Best voice training methods?

[LilKittyCatZoey]

Hey girls i have a deep but not as deep voice as most boys and well i am planning going full time at beginning of 2013 and i want to practice and develop my voice as soon as possible.

Any and all ideas welcome ^^

[Tamaki]

I went to a local voice coach who works with transwomen. I feel that it saved me a lot of time and frustration. On my own I had already gone down a lot of dead ends. I was totally worth the money I spent and now I have a good voice even before going full time. A number of them work via skype too.

[LilKittyCatZoey]

Could you explain how they work and long it took you?

[Tamaki]

We had somewhere around 12, 1 hour appointments and she charged $65 per visit. I saw her in person. We met every week for a while then every other week. At first she explained what made a feminine sounding voice and the things that I needed to accomplish that. I would try a feminine voice that she would record. I would either read something or just make conservation. She would then have me work on keeping the correct tension in my throat, the right pitch, keeping my jaw loose or not moving my tongue to far forward. We would listen to the recording and see how it sounded and what I could improve. We touched on expressiveness, pitch variation and mannerisms but they just seemed to come together without trying.

The really helpful part was that if I heard something I didn't like she knew what wasn't right and told me what I needed to work on. If something sounded good she knew how I was doing it and could help me keep doing the right things.

Between appointments I would practice and do the exercises she would give me.

I usually showed up right after work so I was always in guy mode but she didn't care. I was added by my female name and treated as a woman the whole time. It was a very positive experience and I feel fully confident in my voice for when I do go full time.

[LilKittyCatZoey]

Wow that sounds like a very positive and lovely experience thanks for sharing 

[VannaSiamese]

Try using a piano, starting somewhere above middle C, and focus on one note at a time.  Hit the note over and over while talking monotone, then go up to the next note, continue doing it until you can't go up anyone, then work your way back down to your starting note.  Then practice going up and down notes with every word, to give you the dynamic inflection that women typically have.  I've helped a lot of people work on their voice, and I trained my own voice doing this... and today I can't sound male if I try.

[Annah]

Last year I went through the same issues.

I researched and google my but off. I tried Andrea Jame's "Finding your Feminine Voice" but it did very little for me.

So I downloaded a free spectrograph software where it measures your pitch. A man's pitch is around 150 hz and a womans is around 200-220 hz.

Then I bought a cheap digital recorder from Target for 15 bucks. A digital recorder wont lie to you and it will play back exactly what you sound like.

Then practice practice practice

I also bought the CDs from Kathe Perez's site to help and that really helped me a lot. Kathe Perez is one of the better voice therapist trainers. She interviewed me last week....ill link it:

  <-- Part One
  <-- Part Two
   <-- Part Three

But yeah, it takes a lot of practice. So while you practice your pitch on the spectograph then you practice your reflections and your melodic intonations.  If you have any questions PM me

[LilKittyCatZoey]

Thanks girls but i am just scared to start because my voice isnt to deep but i never have tried or even know how to heighten my pitch so i think i will try Hannah's idea i mean its expensive but the best way to learn when you dont own a piano and cant do stuff by myself without feeling silly.

[Annah]

Thanks girls but i am just scared to start because my voice isnt to deep but i never have tried or even know how to heighten my pitch so i think i will try Hannah's idea i mean its expensive but the best way to learn when you dont own a piano and cant do stuff by myself without feeling silly.

Its not permanent. You can practice your pitch and then switch back. It only becomes harder once you go fulltime and you are using the voice 24/7.

Plus, training your voice doesn't have to be expensive.

I sound just like a girl and I only spent 50 bucks total on everything....and I never used a piano.

[LilKittyCatZoey]

True and the sooner i start the sooner i can use it when not at school

[Tamaki]

There is a lot of free stuff on youtube and the net. You really have nothing to lose trying these things. If you aren't making progress or get stuck a voice coach can get you headed in the right direction. I've spoken with many people that have succeed with the various programs. You can always start cheap and get more expensive if you need to.

[LilKittyCatZoey]

Very very true

[fusion_cannon88]

Its not permanent. You can practice your pitch and then switch back. It only becomes harder once you go fulltime and you are using the voice 24/7.

Plus, training your voice doesn't have to be expensive.

I sound just like a girl and I only spent 50 bucks total on everything....and I never used a piano.

Can we hear a recording of your voice?

Edit: Nvm.

[LilKittyCatZoey]

I dont even know how to add a picture to a message if you can tell me how to add images and a recording then sure 

[Annah]

Can we hear a recording of your voice?

Edit: Nvm.

yeah, i got a length youtube channel.

If you look at the very earliest of my videos you can actually hear my voice progression and how it evolved

[GinaDouglas]

Don't worry too much about your voice.  Humans have visual primacy.  If you look like a woman, nobody will notice your voice.  I'm not saying don't work your voice, or it's not important.  I am saying, don't let it be a dealbreaker.

[jamie nicole]

dont waste your time or money on voice coaches or anything else.  just experiment with your voice, go thru different pitches the same way a singer would do.  Once you find it, it's rather easy to keep it 24/7.

[Tamaki]

dont waste your time or money on voice coaches or anything else.  just experiment with your voice, go thru different pitches the same way a singer would do.  Once you find it, it's rather easy to keep it 24/7.

I get frustrated with comments like this. There are transwomen who have achieved good voices that can't maintain them so they seek surgery. I was able to achieve my goal with a voice coach, who is a speech pathologist, where I could not on my own. I did not waste my money. Not everyone has the same goal nor takes the same path.

I agree that trying on your own is a good way to start, it's the way I started but don't discount getting help when you need it.

[LilKittyCatZoey]

Put your claws away Hannah i never intended this topic to make anyone annoy anyone  now then i agree with Hannah because i know someone who has such a deep voice nothing has worked of yet and its been 5 years but anyways anyone got a good place to start with my voice ? Or should i follow a video word for word?

[caitlin_adams]

I'm seeing a speech pathologist. I liken it to any field in which professionals practice. I can do my own plumbing, but what takes me hours and hours will usually take a professional a lot less time. There's also the risk that I, through a lack of understanding, actually do damage. I don't like extended analogies, suffice to say some people find success doing it themselves quickly, some take a lot longer than they would had they sought professional help and some develop speech disorders or tend to sound a little forced and unnatural.

That said I'm sure some have sought the help of speech pathologist where they needn't have (so I suppose that would be considered a wate of money) and some have seen speech pathologists who haven't helped but my strong preference would be to seek professional help.

I think voice is paramount to gender, one of the main differentiators between the genders.