The "Does my voice pass?" thread

[anjaq]

Ok, I think I got something of that, A. Maybe actually doing some singing when I am in the car or something private will be a good idea to see where that head resonance is.
The video sadly was completly unhelpful. I think I know what he tries to describe and it is what I try to do (I think), but he kept talking about his adams apple and all that which I did not get and cannot really use (I dont have one that would be visible like that. Luckily.) - but again I think what he is doing is to get rid of chest resonance - I know how to do that and use it unless I slip sometimes. But the result is what is in my recordings and franky the guy in the vid also sounded a bit weird when he does that. I will check that written tutorial though and keep at the "deepstealth" instrucion videos, though they are quite long ...

[A]

Good luck. I wish I could've been more useful.

[Mlle. Glistenburg]

A, how is this (and anyone else that wants to comment):

https://soundcloud.com/jamie-glistenburg/mid-voice-29sept2013

[Range is at 185-205Hz.]

Maybe this is a little better, maybe not... we will see soon enough.

[anjaq]

Wait - I just figured. Especially A but also Jenny - when you wrote I have to work on resonance dod you mean I still have the low resonance thing (chest resonance) going to a degree and that is what is making me sound not that good or was it the lack of head resonance that you referred to? Or both? I was always kind of obsessed with getting chest resonance away and did not think much about head resonance, so maybe I misunderstood that to a degree.
What I tried now was more head resonance, but I just don't seem to get much. I tried and I am actually finding these two breaking points in voice that A mentions and my regular speaking voice is in the middle section, so it is not really falsetto, thats good. That said, the lack of head resonance still seems to make it sound like that, possibly. So I will try singing , but the hints on head resonance like this from the link provided:

One of the biggest problems facing TS women is, after learning to produce a soft, feminine voice, to then learn how to speak loudly when necessary without the voice returning to a masculine sound. Women gain loudness by using the cavities inside the head as a 'sounding box' whereas men use the chest. To gain a louder feminine voice, develop head resonance rather than chest resonance --- open your mouth a little more, use more air, and 'push' your voice up into your head. 

is confusing. I have a hard time to figure out how to push the voice into the head.

One reason that I can think of now that I read how this supposedly work (if thats really what is happening with head resonance really being in the head cavities - chest resonance after all is not really in the chest) is that I have severe problems with the sinuses. I have some chronic sinusitis and some blockades in them and some excess tissue growth. One doc already told me I should get that fixed with surgery to remove the growth and fix the openings so I can breathe better and possibly not have so much sinusitis anymore. I did not want to do this, but now that I read that the cavities in the head may play a role in voice (and that seems as I understand it now to be the case no matter if one does a voice surgery or not, is that correct, Jenny?), I may reconsider for a triple benefit of that (they can do a bit of nose shaping at that time, too ). So does that make sense or is the head cavity thing either nonsense or should work no matter of such conditions?

Ok, I think I will try singing the next days anyways. I wish I had more chances to be alone for that though

[A]

Mlle: Can't listen to it right now, so I'll have to give you comments later.

anjaq: The problem is with both. Occasional (and rare) presence of chest resonance gives a make-ish feeling, but most importantly, absence of head resonance gives an unnatural, forced feeling. As for the sinuses... I honestly have no idea. I'm sorry. It's vastly a matter of feeling for me, do I have no idea about the sinuses and whatnot. But if I try to feel where my voice resonates, or does seem to be in the rear of the head.

[Lexi Belle]

There are (or should be) two breaking points in your voice. One between the chest voice and the head voice, and one that leads to falsetto. And actually, when you enter the "head voice" area, you shouldn't have to lower your voice much if at all, especially with the voice of someone born male. The confusion can come from the fact that many male-born people (that is, male singers and MTFs alike) will kind of jump straight to falsetto from chest voice, for some reason. I don't really understand it, but then again, there's a lot that I don't understand. Maybe it comes from the fact that in singing, the two can sound actually similar and be confused for each other depending on how they're used - which in male singing will often be similar, and the head voice will be used with a lot of power, constrasting with what you're trying to accomplish. (Found that out trying to find a helpful video for you but finding only singing, often opera, tips. I also find that video makers seem to contradict each other on what head voice and falsetto are which is funny.)

As for modifying chest resonance, uhm... I guess it's about getting a little bit of it while having head resonance too? Not sure.

Now uhm, maybe these links can help. There's this guy who's for some reason trying to imitate a girl. It's obviously not quite there, but I think doing what he does could maybe get you to a good starting point from which you can improve.



There is also this that another member posted in another thread:

Hellu, I agree with most of this.  The problem is, people find it difficult to get in to that head resonance easily as it uses muscles that aren't accustomed to being used so frequently. 

