All about the sound....

[Victoria_Winters]

Hey All!

I have Ben lurking for a while and searching the bowels of the forum for what ppl think and do for how they sound. I just decided it would be easier to ask....

Ok here is the question.... does anyone try to disguise their voice? If you don’t, do you just avoid talking, don’t care if your made? If you do, how do you do it? Tips, advice, and good resources? How do you think you sound?

Pleas let me know! Dying to hear from ya’ll!

[Beverley Sims]

I generally speak in a softer voice and slightly higher register.

Took a long time to practice it.

[jennifer0918]

Funny you should ask, do you have flickr?
Because I just posted a video there talking in my femme voice. I have been told I sound very convincing. But I'll leave it to your criteria. X

[Tracii G]

I just use my natural voice but softer.
I do this by speaking from the top of my voice box and not from my diaphragm.

[docrobbysherry]

I have practiced doing as Bev does. But, since no one well mistake me for a female, I don't use it among vanillas.:straightface:

And, since trans rarely disguise their voices, I don't use it much with them either!:heehee:

[Pixie_94]

First of all, results might not be the expected ones at the beginning, but with some practice, even by whispering or trying to sing can help. I know this because I sometimes have done some informal voice acting and I have noticed that with some time of getting your vocal chords adapted to making different voices and knowing how to use air well, you can get plenty possibilities.

[Michal82]

At some point, i realized that even if i dress perfectly and put flawless makeup (which i don't), my voice is a dead giveaway. So i found voice tutorials online and i practice my female voice daily, while driving to/for work.
If you are interested, go to genderlife.com; highly recommended!

[Teresa]

Victoria,
The simple answer is no , I've never attempted it and have to admit none of the members of any of my social groups do .

Once you try and adopt a false voice it's very difficult to keep it up, you can't have decent conversation with anyone, my goodness I would miss that . If you dress appropiately and do a reasonable job of your makeup and you hair/ wig works well for you the voice doesn't make that much difference.

OK it's back to the passing question again, I don't want to get into a heated debate but none of us pass 100% thers is always something that gives us away , with me it's the size of my hands, I never give my voice a thought .

The question is unimportant if your in the closet but it's a small part of the equation once you step outside the door. I'm far more concerned about the right clothes , if my wig is still too much and hoping I've not overdone my makeup.

[alwayshave]

Victoria, I just tried to talk in softer tones.

[Elizabeth G]

Hi Victoria,

I'll second what Tracii said, move my voice up from my diaphragm and therefore speak a little softer. I only do this in situations where I'm fully femme, in public and speaking with someone I don't know. Otherwise I'll just use my normal voice.

Elizabeth

[Krisi]

Mostly, I try to not put myself in situations where I will be expected to carry on a conversation. Of course, if you go out in public, it's pretty hard to avoid having to say things like "good morning" or "hello" especially in my part of the country where strangers customarily greet strangers. I try to talk in a higher pitch "feminine" voice but I have no idea how I am perceived. I really don't want to be read as a crossdresser so I wouldn't answer in my natural pitch.

[daviolin]

I found if I use a southern drawl with my voice it fems it up more. I don't know why it works that way, but it does for me. Daviolin
P.S. I think it just sounds cuter.

[sometimes_miss]

Plenty of online tutorials on youtube if you wish to develop a more feminine voice.

[Rachael Leigh]

I generally try and talk soft and a bit higher but I’m sure my voice gives me away most times. It takes a lot of effort to get
a good feminine voice

[Teresa]

Krisi,
Do you mind if I ask if you would like the freedom to openly go out ?

I'm confused by your comment as not wanting to be read as a CDer if you speak. My point is the people don't know what you are , they don't know if you are an occasional CDer or if you've fully transitioned , you may not meet those people again so it's not going to bother them . That is the way I look at it now , they don't know so they treat me like any other person which is with respect , they may or not think I'm a woman but when I speak they know for certain but they don't suddenly run away and neither do they make disparaging remarks and that isn't just SAs who may want to make a sale .

I know your fears are what will people think ? what will the fallout be ? what repercussions will have on my wife and family ? well in truth it's very little. On the whole people can't be bothered to spread gossip not unless thgey have an axe to grind and I'm sure you would have avoided them in the first place .

