I cant Speak Girl's Voice

[Marihanne]

Hi from vietnam I gotta say that I saw and read articles about how to speak girl's voice, they said step by step about that, I do as they say such as: high pitch, upper adam apple, smile while talk....etc, then my voice become little more lighter but still not like girl:(

I have a question, is it real that some guy can never speak girl voice?

[GretchenM]

It is really very difficult for a male to accurately sound like a female. I have met a few transitioned women who have mastered it, except for when they cough or sneeze. They went to a voice specialist that taught them how to do it.

One problem is that the voice box in women is a bit higher in the throat than in men and that changes the resonance in the chest. Men are more resonant while women tend to naturally be a bit more nasal. Plus female sound producing anatomy tends to be smaller and that increases the vibration frequency. Then there are the learned traits of speaking. Women enunciate more carefully while men tend to do a bit of a mumble where words kind of blend into each other. For a male to genuinely speak like a woman is exceptionally difficult simply because of small differences in anatomy. But with a lot of practice speaking into a tape recorder and playing it back you can improve it. Many who transition now don't even bother with voice changes unless the voice is really very masculine and deep. Style is actually more important than pitch. Women tend to construct sentences differently than men. Often men tend to make statements while women make statements by posing it as a question. Learn by doing.

[Aunt Kelly]

Yes, it is true. Most of us male-at-birth, and who went through male puberty have voices that will never be mistaken for female.

[Stephanie47]

For me, it is a given that my voice will always reflect maleness. Sometimes I listen to the messages I left on our telephone answering machine. I think it is impossible for me to alter my voice.

PS: Hi, I served in the United States army in Quang Nam and Quang Tin provinces in 1970.

[Maid_Marion]

Telemarketers don't have a clue as to who they are speaking with. SO?? Daughter?

I'm tiny so my voice pitch is in the right range. I first learned big sentences. Then got a ton of practice enunciating clearly.
Then I got professional speech training to modulate my voice. Over the years since then I've acquired a High Rising Terminal when I get tired.

Marion

[Maria 60]

People have told me I sound like Rooky on the phone. I would probably need a helium tank and a bag of balloons to sound like a women.

[JuliannaS]

I can sound like a woman sometimes ive answered the phone in my woman voice, and have been woman passable.

[Debbie Denier]

Some guys can. This guy cant.

[Helen_Highwater]

This is something that comes up fairly regularly so I get to re-tell a tale about one of my first times at a support group meeting.

I ended up sitting with the SO of one of the CD'ers, the SO being a speech therapist. She told me the worse, the biggest mistake made by CD'es is to try to talk in a higher pitch. A bit like the BeeGees. Her advice was to start with your natural pitch level and sing Doh, Ray Mi. Go no higher. Ray is probably the best and once there start talking in that pitch. It's not too false and it's relatively easy to maintain and also to switch into if say out and about. Before starting to speak you can go Doh, Ray to yourself and them commence speaking.

Don't forget however that it's not all about pitch. It's also about inflection and phrasing. Man; "Have you got any widgets", Woman; "Oh hello, I was wondering if you could help me". "I'm looking for a new widget". "The one I've got is broken". The male voice will be very monotone. The female voice will place far more inflection into the sentences.

Going back to pitch, think of it this way. The fundamental frequency of a piano and a violin both tuned to middle C is the same. They sound different due to the harmonics produced by the shape of the instrument. Altering the pitch slightly while speaking more softly, with more inflection and also while engaging with the person you're speaking with by making eye contact and using facial expression, all go to add up to the whole process of communication.

Very few of us when up so close that we're now talking to someone can pass fully visually. Hence being able to communicate as a female would goes some way to offsetting that.

[Micki_Finn]

Your voice will never change permanently so that you just naturally sound like a woman. What MIGHT happen is that if you do it all enough then all those tips and tricks will just become habit and you’ll use them all the time without thinking about it. But it’s still just “doing a voice”

[Linda K.]

As my music teacher always said, "Practice makes perfect!" If you speak from the back of your throat and try not to use the diaphragm so much, you should become quit good at sounding feminine. But remember: Practice, practice, practice!!

[Genifer Teal]

As others have said it's not all about Pitch. As long as you are somewhat higher than James Earl Jones. You can still practice how you speak and what you say. The words you choose and you're speaking mannerisms can have an impact and how you come across. Try not to be monotone. And listen to the words women use more than men. There's a lot you can change up without changing the pitch. And if you can soften the pitch maybe that's enough too.

[JohnH]

For me it's a lost cause to sound like a woman. I am a bass singer (not baritone) so my speaking voice is an octave.below that of a mature woman. With that being said, I look much like a genetic woman with beyond shoulder length hair and a bust (bra cup size DD). So I could be called a busty basso ��.

[Kelli_cd]

A true basso projecto, lol.

[ShelbyDawn]

Kelli_cd,
Birds of a feather :)

I have one of those 70's FM DJ voices and can sometimes hilt a low b flat when singing. Not much I can do about making my voice more feminine without going falsetto and that just sounds fake, which I think is worse...

Good thing I gave up ever trying to pass.