Basically, if you want to get a female voice my tips would be to try to get your voice box behind your jaw. (not literally, it might not be possible) and do so WITHOUT clenching your voice box.  THAT is in short how you obtain head resonance.  When you speak for the first few months it'll feel very strenuous and often lead your voice to feeling very scratchy (that's when you should take a break)  but ultimately it works like any muscle and you will grow used to it.  If you're like me, you'll completely forget how to drop back down again "accidentally."

Also, you should look up some anatomy in that area it will REALLY help you understand and identify what has to be done.

[anjaq]

Yes i know that voice box lift thing. I do that. I cannot always keep it there, though, especially if I speak freely and not just read.
I just read up some stuff on the head and chest voice and I read that in the head voice, only 2/3 or 1/3 of the vocal cords are vibrating. This incidentially sounds a lot like what the VFS surgeon of Jenny does do to the vocal chords. Interesting.
Sadly I will not be able to train at all now as the viruses from my sinus seem to have slipped into my throat again and now I have throat pain. Again. Like so many times before. I think its #10 this year. So I need to take a break.

[A]

Awesome. D: Try those things that pour a water solution into your nose if you haven't. They're pretty effective.

Mlle. Glistenburg: I listened to your clip. I guess it can pass, kind of, but it still sounds pretty forced. But then again that's only me eh.

[Lexi Belle]

A, how is this (and anyone else that wants to comment):

https://soundcloud.com/jamie-glistenburg/mid-voice-29sept2013

[Range is at 185-205Hz.]

Maybe this is a little better, maybe not... we will see soon enough.

You're close, but you are definitely borderline falsetto, you can tell by how forcibly limited your range is.  You should probably try starting with a lower tone, you want to have a higher voice, but you don't want it to be in falsetto, in time you'll be able to go further and further in to the higher pitches without going in to falsetto, but for now what you are doing is definitely going falsetto, so lower a bit.

When I first started talking in my full feminine voice, it was VERY low. But everyone heard it as a female voice, now it seems that I have a VERY female voice after about 3 months of strenuous practice and TAKING MY TIME to get there. Don't push your voice too high too fast!

[anjaq]

A, you meant me with the water thing? I guess so. I think I know what you mean, but not if it helps againt cold. Right now I have no voice at all. Silent me. I tried some things yesterday and I think I felt what that head resonance is. So once voice is back I try that. I wonder... last thing yesterday was me trying my old boy mode voice to see whats different - it took me like 2 minutes or so to get there LOL. Then one of my dreams was about VFS this night. Maybe that was too much for my psyche and body and they thought it may be a good idea to turn off my voice for a day or two

Sierra, I agree on your last post re the recording. I originally tried your approach of basically do resonance control and not pitch too much and it sounded sort of female enough, but on the phone it never worked and people kept asking me about the voice. It must be at about 140Hz or so, so way too low. But I never managed to get pitch up without it sounding kind of bad and with time I seem to also have lost resonance. In the past some people told me they liked that deep feminine voice, though I was not so fond of it, as it tended always to expose my past. Now I dont know what changed but its not even like that anymore it seems. I think I may actually have damaged my chords with 15 years of trying to not get sirred on the phone and all that...

[anjaq]

Ok, so I had two totally mute days now, as i had a cold and had no voice for almost a day and then it was bad, so I decided to just not talk for the rest of these two days to give my voice a rest. It was a bit weird as I had to interact with some people.
I tried then to think about the resonance stuff and thought if I speak up a bit louder on the mic and try to open my mouth more and just not restrict my voice so much, maybe the resonance gets better...

So these are three recordings of me talking nonsense about resonance and pitch, so the content is just text filler in a way:
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0rsfZxBPvrd - this should be the low pitch recording, as in I deliberately relax myself to not shift pitch up, this should be better for the vocal cords I guess if they dont have to be tightened for the higher pitch (about 140 Hz)
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0vc6kx93xDy (tad higher, 190 Hz)
and
http://vocaroo.com/i/s18FGt4s7B0A (tad lower, 160 Hz)
are more what I seem to do by default. I noticed that if I really am conscious about getting resonance control, pitch goes up by itself. I am not sure if I do that out of reflex now as I kept trying to maintain at least an androgynous voice for the past years or if resonance control just goes together with pitch in that way.
Now judge me - is it an improvement over the last recordings or is it as bad/worse?

THX

[Lexi Belle]

Ok, so I had two totally mute days now, as i had a cold and had no voice for almost a day and then it was bad, so I decided to just not talk for the rest of these two days to give my voice a rest. It was a bit weird as I had to interact with some people.
I tried then to think about the resonance stuff and thought if I speak up a bit louder on the mic and try to open my mouth more and just not restrict my voice so much, maybe the resonance gets better...

