lack openness and I wouldn’t say they’re 100% supported. I’d need to hear more in different audios to be sure of what to make of her singing that high. I definitely don’t hear resonance.

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      1. omg thank you for the answer! well she has other videos on her channel, I’m going to link them with time stamps~

        0:53 mixed C#5s
        1:04 head voice (?) Eb5, F5
        2:05 mixed C#5s
        2:51 mixed, sustained C#5
        2:58 mixed Eb5

        0:00 mixed C5, then C5s and C#5s
        0:13 sustained C5
        1:28 sustained C#5… sounded a little tense?
        1:35 C5s
        1:48 C5, then C#5
        3:06 sustained C#5
        3:12 C5

        0:45 C5, didn’t sound very open?
        0:50 Bb4s and A4s
        1:43 D5s
        1:57 sustained C5

        this is a little bit older, but I’m going to link it anyway~

        0:13 G3, didn’t sound all that supported? the A3 before that seemed okay tho
        0:42 how was that trill? it sounded like it lacked flow, a little bit choppy (?)
        0:43 A4s, I heard tongue tension, is that right?
        1:02 A4s, waaaay more open
        1:08 low head voice?

        from what I hear, there’s no resonance anywhere, but I can’t really tell where she stops to be 100% supported :’)

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  41. Hi I have non kpop related question but I’m very curious how Jennifer Hudson did in this live
    She is a very good vocalist but at @2.07 why does it sound weird? a part after that as well sounds weird or is it the quality of the microphone?

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    1. I’m only answering because there’s a time stamp but please do not ask about non-kpop vocalists. There are a few things that I have to address with your question. Even if we may acknowledge that a vocalist seems to be good at singing, you can’t really use that as reasoning for them as if that means they’ll be flawless. As far as I know, Jennifer has always had problems above C#5. So keeping that in mind, even if below C#5 she may sing very well technically, above that her sounding strained wouldn’t be surprising. NOW “weird” is a very subjective word. What to you sounds weird, to others it may sound beautiful. I don’t know what you are hearing exactly or what you mean by weird. But at 2:07 what I hear is strain. There’s no issue with the microphone, she is just simply straining. From 2:07 ~ 2:13 She sang a couple of F5’s, Eb5’s and a G#5. All strained, throat tension and all. That’s all.

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  42. Hi Ahmin,

    it doesnt happen often, that i got to hear a bass/low baritone singing contemporary songs but i discovered this guy here singing “feeling good”

    Side note: He started singing (i assume he’s classically trained) Arias at the age of 12/14 and recently discovered country songs for his voice type when he auditioned for The Voice.

    1.
    From 0:15 to 1:48 it sounds like his natural voice but then it kind of changed (sounds compressed) when he ascended. More of a stylistic choice or he doesnt know how to mixed properly?
    Also from 2:25 to 2:44 husky voice 2:45 onwards natural voice again

    2.
    How are his low notes?
    1:00, 1:43

    3.
    He’s hitting a F#4 at 2:18 doesnt sound supported, more strained to me – you think he’s more of a bass-baritone (like Josh Turner) or bass?

    ANOTHER performance:

    At 0:08 the way he sings “man” / 0:29,0:30 dont sound open more nasal, is it because he tries to add a country- ish note to it or is it more a technical aspect?

    Hope it wasnt too much for you and iam looking forward to your answer ( and new analysis 😛 )

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    1. You’re asking a LOT of questions about a non K-pop vocalist. It is specific and I appreciate you’re trying to learn so I’ll address some of it. I heard a pushed low larynx on his D2’s. 1:00 that was better than his phrased ones. The low larynx isn’t always happening. 1:43 I’d say this section was more pushed down. Anywhere when he was in his mix, including 2:18, was very throaty and gritty. It could be that he is doing this as a stylistic choice, since he is very clean below that. But I am not sure I feel his mix is supported optimally when he does that.
      0:29 yes nasal to an extent. I can’t say if he is doing it on purpose, but nasality occasionally isn’t something I condemn. 0:08 Low larynx. I don’t know how well trained he is, or how classically trained he is either. I’m not sure what his voice type is, he seems to have a higher voice than Avi but lower than normal baritones so bass-baritone is a good guess.

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  43. Hi im just curious why is my comment on Hyolyn’s analysis didnt appear? it only showed waiting for moderator(?) i just wanna ask regarding her new performance last jan 26 thank you

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    1. Not the admin but here’s what Ahmin said regarding those two videos:

      “Jaehwan is chesty and to a fault where he limits the openness of his throat by pulling his chest voice too high and tightening up his throat muscles. He’s opened in placement below F4 and produces resonance but tightens up around F#4/G4, which we can hear in the second song during the chorus. He tends to use some support with mostly pushing and throat tightness above G4, as heard with the G#4’s in the first video after 2:00 and the A4’s on both videos. He tends to just push and not place his sound with as much freedom because of how low he keeps his resonators and how he doesn’t open up as he goes higher.”

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    1. Oh honey, I wanna know too. We aren’t on a hiatus on purpose, I just have not had time to sit down and write an analysis or watch videos.

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  46. I feel like Yuju’s (Gfriend) voice is deteriorating. I think all these years of rather “shouty” singing and belting are starting to affect her vocal health. Here’s a performance of Gfriend’s latest song:

    At 0:30 and 2:40, I believe Yuju is mostly lip syncing to the backing track + live singing a phrase but flipping to head voice on the higher notes. This has consistently been the case for performances of this song. For their radio performances, she sings most of her parts but mostly avoids the climax of the song after the key is raised.

