What are your favorite resources for voice feminization and have you been successful?
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What are your favorite resources for voice feminization and have you been successful?
No formal training! I would talk to myself in the car trying various feminine styles including singing to the radio!! Once and have not been able to repeat, I hit a lower smoky sultry female voice! I have not been able to repeat it and it was perfect! Sigh! I am usually at a higher pitch than I should be but I use it anyway! I faulter at times and resort back to my male voice without thinking about it! I am usually among friends so that is no problem! I just do my best! Hugs Lana Mae
My favorite resource is my voice therapist/coach. Did it work, yes. I have had a ridiculous amount of coaching. At first I did 4 months of weekly appointments, then I practice for about a year on my own trying my best to perfect things. When we all got sent home in March this past year I began doing voice therapy again with her on a monthly basis to focus in on specific concerns. I am middle school math teacher and thus I rely heavily on my voice for my profession, thus the large amount of time I have spent on voice therapy. Not all of it was totally necessary, I stopped being misgendered due to voice by the end of the first month. All of the rest of the time was to get me to a voice I actually like. Now, I love my voice!
I personally recommend at least some time spent with a trained voice coach who is knowledgeable in working with a gender diverse group. My therapist would listen to me and suggest things to try that were specific to me and my vocal concerns. As well we worked on so much more than just mere pitch. Resonance, cadence, vocabulary, mouth and tongue structure, neck muscles, posture, etc. YouTube can be a resource, but in most instances those people can only tell you what their experience was, and not necessarily what you might need to do to sound similar. For example..... as a math teacher I have met many people who could do mathematics far better than I can, but they couldn't teach it worth a crud. While someone can figure out how to solve a math problem, most cannot explain multiple ways to solve it, or suggest various different ways to achieve the same result. There is a difference between someone who can do something and someone who can teach someone else to do something.
So, even if you don't want to do my absurd amount of work, then do yourselves a favor and do at least a little bit of voice therapy with a trained person, and then go practice, practice, practice!
I’ve been working on my voice for a couple of years now and very early on, I used my phone to make recordings, talk about what I was doing with my muscles, throat, tongue, etc and would go back and listen to them.
I can tell I’ve made progress because when I go back and listen to my first recordings.... ooof.
Anyway, the tools I’ve used are my phone, youtube tutorials and once, for a couple of hours I was lucky enough to have a class with a voice coach. That single one on one period was exponential in helping me understand what I’d been watching on youtube.
And believe it or not... for some reason gamer boys give great tutorials on the subject. It’s a “thing” in the gamer community for guys to troll other guys into making them think they’re talking to a girl.
I had three semesters of voice training at the local school of speech pathology at the college. I worked with grad students under direct supervision of a trained speech pathologist. I can read now in feminine voice, but when it comes to spontaneous speech, it is more gender neutral but not reliably. Obviously, still a lot of work.
I happy to share though that I was part of the team of professionals speech pathologists, all MD/Ph.D, who are finishing work on free voice training app (iOS version for now). It has video, tutorials, all professionally done and free. I will be happy to share when it's done.
Currently, my favorite apps I use during my training are (Android):
- Universal Tuner (great to practice to hold a note)
- Voice Pitch Analyzer (gives you visual representation of your pitch, and you can read sections from a book), and
- Voice Tools, which gives you the option to practice short phrases, or read a chapter and review it.
I just started my therapy sessions but not sure if she has the experience on voice feminization.
It was hard for me to get the approval from the insurance so what they did approve was speech therapy. She found out similar resources to the mentioned here and some I have before, as measuri g your pitch and locate it in a male, androgen or female range but that's not all. When upset my "old man" appears and traits me...lol
My natural male voice is not too dark but people recognize it as a male so it needs work....
I had speech therapy that was quite effective in feminizing my voice, as I already had the right pitch and had learned to enunciate clearly. She taught me to modulate my sentences.
Marion
My observation is that a female not only speaks in a higher pitch than a male (in most, but not all cases), but will also speak faster and use many more words to convey a message than a male. This is going to be a pretty difficult change to master after many years speaking as a male. Speech patterns are pretty much developed as a child and can be very difficult to change as an adult and especially a mature adult.
But, it's worth a try.
That's a pretty key point actually - my wife goes around the houses to say anything, whilst I use my words as if I have to pay by the syllable. It's my Germanic side apparently, where I don't do small talk - it's strict and to the point.
As an aside, how do people find switching between the voices (I know this is the TG section, so you wouldn't want to, but for those of us pre/considering transition etc)
In a smililar worded thread in a different section, comments made by GG members were they couldn't abide the false high voice , it was better to be more natural sounding .
