Voice

[Nikol]

Hello everyone,

I just saved up enough money to start transition and also quit smoking so i can start hrt. My question is about my voice. I guess my doctor will recommend me some voice therapist on the next meeting (we talked about it on the last meeting as one of the next steps), but i want to start doing something as soon as possible. Unfortunately in my country is't any kind of TS forum and most of the girls doing voice tutorials on youtube seem to have naturally high pitch and many of them talk about how easy it is. Since my doctor has required i read several books about transsexualism and transition i know the voice change is not something done over night and i want to know as much as possible about methods how to change it.

so.. what would you recommend to improwe my voice? Where to start? What to expect? Is there something i can do besides what therapist told me? I heard people talked about voice how it is a lost cause if you are not gifted by high pitch but i saw some people who had lower voice than me atm (recorded) speak just as cis female after they "switched" to female (trained) voice. At this moment i don't really know what to expect, my voice isn't that bad and i expect some minor improvement after i stopped smoking.

I look forward to your reply and thank you in advance for them.
(i don't use english very often, sorry for mistakes :D )

[michelleddg]

Hi Nikol, welcome to our little home. Great English, nicely composed thread. I have no direct experience, but others speak highly of Kathy Perez and her programs. Take a look here: http://www.transformfrommaletofemale.com/

Hope this helps! Hugs, Michelle

[PretzelGirl]

Nikol, I believe anyone can train their voice to sound feminine. Don't get lost in pitch. Pitch is nice and it helps, but there are many components to a feminine voice. I have a naturally hoarse voice and other than this 4 year old the other day (must have been a long day), I haven't been misgendered on my voice in many months. I spent 10 months training with a therapist and not overtraining either as that isn't good. Good luck!

[kimdl93]

I've done the Kathy Perez apps and found them helpful. However, I am more of a high tenor to begin with, so it might have been easier for me to perform the vocal exercises.

[Ceera]

I also used the "Fundamentals of Your Feminine Voice" program by Kathe Perez, and was quite pleased with the results. Recently went to a public mall and chatted with a lot of people, and no one seemed to even suspect that I wasn't a genetic girl! Her method requires the use of a chromatic frequency tuner (used to tune guitars and other musical instruments). It gives you an objective way to measure your pitch. She recommends the Seiko ST-757 chromatic tuner, which I was able to find at a very reasonable price new, in-box on e-Bay. In the long run, I am sure a proper voice therapist and in-person lessons can make you sound much better, but believe me, I started with a bass to tenor range, very definitely male voice, and the results from just a few months of even halfheartedly trying her methods paid off to where I can comfortably chat with strangers all night! The result is good enough that I get 'ma'am' responses when I talk to people over the phone.

[KayMcLaughlin]

I'm working with the iPhone app right now - which is a little expensive, for an app, but pretty cool. I also find that singing along to songs in the car is very effective. I used to sing soprano A back in high school, and I was so proud of being the only male who could hit every note the girls could! I'll never have THAT voice back - but I'm finding myself pushing into tonal ranges that I couldn't have managed a few months ago.

Practice pays off here.

[Krisi]

The difference between a male speaking and a female speaking is much more than pitch. I dated a woman for a year or so who had a pretty low pitched voice for a woman but you still knew it was a woman talking. For one thing, a woman will generally use more words to say the same thing as a man. There are also subtle inflections of pitch that a woman does differently.

You have been speaking as a male all your life, it's not going to come easily but it can be done with a lot of study and practice.

[KayMcLaughlin]

Just hanging out with women can help, too. I've worked in a mostly-women field for ten years now - women not only use more words, but they use a lot of subtle inflections in vocal tone to modify meaning and intent. Men tend to do much less of that, in my experience, and also don't read it as well when women use them.

[Angela Campbell]

I used the Kathe Perez 60 day course, and found it very effective, but not an overnight thing

[Rachel Smith]

Angela perhaps that is why she called it a 60 day course, :devil:

[Nikol]

Thank you very much for your opinions and advice!
I just ordered "Fundamentals of Your Feminine Voice" and i think i will be fine with my tuner for violin :)

I am really glad i found forum with positive and active members. Expect more threads from me in the future :D

[Angela Campbell]

Angela perhaps that is why she called it a 60 day course, :devil:

lol, but it took me more than 60 days, in fact it is always Going to be an ongoing thing.