[JohnH]

Is that B flat with two ledger lines below the bass staff? I once sang an improvised third bass part going down to that note. I routinely sing E flat (one ledger line) below the bass staff.

[Krisi]

There is way more difference than pitch between a man speaking and a woman speaking. To start with, a woman will typically use a lot more words to say the same thing that a man would say. It's f going to be a very difficult thing to learn to speak like a woman, but it can be done. You might need professional help.

Someone said above "practice makes perfect". Well, unless you know what you are doing and practicing the correct technique, you won't get to "perfect" by practicing.

[Kelli_cd]

Johanna and Shelby, I'm a natural low bass as well. Warmed up, I can sing pedal A; on a good day, even pedal G. My top range is D above the staff.

When I think about practicing a "higher" pitched feminine voice, I generally go up a 3rd or 4th from my speaking voice. Still deep for a woman, but I can maintain this comfortably.

[MonicaPVD]

Some guys have the ability to mimic the sound of a more feminine voice. You should not worry about that. At least not for now. Chances are, you could sound like Taylor Swift and still look very much like a man in a dress. That's OK. It's better to sound like yourself, maybe helping things by speaking softly and slowly, than to have one of those horrible fake falsetto voices that sound like nails on a chalkboard. You be you!

[JohnH]

I'm not worried about my voice as I get ma'amed even when I'm wearing a t-shirt and jeans.
One time I was at a court house wearing men's business casual and standing outside a women's restroom waiting for my wife to do her business. Some woman walked up to me to ask me if I was waiting to use the women's restroom. I as a man always use the men's restroom.

[sabrinaedwards]

I just watched a tutorial on YouTube regarding voice training. It was really excellent, with 2 important points pitch and weight, vocal weight. I tried to follow the instructions, but I was not a good student. This is really a difficult concept; if you are musically inclined I think it would help.
Love, Sabrina

[Heather76]

The first time I went to church with my wife, the 1st gent I said "hello" to was thrilled when he said, "Looks like we have a good bass for the choir." Little did he know I can't sing more than 1 note. They all sound the same. The point being, I have a deep voice and would/will never be able to sound feminine. Should I ever go out dressed in public, I will be a guy in women's clothing because my voice will give me away if my walking doesn't. It won't make any difference because nobody that I know will see me.

[JohnH]

For the.record I am the.only true bass in my church choir. The other person singing the bass part is a baritone.
When I showed up at the morning church service in my choir vestment for the first time people who thought I was a woman were shocked when I spoke the my.masculine deep voice.
It's interesting where we are discussing bass voices on a crossdresser forum.

[JohnH]

I now have gathered up courage to wear dresses on my outings, including my church choir practice, shopping at a local supermarket, and attending an all-male amateur radio club. I have been wearing long dresses, but at the choir practice the pastor's wife dared me to wear a short dress to show my legs. She was the only other person wearing a dress. And yes, I was sitting between the pastor and the pastor's father.
Recall I look like a woman but definitely don't sound like a woman. At the local supermarket I spoke to other shoppers but they weren't phased with my deep masculine voice. It's a good thing, as it's a lost cause for me to sound like a woman.

[CynthiaD]

Raising your pitch helps, but it’s not enough. I’ve run into Brittney Griner (the famous woman’s basketball player) a few times, and her voice is deeper than mine. I’m a bass/baritone: I can hit E2 but not strongly. I also have a clear head voice, which enables me to hit reasonably high notes without breaking into a falsetto. I use my head voice when speaking as a woman, but it’s not enough. To put it in musical terms, it’s not just the notes, it’s the melody. When reading aloud from a book, men and women sound different, even at the same pitch.

If you seriously want to sound female, you must listen to female voices and imitate them. Listen to female newscasters and repeat what they say. Try to say it in exactly the same way. Use a digital recorder and repeat the same phrases over and over until you hear a woman speaking back to you.

Some people just can’t do it or just don’t want to go to the trouble. That’s fine. But I want to make one more important point. When you speak as a male, you probably believe that you are using your "natural speaking voice." No, you are not. There is no such thing as a natural speaking voice. English, when properly spoken, is spoken fairly low in the vocal range. There are languages that must be spoken higher in the vocal range to be spoken properly. You learned to speak at your usual pitch and rhythm, and you can learn a new pitch and rhythm if you so desire.

[JohnH]

Cynthia, you have an advantage over.deep basses, myself included. I can sing E2 quite loudly.and I have a distinct bass timbre when I sing. Also when I just get up my speaking voice is sometimes as deep as 70 Hz. So for me to sound like a woman is a lost cause so I have to rely on my looks. I do put variation in my voice pitch and speak with.extra words to compensate for my deep voice.

[TAG]

I was taught to speak from the top of my voice box and not the bottom.
Also not out of my chest so much.
I found speaking a softer version of my natural worked quite well too.

[CynthiaD]

JohnH:

I realize that my comments don’t apply to everyone. You’re a singer, so you’re well aware of your voice and its capabilities. My intent was to encourage those who have the capability and the desire to achieve a natural sounding female voice. I also wanted to point out that just because you (or anyone) has a deep voice, it doesn’t mean you’re any less of a lady.

Hugs, Cynthia.