I have heard (mostly on the Jerry Springer show or on youtube) transexuals who seem to have mastered the female voice and of course others whose cover was blown the minute they opened their mouths.
It seems it's possible to learn how to do this and I would think it would be worth the effort for someone living as a female. I think switching back and forth would be very difficult and hurt the process of obtaining a natural female voice.
I think it is hilarious that AFABs at this site are treated like they are the goddesses of femininity who always have the last word on what is acceptable. Yeah, I too used to do that. I placed them on a pedestal high above me, out of my reach, and into some magical realm that I could never attain. Then I transitioned and realized AFABs are just regular humans, just like me, and not supernatural at all, lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Teresa
Anywho..... um, the "false high voice...." IMO nobody likes the super high Minnie Mouse voice. It always sounds wrong and fake. However, I would like to point out that for many of us, we read "false high voice" as anything that is not the voice we have used for most of our lives. Which is NOT true. There is a difference between using a feminine sounding voice, and a Minnie Mouse voice.
What I have found is that I have a larger range now. I can speak more feminine or less if I chose to. But it is not necessarily easy. My voice coach works with a very gender diverse group and several of her clients identify as gender fluid and want to be able to easily switch back and forth. So it is possible.Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlotteCD
I took a voice modification course at a local college a number of years back. I think I do quite well and usually don't have much trouble. I think a lot also depends on how you carry yourself. People are more willing to give you the benefit of the doubt if you appear more confident.
My background allowed me to develop a falsetto voice as I was a professional guitarist in a band.
Kind of like a back up singer, I had to mimic the lead singer or provide harmony.
I use that mind set today as you never over modulate, or be boisterous or stand out ....I tend to giggle than roar a laugh.
It is a total package as you need to get into that mindset.
I never been to voice school but I imagine if you master it, you could be a profession back up singer! :heehee:
Nadine ,
I have to go with what my natural voice sounds like , I have a throat problem that has affected my voice but luckily I've lost more of my base tones , I couldn't sustain a higher pitched voice . So to answer Charlottes question I don't switch because I can't .
One question , which way does your voice go when putting students in order at school ?
Teresa -
"Natural voice?" Is that like "natural body?" We often think of voice as though it is like a fingerprint. Something we are born with, and something we don't really affect. But that is so not true. We learn to speak. Which means we observe those around us and imitate those we identify with, or those we are told we should identify with. Yes vocal structure of typical bodies gives typical results. However those results are no more natural than what we like to eat. Meaning, it is a complex mix of how our bodies were created as well as our personal preferences and experiences we have lived. Think of an accent for example. It has no physical basis, it is completely learned by listening to those in your immediate environment. Our voices are not like the length of finger bones, something we have no control over.
So.... to someone who actively works at all times to modify their voice, hearing someone describe it as "false" and an unmodified voice as "natural," that type of phrasing is pretty offensive. Sort of like...... why don't you wear clothes that are "natural" for your body?
Voice is an extremely personal thing for most of us. Many see it as a window into our souls, into our innermost being. Our voice is something that is uniquely ours. When I first went to voice therapy, I cried before, during, and after. I cried when I practiced, I cried when I was asked to record myself, I cried when I listened to those tapes. Learning how to modify my voice was a huge part of my transition. I am not trying to say that it should be for anybody else, but it was for me.
How do I sound Teresa while "putting students in order" at work? Like a female teacher getting the attention of her students. And generally, putting my students in order typically involves standing at the front of my room and asking them to focus on the question on the board. I quietly ask, their conversation slowly stops, and I begin talking about the problem. Now, if I do have difficulties with behavior, as I may with 7/8th grade students, I will often slow the rate at which I am speaking. It helps bring emphasis to my words. Again, a more typical feminine trait than say relying on raising your voice (yelling) or deepening your pitch to sound more macho.
Nadine,
Thanks for sharing your feedback. Very helpful to read your take on this!
Happy holidays,
Katya
I have an app on my phone called Voice Pitch Analyzer. It's made for us.
Nadine ,
I apologise if you felt it an offensive remark . I said my voice is my natural voice simply because with my throat problem I can't pitch low or high without discomfort for long periods . So it may sound slightly masculine to some and soft enough to be feminine to others but it is what it is , it's my natural voice now however it formed and now there's not much it can do about it BUT it's not a problem to people I meet and that is the important point , I don't get misgendered that surely has to be the bottom line . Is it really necessary to school or train a voice if it's perfectly acceptable in the first place , do some take it to extremes and sound false ?
