Question about Passing

[britney1]

O.K. Ladies,

When you go out in public and attempt to pass, how or what do you do when talking with someone? we can make ourselves look beutiful enough to pass but If I were to go into public and talk with someone, it would definately blow my cover. What do you do?

[Sherlyn]

well for now i avoid talking ... smile .... Ive a higher voice ,,that sometimes works ...practice speaking in a softer higher tone

[Christine49]

if you search feminine voice training on the internet you will find all kinds of sites to help.... some for free....good luck

[FionaAlexis]

I say a little as possible in my local area as I have a fairly distinctive accent. Further afield I don't worry so much.

My normal voice is OK but is quite changeable depending on mood and stress levels. I think my accent helps. I have practiced quite a bit by recording my voice but, unless you use your femme voice a lot, it is hard to internalise it and make it instinctive.

So it is one thing to have a femme voice - it is quite another to condition yourself to use it - unless you are a trained actor. I think it is more difficult for dual role trannies - slip back and forth. I guess being shy by nature doesn't help.

Here is the website I used:

http://www.tsvoice.com/


Fiona xx

[MarinaTwelve200]

I dont go out at all, and have all MY fun at home. I went out LASt Halloween though---it really didnt matter that my voice or manerisims weren't quite "feminine" it was part of the fun at the Costume party, and took off the CD edge, so to speak---People were more comfortable with me in THAT context than they would have been if i DID try to effect a Fem vioce and movements.

[windycissy]

I go out all the time, and although my voice is far from perfect, I get by just fine by keeping my words short and sweet. If you look like a woman, people are going to assume that you are one, so make sure you have eye contact with someone before you speak to them, and (this is hard) keep your cool! A smile is so important! Tomorrow I will go shopping and have dinner at a nice restaurant en femme, and I'll bet I can get by with the following words: "Cash" "Thanks" "One, please" "Caesar salad and ice tea" "Check" - there, that's ten words. There are web sites about how to find your female voice - somewhere between your highest falsetto and the place in your throat where you gargle - but the most important thing is attitude. Go for it! Ask Windy (http://snurl.com/askwindy)

[Phoebe Reece]

Voice is not as important as you might think. Speak softly rather than trying for a falsetto. Falsetto's usually sound false. The way you say something is more important than the high sounds normally associated with the feminine. Many GG's actually have low voices. The main thing is to speak with confidence, look the other person in the eye, and do it with a nice smile. If you do that, more times than not you will be treated as a lady even if your voice identifies you as a male.

[Billijo49504]

If I have to speak or want to, I usually try to keep my voice softer and a little higher. Definately not squeay high. And as someone else said, it's all about attitude. If you feel female, be female, and act it, be it.

[Marlena Dahlstrom]

If you mean "passing" in being mistaken for a GG, to be honest that's probably not going to happen if someone is looking at you close-up. Nothing personal, because you've got a nice appearance, but getting read happens even to TSs in these sorts of situations.

If you mean "passing" in the sense of being treated like a lady -- even if they realize you're a guy in a dress -- that has more to do with acting like you're doing something perfectly natural and are deserving of respect. During my recent shopping expedition (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15059), I interacted with a number of people who I'm sure read me, but still treated me like anyone else.

As others have said, a falsetto will sound false. Softening your voice helps, but to sound female takes two key things. First is getting rid of the extra resonance in your voice. Second is getting rid of the male monotone for the more expressive pitch changes that GGs use. Melanie Anne Philips (http://heartcorps.com/journeys/voice.htm) and other sites offer some good tips about this. However, it's hard work and takes more practice than I've been able to give it. I can do it for short bursts, but not any sustained conversation.

BTW, if you've got cable or satellite and get HGTV (the Home and Garden channel) check out the shows with Debbie Travis. She's got a deep voice (well within a masculine range) but her voice is so "femininely" expressive that I'm sure she never gets sirred. She's one of the voices I try to imitate, albeit toned down slightly.

But as I've said, it's not as critical to being treated nicely as you may think.

[MandyTS]

A "normal" feminine voice hovers around A4 (middle A) which is not too high, I can easy sustain a A4 and fluctuate down into the G3 /F3 range and way up from there. It is really about trying to keep your voice in as low as you can in your "falsetto" range. For me the "falsetto" range is very natural and I can speak at the bottom and sing in that range as well as my sister...

It is funny imitating here... I know she has no idea that is my femine voice... :D

[Khriss]

passing? grab the ball laces up..snap yer wrist on release and follow through...perfect spiral eh?? hehe xx"K"

[DonnaT]

I know I don't pass, but if I needed to try and pass, I'm a fair mimic. It takes a little practise to be able to control the throat muscles and your breathing to get the right combination that sounds somewhat female.

[Clare]

I've been told by my wife, some family and friends that i have a 'soft' voice for a man. By soft, i don't mean quietly spoken, more that my voice is not strongly masculine in tone. I suppose this is good in some ways, but it doesn't necessarily mean my voices passes as a female one either!

But when i start going out dressed, i know my voice already sounds 'soft', so i just have to do a little bit of training to sound femme!

Christine