Why don't we just whisper?

[Lisa Gerrie]

I have a "radio voice" in the low bass range so truly passing would be extra difficult for me.

Why wouldn't it work to whisper in everyday situations, like when dealing with a drive-thru attendant, checkout person, etc.? Can people judge the pitch of a person's voice from a whisper?

-- MS

[Jenniferathome]

That question is easily answered. Can YOU tell the difference between a man and woman's whisper? Of course you can. Volume is not masculine or feminine. Pitch is. Now, talking more quietly will allow you to put less force in your throat and may help hold a higher pitch.

Bottom line is that you have to practice.

[Kate Simmons]

We can whisper but we will still be guys. It's not as much what we sound like but how we think and say things. A woman's brain is simply wired differently. Their voice is naturally melodious so children, especially infants, feel comfort. Honestly observe some women and you will see what I mean.

[ArleneRaquel]

My voice must be more feminine than I thought as I have been mistaaken, on the phone, as a woman going back decades many times.

[Kate Simmons]

Truly spoken my dear Kate..and I know that I KNOW!

I test my whispers on a recording machine...and it comes out like the cookie monster...or El kabong!!!!...and I try again...OK...Miss Piggy....and again...I hold my nose...and I sound like Beep beep the roadrunner....and...HOLY Crumbs!....HOW DID JOHN WAYNE COME IN HERE!?!...OMG! I'm Popeye the sailor man! Sheesh-kabob!

There is NO way that a man's whisper can equate to a feline...female... whisper...I mean they whissssssppppeeerrrrr...OMG! In your ear? Makes for goosebumps!

I thought I was singing backup for my band in a high soprano...in my head I was...but listen to my back-up tracks on my Real Deal CD album...I still sound mannish...might be the vocal chords?

I have no answer.

Yeah I know Hon. I often wonder how Lou Christie accomplished that falsetto effect so well in his song "Lifhtning Strikes". Oh well, some guys have it and some don't I guess.

[CynthiaD]

Yeah I know Hon. I often wonder how Lou Christie accomplished that falsetto effect so well in his song "Lifhtning Strikes". Oh well, some guys have it and some don't I guess.

When the song came out there was a rumor that he had had an operation on his vocal cords to enable him to sing like that. It was probably an urban myth though.

[Julogden]

With work, you can achieve a more feminine voice, but if your voice is really deep, you might need a real vocal coach, probably not an option for most of us. Or just use your normal voice, something that quite a few do. You won't pass, but many feel that passing isn't important.

Back when I was active in Chicago area support groups, one of my casual friends was literally a radio voice, an on-air personality on a popular Chicago-area radio station. She had a very deep, masculine voice but she made no effort to change it, and still managed to have a good time.

Carol

[kimdl93]

I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you! Huh!

[AmyGaleRT]

Like you, Michael, I kind of have a "good voice for radio," which is one of the things my fiancee likes about me. However, I also do impressions pretty well, so I have some experience in using my voice in different ways. To shift to what I call "Amy-voice," I start by speaking softer (one of the hardest parts about it for me) and shift my base pitch up some, but not high enough to make a squeaky falsetto. I enunciate more carefully, and try to pronounce my words more at the front of my mouth, rather than the back. I concentrate on using more shifts in pitch, as opposed to volume, to emphasize words (in more of a "singsong" quality). And I pay more attention to my choice of words. It's not perfect, but it, along with my appearance, got me "ma'am"ed at a drive-through, so it doesn't clash too horribly.

Sometimes I practice trying to sing along in Amy-voice to songs with female vocalists on the radio. I seem to have the most success emulating Annie Lennox.

- Amy

[SarahMarie42]

I don't whisper because, when I just relax into being a woman. . . the voice is just sort of there. :]

But to practice! You must do as Amy suggests!

I also recommend a series of videos uploaded to YouTube by a very lovely transwoman named Candy. Extraordinarily helpful.

[Ezekiel]

My voice must be more feminine than I thought as I have been mistaaken, on the phone, as a woman going back decades many times.

I've only been mistaken for a woman twice through phone, and of course that was because I was a kid. My voice is not very deep, but not soft either.

I don't think whispering would solve anything, people simply will not hear you. Thats all.

[Beverley Sims]

My male voice is thin and raspy.
My radio voice is also a bit thin these days not full like it was.
These days it is used with authority to control crowds.
My fem voice is a little higher as long as I speak quietly.