Cost of voice training

[Stephe]

Olympus digtal voice recorder:                   $65
Sing and see voice software:                     $50
10 weeks of private therapy:                     $1500
Never being sir'd on the phone again:       Priceless

I'm still shocked at how many MTF will spend $20,000+ on FFS but refuse to deal with their voice. 

[Jeneva]

Voice is a HUGE tell and the best part of all is that it is very low cost.

A personal voice trainer is a great option, but there are also some very good voice programs out there.

A good friend may even be able to help out.  Listen to how they speak enough and you will start to mimc it.  I say that because even before I accepted transitioning 80%+ of the time I got ma'am on the phone or drive-throughs without cameras.  The reason is that I picked up my phone "voice" and "mannerisms" from my (grand)mother when she tried to teach me proper phone etiquette. 

Now my in person voice.......   I am still working on it (or other tells are getting in the way).  My voice didn't drop hugely in puberty.  I gained the ability to make it drop, but it stayed pretty much the same.  I used to get double takes when co-workers or corporate partners would meet me in person after a few phone calls (our company is mostly virtual/remote), because my voice didn't match my big size.

I also used to consistently have nasal congestion issues, but I'm hoping that now my septum has been repaired it may get better so that should help some too (congestion gives you a throatier sound I think).

There are a huge laundry list of things we can do to help pass better, and many of them are free/low cost.  Even better most of them can be done in parallel.  We all pick and choose as many of the paths as we can at any moment and then go back and hit the others.  Why are you so anti-FFS?  It is just another tool in the box.  You can still use all the others (and should).  This isn't a desert island situation where you only get to pick one.

Could I not take your question and phrase it this way and it still be valid?
"I'm still shocked at how many MTF will spend $20,000+ on GCS but refuse to deal with their voice."

Doesn't that show that this is really about FFS and not really why aren't we doing voice.  Yes there are people that don't need it.  Yes there are people who go too far.  But NO not everyone can get by without it and some people do need the works.  It is a very drastic procedure and yes it is very expensive too.  That is why it needs to be carefully considered by the person choosing it.  It is all about make sure you are truly certain and weighing out the balances in your mind.  Once a person has made that decision then it is right for them.

[Stephe]

"I'm still shocked at how many MTF will spend $20,000+ on GCS but refuse to deal with their voice."

Yep same thing is very true. I've seen a LOT of post ops who sound like a guy still and they wonder why people react to them strangely. Many I've seen are 10+ years post op. I used FFS as my example because if I use SRS/GRS/GCS (whatever the term people are using this week) people would argue they HAVE to do this to fix their body to match their gender, get their ID changed etc.

Also find it interesting people are willing to "use the best" or go all out on certain parts of their transition but then skimp and cheap out on the voice, which is arguably one of the most important. I can understand someone wanting to use some free web site for their voice if they CAN'T afford anything else, hence my example that people will spend $20,000+ on -fine tuning- their face yet won't spend $2,000 on professional voice therapy.

It's about balance and using resources effectively. It's about not focusing on one small part and more about hitting the HUGE problems first.

Sorry if you feel my thoughts on what I consider -over the top (for many people)- FFS offensive, I know your still recovering from yours. But is my position any more extreme than what you and a few other "Pro-FFS" people have been posting lately?" It's just the other side of the coin that people SHOULD be shown.

[JenJen2011]

Olympus digtal voice recorder:                   $65
Sing and see voice software:                     $50
10 weeks of private therapy:                     $1500
Never being sir'd on the phone again:       Priceless

I'm still shocked at how many MTF will spend $20,000+ on FFS but refuse to deal with their voice.

Flip the coin. You can have the perfect female voice but if you look like a man, you'll still be sir'd...at least in person. They are both important, if both are needed. However, I do feel that voice should be one of the first things people should work on. And you don't have to spend a dime. I sure didn't. I learned and practiced on my own. I've been working in a call center for almost 2 years and have never been sir'd.

[Annah]

Flip the coin. You can have the perfect female voice but if you look like a man, you'll still be sir'd...at least in person. .

I dont know...ive seen a lot of trans who looked like beautiful women but as soon as they talked, people around them were like "yup...that's a guy."

Likewise, I seen many trans who were borderline passable where the people around them were suspicious but as soon as the trans opened their mouths, the people said "yup...it's a girl."

IMO, It's hair, voice, and then face.

A poor voice can clock the most passable trans. Instantly.

[JulieC.]

Annah. I do totally agree with you about how important the voice is in presenting yourself as a woman.  But when I look at you...you are so cute and have a very feminine face....if you spoke and a male voice came out I would just think "that poor girl is so pretty and has such a horrible voice".  I'm not sure I would go directly to "Oh that's a guy".  I think looks play a big role too.  If your looks are border line then the voice becomes even more important.  If you look like a woman then your voice can be a little less than perfect.

I would also say it is well worth the money.  Agreed...not the place to scrimp!

[Stephe]

if you spoke and a male voice came out I would just think "that poor girl is so pretty and has such a horrible voice".

I'm not sure everyone would think that way. If nothing else they would start LOOKING for adams apple etc because of the conflicting gender presentation.

And then what about all the times when someone hears you first? Or dealing with phone calls and drive thru's? My gender doc told me about 85% of his MTF patients have horrible male voices and to this day it still disturbs him to see a pretty woman with a guys voice. While there is a LOT of variety in female facial structure, very, very, very few women have the booming resonance that a guy has. Obviously if someone makes no effort to cover the beard shadow, is clueless about makeup etc, having a fem voice isn't going to cut it on it's own but with a great voice, it HIGHLY reduces the other requirements IMHO. Just the self confidence it gives someone + the ability to act and interact normally is worth 40% points in pass ability.