Voice help!

Hey all!

I usually lurk on the Crossing Dressing side of the house but I feel this question is better aimed at TG girls. So I have been wanting to learn how to feminize my voice for both personal and professional reasons. Not sure where to start. I have been scouring the reseaes of the internet. So many videos on you tube. So far not much has helped. A lot of the videos I found kinda touch the very basics.

Basicly I’m looking for advice on where to turn. I’ve downloaded the Eva MtF but the reviews on the app are very mixed and the last update for the app was over a year ago. Plus $5 a pop for lessons gets expensive without being sure of the quality of the lesions.

Advice girls?

- Vicky

try youtube

I tried. So many videos and most don’t give instructions beyond the very early basics. Do you know any that are good?

I purchased the "30 Day Crash Course" by Kathe Perez, it is 10 videos of about 15 minutes each plus material to print. It is not cheap, but I believe it is a quality and thorough approach as a foundation to a female voice. I have downloaded the videos to my PC, so they are mine to view and repeat the lessons when ever I want. So I have not yet achieved a female voice, but have moved somewhat in that direction. The failing is not in the course, but in my commitment to practice. You have to be willing to really put a lot of time and consistency into changing your voice, it is not easy. Because I now own a copy of the course, I am going to try it again!:heehee:

there are many ways to adapt your voice. I once knew of a singing teacher who said every person can sing every note on a grand piano - with practice and exercise. In the shower, begin sounding to learn where in your body you are presently resonating, and learn to move the voice centre both up and down - all the way up to your nose and down to the pits of your stomach. After a while it becomes possible to modulate your voice more in your mouth/nose for higher-pitches.

Vicky,
May I ask if you are out and about yet or trying to sort these issues out before taking your first step outside ?

I personally don't make a big thing about changing my voice , it's only part of the whole picture . I was more concerned with getting my hair/wig right and making sure my makeup matched my skin colour and checking that the items I wore were appropriate for the circumstances . I felt if a looked acceptable I'm well over 50% of integrating into society . The things I can't put right I have to accept , my hands and arms possibly look more male than female otherwise my figure is OK , my movements slide between the genders .

I really conclude that I'm never going to pass 100% as a woman , there will always be tell tale signs , I've decided I will do my best and go out as Teresa and be totally honest about it . What people see me as I can't say , all I can say is I'm acepted without a problem and yes I don't hold back in talking to people , I enjoy their company . In some respects I've probably made it easier for myself because when I moved to my new home town I decided to go out as Teresa from the start , the benefit of that is no one knows me as the guy so they have nothing to compare with me with . I have to say I'm very comfortable and happy with my lifestyle , will I go any further ? I can't honestly say . I do wonder how much difference it will make to my life , in that context I don't think attempting to change my voice will make any difference in my situation .

professional one on one training...like what actors do... I actually found a doctor doing a research project that helped me over 12 weeks...

or using the voice every moment of every day...and jus improving as you go and seeing how people react and adjusting..

without one of those, its going to be very difficult to get a good result...

When I had a long commute driving myself to work, I would practice and focused on the following:

. Vocal cord positioning and tension - if you put your fingers on either side of your voice box and “gargle,” you’ll feel what they should be.

. Pitch exercises - starting at your normal male speaking pitch, run up several notes, adjust your starting point up one full tone, continuing until you are straining. It’s important that you REST your voice a bit (say 5-10 minutes) after this before practicing at your starting pitch.

. Female voices generally have more modulation within words, different modulation patterns in sentences, and often more breath or “air.” This is something you’ll have to listen for and emulate, but ultimately find the place you’re comfortable and seems natural.

. RECORD YOURSELF! And playback *frequently* - as in every few sentences or so. Practice repeating phrases with slightly different modulation, air, pitch, tongue and vocal cord position/tension, etc.

Pitch itself needn’t be as high as many think - you want to avoid a falsetto sound. Four or five tones above your male range will do for most.

Practice sessions should only be as long as comfortable. You will also hear your efforts faltering while recording. Stop!

Some people report their voices getting “stuck.” I.e., they can’t revert to their normal voice! This happened to me a couple of times and the first time I panicked a little (I was heading into work). A few minutes rest took care of it.

My experience was that I knew I had it when the (recorded) sound of my voice startled me with its quality. It took months to get to that point and even then could not be maintained for more than a short time.

Leap,
Your last sentence is basically the problem , I do like to talk to people also I intend to run my own art group , I will have to be comfortable and confident , long term changing my voice isn't going to work . I can't risk my voice failing , it's better to accept what I have naturally and be honest with it .

I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t get there. You can. I did not for a variety of reasons that are irrelevant here. But if you persist you can make this your natural voice.

Thanks for the advice all!

I’ve been stressing over this voice thing for a while. While I have a naturally high voice for a male it’s distintly not feminine. It also donesnt help I’m tone deaf. Everyone that knows me wants to tape my mouth shut when I try to sing! Learning how to do a feminine voice is a struggle.

Victoria, I see you are in North Dakota. I know that many from ND travel to Mpls regularly. I spent 6 months going to an area hospital to a voice therapist that has worked with over 20 transwomen. Her focus is people with damaged vocal chords but she had training on working with transwomen before she started doing it. I had about 12 sessions but I am sure 4 to 6 sessions would help. Most of the work is at home practicing. If you want to PM me I will give you her info.

I do know other people that have also spoke highly of Kathie Perez. My doc basically emphasized speaking more from your mouth and not resonating in your chest. I am not a good example though. I have decided that just softening my voice, bringing it up a bit and not sounding so harsh is good enough.

Victoria,
I just wanted to add a comment from a conversation with my neighbour , I arrived back from my shopping dressed ( which is now normal ) I saw my neighbour in her garden and went over to have a chat . A few days before she called me over to ask if her granddaughter could talk to my dog . In this second meeting I asked what was said after to the 6 year old she didn't relise I wasn't a lady until I spoke, she was OK about it and finally decided that I made a nice lady . So I added that perhaps I should work on my voice , she turned to me and said, " Don't you dare , we love you the way you are ! " OK it may not be everyone's opinion but it certainly gave me something to think about .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dorit

I purchased the "30 Day Crash Course" by Kathe Perez, it is 10 videos of about 15 minutes each plus material to print. It is not cheap, but I believe it is a quality and thorough approach as a foundation to a female voice.

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I used this as well, and thought it was helpful too. I still needed private one-on-one voice lessons, but taking the Kathe Perez course helped me lay the foundation for future voice work work. The self-directed course costs $127, which seems like a lot, but given the cost of private voice lessons (anywhere from $80 - $150 per hour for an experienced instructor), I believe it's worth it. Even if it only saves you two private lessons' worth (which it will), you'll make up the cost.

But regardless, it's going to be hard. It's a lot of work. And made even harder if you're not living full time. It's not just about learning the many nuances of female voice, but developing vocal habits so that they become second nature. And if you're switching back and forth from male voice to female voice, it's going to be really difficult to firmly establish those habits.

I used Eva app. It was a little expensive but really helped me