    2:48

    Thoughts?

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    1. I have stated this a few times and perhaps you didn’t know but Imma throw it out there again. Please don’t use MR Removed videos or videos of them dancing while singing unless there is absolutely nothing else available out there. As to how to answer your question. I don’t know what condition Yuju is currently in, but to assume she has been “declining” might be too soon. I think you are jumping the gun a bit with assuming there’s vocal decline because she is avoiding her high notes. She might be not sleeping well, might be tired or might be overworked. I don’t know that for sure. She isn’t straining particularly more or on notes she didn’t before. She is pushing on C#5’s, but she’s always done that. Her C#5’s have always been inconsistently supported and oftentimes pushed, and strained if coming down from higher notes. So my thoughts are that I think she should keep avoiding higher notes if her condition isn’t good and preserve her voice. I think she’s being smart.

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      1. I agree, Yuju has flipped to head voice almost everytime she goes above C5 on music shows since Rough/Navillera era, as she has done hell lot of vocal damage during Me Gustas Tu high notes. This is quite a clever move as a vocalist for her to show the audience that “yes I’m working my ass off but not my vocal cords”.

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      2. My apologies, I shouldn’t have used that first video. It’s just that to me, she seems to be holding back a lot these days. During their encore stages for this song when they win first place and they aren’t dancing, she rarely sings the chorus either (I know they don’t take the encores very seriously but all her other members sing their parts during encores). I guess I kind of feel sorry for her as a Kpop vocalist. I feel that most western pop songs barely go far into the 5th octave except for some adlibs and climaxes, whereas lots of these Kpop main vocalists are getting hit over and over with fifth octave phrases.

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    2. i think yuju did not have a vocal health problem. she just need to rest enough.

      she still can sing a sustained mix F#5 in live.

      she can sing ‘sunrise’ live without dancing

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  47. Hi, Ahmin! It’s been a long time! I tried singing I Have Nothing again last year and was wondering if I had made any improvements or if I’m doing things worse now. I’m trying to do the vocal exercises you advised me to do as much as I can but college is a lot busier than I thought. Hope to hear from you! A very very late happy new year!

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    1. Oh hi dear! I’ve missed you and your singing! Yes college can get really crazy, let me take a listen. Happy new year to you too and happy lunar new year!

      Oh my god who was doing harmonies? You guys sound beautiful together! I wouldn’t say you’re doing anything worse than you were before, if anything you are a lot less heady and your sound is more forward and it has some power as you sing higher. It could still be fuller, with more openness and a bit more balance in your mix. There’s a bit too much tightness in the fifth octave in the chorus. Also parts of the song where you weren’t sure, but I’m sure you know this already! Try to keep opening up your sound as you sing higher to create more of a sense of a climax and dynamics as you sing higher! Careful with your last chorus, you are holding your breath too much and not relying on your diaphragm enough. You need to allow it to expand and your sound to open up, you can’t hold on too tight. It’s a pleasure to listen to you again!

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      1. Thank you so much for the constructive criticism! And the one harmonizing with me is my classmate! His name is Carl. We also tried covering kdrama OSTs. If you had time, could you tell us how we could improve there, too?

        It’s always a pleasure hearing from you! And I hope to hear more of your song covers soon, too!

        Liked by 1 person

  48. I don’t know if anyone’s asked about this before, but how was Haseul’s (from LOONA) head voice here? Through first impressions, I wasn’t really wowed since she seemed to be more of a stylistic vocalist with the “pretty” airy style. Though as I dove in further as a fan, I came across this and was actually surprised a bit. Was there any proper support, and resonance (if any) in her head voice? The connection seems to be there though as far as I can tell. 😅 https://twitter.com/agustseul/status/1043971563928911872?s=19

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  49. Hello Ahmin, it has been a while since I last visited here. I personally have been studying more about support on web. There was one thing I wanted to clarify about it.
    If breath support is produced with good control from the diaphragm, and tone is produced from air going through the vocal cords and there should no muscle involvement, how do singers extend their supported range? If a singer(tennor) can currently produce support & resonance around A4, how can he extend his support range to B4? Or C5?

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    1. Hello hope you’ve been well! When we say no muscle involvement, we mean external. The vocal cords themselves and the muscles responsible for their stretch should still be working. Hard at what they do, too. He has to develop his vocal cords, but it depends. Can he not support above A4 because his muscles aren’t developed A4 and so he isn’t able to mix properly or well up to B4 or C5, or is he straining? Different issues call for different solution methods. You can’t really generalize an answer for something that changes from one person to the other.

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      1. Then what are occasions where a singer does not support? Underdeveloped vocal cord muscles or presence of external tension?
        Oh and also, for Lee Hyuk’s case, he supported a G5 right? But he never supports as near as high as that. Is it because his vocal cords are developed to support that note but yet does not know how he did it?
        And how do you develop your vocal muscles?

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      2. Like unsupported singing that’s not straining? Honestly I take back thinking he resonated or supported a G5. Your vocal cords are developed by working them out with proper support together.

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  50. Hi Ahmin! how are you? sorry to disturb you but I wanted to know if you could analyze this LIA clip, the main vocalist of ITZY the new JYP girlgroup. She’s doing fine? I think she is able to support her voice

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