You mention the amusement from GG's comments , that is something so ingrained we lived with for years when they knew we dressed , it's ironic that we allow ourselves to be put down by the same people we place on pedestals . I learned that lesson the hard way .
sing in the shower. a long-dead but famous singing trainer said that any person can cover the full vocal range of a grand piano. it is practice, and more practice.
Sounding like a female when talking is far more than pitch. It's changing lifelong habits. It is speed of talking, modulation and different wording to convey the same thoughts. Mostly using more words than a male would use.
And as a musician and vocalist, I know that nobody can cover the range of a grand piano. Nobody.
Yes, it is, which is why I sound fake if I just drop the pitch of my voice. But I've been able to change lifelong habits. I now sleep on my back rather than my side. I learned to walk in heels. Now I have a wonderful sense of balance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Krisi
Marion
Well, to be a transwoman is a life changing thing, what did you guys expected to be a man in dresses? I want to be accepted as a woman, for sometime I said to myself, I'm a transwoman and they should know and accept me as one but you know? It's very dissapointing to be rejected so if you can't against your enemy, be at his/her side, especially if you want to do your own business as I'm doing.....
So look like a woman, act like a woman, talk like a woman and think like a woman, this is the one I love better, because had been a man, I know how my adversary thinks....lol
I have a low pitch to my voice which as a guy the women really liked. I am transitioning an I find it doesn't fit me. I have done some voice therapy with Uconn Medical in CT but do to the therapist attendance their has been delays. I have an appointment with MT Sinai in NYC. They offer a program an also voice surgery which I am very interested in.
I have my first appointment for voice therapy tomorrow evening and am extremely nervous. I have a distinct masculine voice and don't see how I can get it to change so this should be interesting.
I continue to practice in the car! I have been complimented on having my voice down pat! Is it possible to do feminine coughs and sneezes? Or should I start a new thread? Hugs Lana Mae
LisaMarie,
I see it as part of a package , the voice is one element of that package . From my experience what peolple see forms their fisrt impression , they have usually made up their minds if they consider you male or female . I'm out everday so I worked on the right wig and the right amount of makeup coupled with appropriate clothing , what to wear to push the trolley round the supermarket or walk the dog . What I sound like is possibly overridden by their visual assessment and I will add I don't have a problem and I don't hold back from making conversation with people . For me the big one to get over was stopping at all cost appearing in male mode , I'm not 100% there but getting close , once people can't make a comparison you will have less problems with tell-tail traits , like big hands big feet and voice . No one is perfect no matter what the gender so we don't need to achieve perfection even in transition .
"Finding Your Female Voice" by Andrea James, Deep Stealth Productions, helped me out a great deal. A caution though, in any event, do not smoke, even weed! When cannabis was decriminalized here I re-lived my second adolesence with great pleasure, but it set back my voice work by many, many months. I probably overdid it a bit (who? me?), but point being, "voice" was one of the biggest challenges for me to overcome, and I stupidly undid a whole lot of work. Don't smoke!
Thanks for the suggestion !
One thing that I'd like to add to this, by way of encouragement, is this. Virtually everything about your "natural speaking voice" isn't natural at all it's something you learned in childhood. Your natural pitch isn't natural. English, at least for males, is spoken near the low end of your vocal range. Other languages are spoken higher in the vocal range. Vietnamese, for example, is "naturally" spoken near the middle of the vocal range. I've studied many different languages, and also some singing, and one of the first things I've learned is that virtually everything in our speech is learned, not natural.
As an example, your friend comes running in saying that he hasn't checked all the numbers yet, but this time he's sure he's won the lottery, the same thing he's said every week for the last year. You reply "yeah, right." In a disbelieving tone. There are many languages in which you cannot do that. To indicate disbelief, you have to use a different sentence structure, a word that means disbelief, or a different form of the verb.
You don't speak in a male voice because it's natural for you to do so. You learned to speak in a male voice by imitating other males. You can learn to speak in a female voice by imitating other females. Listen carefully to what she says and try to reproduce exactly the same sound. Not just the same words, the same sound. That's how (good) actors learn accents. That's also how babies learn to speak. If a baby can do it, then so can you.
Cynthia,
Makes sense , thanks for that . The problem I have is a with my voice /vocal chords , I can't reach low notes comfortablly and high notes also hurt my throat after a while , it may be my age .
I have been able to work with a speech therapist, at my VA. Over the course of 4 years she patiently helped me with speech patterns, resonance, muscles relaxation, and a few other techniques to help feminize my voice. It took two plus years, and eventually the twice monthly visits, changed to monthly and now this past year the visits are 3-4 months apart and after next week I may discontinue. But I certainly would recommend a voice coach or therapist. Best Wishes.