[t-girlxsophie]

I may talk slower and kinda like a whisper but no real conscious effort to talk feminine,but it's not like if I play dumb up close and personal they will think I'm anything other than a CD and by and large it hasn't changed their attitude to me.
I don't know About anywhere else but here in Scotland there's many a genetic female who look attractive but can have a deeper or raspier voice than many guys

[Krisi]

Krisi,
Do you mind if I ask if you would like the freedom to openly go out ?

I'm confused by your comment as not wanting to be read as a CDer if you speak. My point is the people don't know what you are , they don't know if you are an occasional CDer or if you've fully transitioned , you may not meet those people again so it's not going to bother them . That is the way I look at it now , they don't know so they treat me like any other person which is with respect , they may or not think I'm a woman but when I speak they know for certain but they don't suddenly run away and neither do they make disparaging remarks and that isn't just SAs who may want to make a sale .

I know your fears are what will people think ? what will the fallout be ? what repercussions will have on my wife and family ? well in truth it's very little. On the whole people can't be bothered to spread gossip not unless thgey have an axe to grind and I'm sure you would have avoided them in the first place .

When I go out, I am acting the part of a woman. Looking like a woman but sounding like a man when I speak just doesn't work for me. As for your thoughts on the effect on my wife and family, I don't agree with you. We are all in unique situations and what works for one of us won't necessarily work for another. My wife is uncomfortable with others knowing I dress like a woman and I respect that. I don't want to be known as "the tranny down the block".

[Victoria_Winters]

I’ve been to Scotland! Learned that it is a really bad idea to get into a drinking contest with a Scottish fisherman!

[DaisyLawrence]

Sophie: Yes indeed especially around the Glasgow area.
Victoria: That is funny because it is true. Somebody should have warned you.

[char GG]

My SO tries to whisper thinking his voice will sound feminine. In reality, people can’t understand what he is saying so the response is “what did you say?” After repeating several times, they either give up or he uses is man voice if he really needs to communicate.

[Julie Martin]

Victoria, yes I do have a female voice which is the product of years of trial and error, and lots of research online, both with commercial female voice programs and many you tube videos from individuals with VERY convincing female voices about how they do it. I'm convinced that anyone can learn it, but buckle in for the long haul, it takes time and perseverance..and there is LOTS of useless information along with lots of great information out there.

I have posted about this before, if you're interested I can provide links to the techniques that have helped me the most. There are some common denominators among the various methods that work. In my case, if I am on the edge of being read as a man..but they aren't sure..my female voice tips the balance to "woman"..or at least puts enough doubt in their mind that they treat me as one!

Whether to put in the effort to develop a convincing female voice is an individual choice..it's complicated :-)

[Cheryl T]

Yes, a little practice and I do try to make it sound more feminine, but I don't go crazy trying. It is what it is.

[LeannS]

Victoria I have been thinking and trying to find my new voice but we are still in trial mode it is a lot of practice to get there like anything else. Try your Canadian drawl!!

have fun aye lol

[Joyce Swindell]

I don't worry about it too much. Presenting as female I feel it is up to the others to decide what they perceive. I try not to use my deepest voice but there's​ plenty of women who have a deeper, less feminine voice than many of us.

[Victoria_Winters]

Victoria, yes I do have a female voice which is the product of years of trial and error, and lots of research online, both with commercial female voice programs and many you tube videos from individuals with VERY convincing female voices about how they do it. I'm convinced that anyone can learn it, but buckle in for the long haul, it takes time and perseverance..and there is LOTS of useless information along with lots of great information out there.

I have posted about this before, if you're interested I can provide links to the techniques that have helped me the most. There are some common denominators among the various methods that work. In my case, if I am on the edge of being read as a man..but they aren't sure..my female voice tips the balance to "woman"..or at least puts enough doubt in their mind that they treat me as one!

Whether to put in the effort to develop a convincing female voice is an individual choice..it's complicated :-)

Oh my gawd! That would be awesome! Thank you! I would love to see some of the resources you got! I’ve been trying hard to find some good resources. There is just so much out that that i have been struggling to find stuff that works.

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Victoria I have been thinking and trying to find my new voice but we are still in trial mode it is a lot of practice to get there like anything else. Try your Canadian drawl!!

have fun aye lol

Good luck! I have been looking and trying for a bit but haven’t quite found a voice yet. Which is funny considering I’m well know for doing impressions and accents. I think I have a killer Mark Hamell Joker impression. Let me know how you are doing as you work on your voice! I live in North Dakota but I’m actually from the south so I can totally do the southern bell accent. It’s just a bit Nasally.