So these are three recordings of me talking nonsense about resonance and pitch, so the content is just text filler in a way:
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0rsfZxBPvrd - this should be the low pitch recording, as in I deliberately relax myself to not shift pitch up, this should be better for the vocal cords I guess if they dont have to be tightened for the higher pitch (about 140 Hz)
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0vc6kx93xDy (tad higher, 190 Hz)
and
http://vocaroo.com/i/s18FGt4s7B0A (tad lower, 160 Hz)
are more what I seem to do by default. I noticed that if I really am conscious about getting resonance control, pitch goes up by itself. I am not sure if I do that out of reflex now as I kept trying to maintain at least an androgynous voice for the past years or if resonance control just goes together with pitch in that way.
Now judge me - is it an improvement over the last recordings or is it as bad/worse?

THX

You just need way more strength, which simply means more practice.  Otherwise you're getting pretty close.

[Mlle. Glistenburg]

Ok, so I had two totally mute days now, as i had a cold and had no voice for almost a day and then it was bad, so I decided to just not talk for the rest of these two days to give my voice a rest. It was a bit weird as I had to interact with some people.
I tried then to think about the resonance stuff and thought if I speak up a bit louder on the mic and try to open my mouth more and just not restrict my voice so much, maybe the resonance gets better...

So these are three recordings of me talking nonsense about resonance and pitch, so the content is just text filler in a way:
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0rsfZxBPvrd - this should be the low pitch recording, as in I deliberately relax myself to not shift pitch up, this should be better for the vocal cords I guess if they dont have to be tightened for the higher pitch (about 140 Hz)
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0vc6kx93xDy (tad higher, 190 Hz)
and
http://vocaroo.com/i/s18FGt4s7B0A (tad lower, 160 Hz)
are more what I seem to do by default. I noticed that if I really am conscious about getting resonance control, pitch goes up by itself. I am not sure if I do that out of reflex now as I kept trying to maintain at least an androgynous voice for the past years or if resonance control just goes together with pitch in that way.
Now judge me - is it an improvement over the last recordings or is it as bad/worse?

THX

Anything between 160 and 190 Hz should be fine with you! Just project your voice louder and you should be fine. If you are unable to yell in your female voice then you need to keep practising! Personally, and honestly,I think you sound plenty female, you just need to project your voice.

[Alaia]

Ok, so I memorized the rainbow passage while listening to Kathy Perez's program on mp3. Still sounds to me like a guy talking with a high pitch :/
http://t.co/zCpF3xkhnI

[Lexi Belle]

Ok, so I memorized the rainbow passage while listening to Kathy Perez's program on mp3. Still sounds to me like a guy talking with a high pitch :/
http://t.co/zCpF3xkhnI

It doesn't sound like a guy so much, but I feel like you're still not using the right resonance yet.

[anjaq]

Yes I guess I really need to somehow project more. I think I got the chest resonance not too bad, although I sometimes slip. Haveing had that cold for 2 days does make it a bit harder not to slip. But I guess I am still missing some of the alternative "head" resonance - if that is meant by increasing projection. I guess I have to look up how to do that properly. I have started on the FYFV tutorial, but it is quite long like saying all the alphabet i a weird way - several times - I am not sure where to find the time for that and it is a bit weird to do these things in my room, my room neighbor probably thinks I am weird for doing such noises Esp as some of the things require basically to not (yet) change resonance.
I always had the issue of not speaking loud enough - pre everything as well as now, people always ask me to speak up. I am hoping to get some proper logopaedic (voice training) hours this year, if I can find a good adress and a doc who prescribes it to me. Cause even if I am really considering the surgical option, that makes the projection issue even worse, so that has to be covered in any case.
Thanks for the more positive comments, Mlle - if that is really honestly your opinion (no trying to make me feel good, remind you, I have too often done stuff in some bad way because people told me it was good to not hurt me). I guess A would still find many things to improve on the last recordings still

[A]

Yeah, well, my opinion can easily be guessed. There's improvement, but still not quite there.

[Aina]

Sorry, but I am addicted to this thread and getting my voice right, so here is a new voice test by me. I've been practicing it pretty intensely over the last month up till this week were I got a cold and blah, but I am just getting over a it so hopefully my voice sounds good and didn't loose to much progress.

https://soundcloud.com/ainamiharu/voice-test-10-5-13

This one also sounds louder to me then any of the older recordings I've done.

[Lexi Belle]

Sorry, but I am addicted to this thread and getting my voice right, so here is a new voice test by me. I've been practicing it pretty intensely over the last month up till this week were I got a cold and blah, but I am just getting over a it so hopefully my voice sounds good and didn't loose to much progress.

https://soundcloud.com/ainamiharu/voice-test-10-5-13

This one also sounds louder to me then any of the older recordings I've done.

Beautiful, now you just need to work on the strength. You voice trembles a lot, but practice!  You'll get that strength!

[A]

I can do nothing but repeat what Nidalexi has said.