[Julie Martin]

Victoria, I will PM you..I have done exhaustive research on this in my own search for a female voice , which was finally successful..it's a process.

It may help you to understand the mechanics of where and how vocal sounds are shaped..this understanding helped me to apply some of the specific "how to " advice from various sources, and to learn to reject some as BS and some as not helpful for me personally. by the way, if you are a trained singer, this process is easier. Here is something to get you started:

http://www.vocalist.org.uk/headorchest.html

The link is about the "elevator theory" of singing. One of the tricks people learn to increase their vocal range is the "siren exercise" , where you learn to go from your lowest chest voice to highest "head voice" (not falsetto) up in your sinus cavity, without your voice breaking. This was a breakthrough for me. When you find the female voice that's really convincing (always ma'amed on the phone, if they couldn't see you they still hear a female), the sound is shaped up in your sinus cavity and all the bones in your forehead are resonating. I imagine( the image I use) that the sound is forming out in front of the bridge of my nose or eyes...but all the the airways are as open as possible (think round tones), and your vocal support still comes from the chest and diaphragm as in any singing, which is how it has resonance and not the "cartoon character" sound. The pitch almost takes care of itself when you learn this (it will automatically be higher because of shaping the sound up in your sinus cavity.) Tone and resonance are a much bigger deal than pitch in having a voice that sounds truly female.

I'm PM you with some resources. Don't get frustrated..at first all I could produce was air!!

[t-girlxsophie]

I’ve been to Scotland! Learned that it is a really bad idea to get into a drinking contest with a Scottish fisherman!

Now there's an interesting story in there :)

[Stephanie Julianna]

I was just out with a friend from this site on Monday. She commented that my voice was soft enough that in drab or glam it worked. That kind of surprised me even after decades of dressing in public. When dressed I speak a little higher but not much. What I do though is end sentences on an up note, almost in a singing fashion. Many statements end almost as a question. I've been doing it so long when dressed that I don't think about it too much. The other advantage I have is that I am old. What is interesting is that as women get older their voices get deeper and some men like me. it gets a bit higher and softer. So when I speak the person listening is not surprised if I sound a bit lower. It's harder when you are younger.

[Jaymees22]

I wasn't sure how I sounded to others, so I recorded myself and thought I sounded just like Mr. Rogers. Close enough!!

[Victoria_Winters]

Now there's an interesting story in there :)

Yes there is....


Sophie: Yes indeed especially around the Glasgow area.
Victoria: That is funny because it is true. Somebody should have warned you.


Yeah, I knew better... but I was already on my way to being quite toasty by that point...

[Julie Martin]

For those who really want to put the time in to learn a totally female sounding voice:

Of all of the advice and techniques I have looked at online ,including the formal programs like "Finding your Female Voice" from Andrea James( which I paid for) on genderlife, and Melanie Ann Phillips program, this is the most comprehensive and detailed I have found, with really practical explanations for how to build your female voice. And it's free! Make sure that you also check out the links below the video that say "Read this first", and "Followup video"..the latter clarifies some of what she presents in the first video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6ro2R3esHA



There is a LOT of info here..but for me it's the best I've found. It's a slightly different spin than some of the info out there. Don't get discouraged, it does take time, and you will have to watch this stuff a few times to really take it all in. I originally did the head voice with all the bones in the head vibrating, but very open in the throat and chest, which works (she covers this method also)..but hers is more authentic sounding.

Good luck!

- - - Updated - - -

For those who really want to put the time in to learn a totally female sounding voice:

Of all of the advice and techniques I have looked at online ,including the formal programs like "Finding your Female Voice" from Andrea James( which I paid for) on genderlife, and Melanie Ann Phillips program, this is the most comprehensive and detailed I have found, with really practical explanations for how to build your female voice. And it's free! Make sure that you also check out the links below the video that say "Read this first", and "Followup video"..the latter clarifies some of what she presents in the first video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6ro2R3esHA



There is a LOT of info here..but for me it's the best I've found. It's a slightly different spin than some of the info out there. Don't get discouraged, it does take time, and you will have to watch this stuff a few times to really take it all in. I originally did the head voice with all the bones in the head vibrating, but very open in the throat and chest, which works (she covers this method also)..but hers is more authentic sounding.

Good luck!

[Trione]

Have a GG cousin that has a voice deeper & raspy then any male. She's never mistaken in person but on a phone is another story.

[Alice B]

Do not try to change my voice and do not try to hide it