Anyone Else Using Andrea James Voice Course?

[melissa90299]

I have had this course for over a year but have been negligent about doing the exercises. I synced the course to my I-pod and now am able to practice every day. When Mira at Dr O's Office said that many transwomen have used the course and have perfect voices it motivated me to really hit the books, so to speak and, considering that I pass so well visually, it's just a crying shame that I haven't dedicated myself to getting the voice where I want it.

I think I am progressing. Last night, I spoke at an AA women's meeting, something I had feared. I did really well.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone had some feedback.

[Laura Eva B]

I found the course a total waste of cash ... its all aimed at lifting pitch, nothing about resonance, emphasis, choice of words, the way we introduce ourselves or say "bye" ....

Nowadays I'm always identified female on the phone, and face to face my voice has never ever given me away even on "hot" dates.

And it works for me without the "just below sweaky falsetto" that the course directs you to ... there's so much more to sounding feminine than fundamental pitch alone.

Laura x

[Keira]

This is an extended thesis on voiice and social and biological gender.

Very thorough, Its dense though, not light reading.

Stick to intros, discussions in chapters and the general conclusion

http://www.lotpublications.nl/publish/articles/000035/bookpart.pdf

I'd recommend using a spectrograf and trying to lift the resonnance of voyels and the pitch (lifting pitch is actually very easy for anyone who sings). There is just half an octave between men and women's voice (on average) so there is no need to go to high.

My male voice had a pitch of F0=235, which is higher than the female average, but even `F=180 with a change in resonnance and speach pattern is enough to get you through.

If people can't decypher the thesis, I'll try to post the highlights later on another thread.

[melissa90299]

I found the course a total waste of cash ... its all aimed at lifting pitch, nothing about resonance, emphasis, choice of words, the way we introduce ourselves or say "bye" ....

Nowadays I'm always identified female on the phone, and face to face my voice has never ever given me away even on "hot" dates.

And it works for me without the "just below sweaky falsetto" that the course directs you to ... there's so much more to sounding feminine than fundamental pitch alone.

Laura x

I don't think the course teaches you to talk right below the break point. How many hours did you spend doing exercises? The course teaches a lot more than just pitch.

Believe me, considering my ongoing feud with one of those two, I would never tout anything that they put out, but Mira's recommendation means a lot to me.

[Seshatneferw]

Keira, thank you for the pointer. At first glance it looks interesting, but it's a bit to much to read off the screen.  I'll add a printout to the stack of Ph.D. theses to read, though. 

  Nfr

[Barbara Ann]

I bought a copy about two months ago. The excercises have helped me loosen up my vocal chords and talk in a higher pitch. I've been negilgent however and not been practicing. I will make a renewed effort to do the course as Andrea presents it. Before, I just liked to hop around in the exercises. Discipline, Barb, discipline! Let's compare notes a little later, ok?
-Barb

[Laura Eva B]

I think you have to find a voice that works without effort otherwise everytime you speak it will be a kind of "acting" and a concious effort.

Guess my voice never broke properly, and I used to be so paranoid about my ability to use my lower registers and sound "masculine".

My speech is convincing and comes effortlessly without any "training".

The real learning I had to do was to listen to women speaking and copy their speech patterns and their way of saying things ... an ongoing process from which I learn every day.

I identify on the phone as female 95% of the calls I make, which is good enough for me !

Laura

[rhonda13000]

This is an extended thesis on voiice and social and biological gender.

Very thorough, Its dense though, not light reading.

Stick to intros, discussions in chapters and the general conclusion

http://www.lotpublications.nl/publish/articles/000035/bookpart.pdf

I'd recommend using a spectrograf and trying to lift the resonnance of voyels and the pitch (lifting pitch is actually very easy for anyone who sings). There is just half an octave between men and women's voice (on average) so there is no need to go to high.

My male voice had a pitch of F0=235, which is higher than the female average, but even `F=180 with a change in resonnance and speach pattern is enough to get you through.

If people can't decypher the thesis, I'll try to post the highlights later on another thread.

Thank you for that. 

Light reading.

[Renae.Lupini]

For a lot of this same information that has already been discussed, check out https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,13634.0.html

[katia]

I found the course a total waste of cash.

and time. 

[mavieenrose]

Didn't use the Andrea James course (the internet didn't really exist much when I transitioned...)

Personally I had a standard male voice to start with and went to an NHS (National Health Service) speech therapist who gave me a serious of breathing and other exercises. These were really helpful and I can strongly recommend a visit to a speech therapist.

One other thing that really helped me, was being told to imagine that when I spoke the voice was actually coming not out of my mouth, but my forehead.  I know it sounds wierd, but I'm convinced this really helped me to lighten and feminise my voice (along with the exercises of course).  Don't know if anyone else has heard of/tried this... ?

MVER XXX

[Renae.Lupini]

Didn't use the Andrea James course (the internet didn't really exist much when I transitioned...)

Personally I had a standard male voice to start with and went to an NHS (National Health Service) speech therapist who gave me a serious of breathing and other exercises. These were really helpful and I can strongly recommend a visit to a speech therapist.

One other thing that really helped me, was being told to imagine that when I spoke the voice was actually coming not out of my mouth, but my forehead.  I know it sounds wierd, but I'm convinced this really helped me to lighten and feminise my voice (along with the exercises of course).  Don't know if anyone else has heard of/tried this... ?

MVER XXX

The forehead thing makes sense. the key to getting a feminine voice is using the upper muscles in the throat. Imagining it is coming from the forehead would force a person to use this upper area.

I didn't take any lessons or go to a speech therapist at all. I found several web sites with various techniques on training the voice. One key element to getting my voice to the point where it is today and keeping it there is gargling with salt water. This gets all the nasty gunk out of throat in the morning. While I gargle I start at my lowest possible pitch and raise it until it starts to crack. Then I hold that and continue gargling for a few seconds. Then I repeat 3 or 4 times.

Training the voice is like any other set of muscles and it does get strained so overdoing can cause some damage. There is also a bit of scratchiness, at least there was for me, during the process of developing a new voice. I used Hall's Fruit Breezers to sooth my throat and help keep it lubricated. Drinking fluids helps immensely as well.

I had that little voice in my head of what i wanted my voice to sound like. I used the above methods along with using more fluid speech versus the monotone male drab. I still have a few annunciation issues with certain letter combinations but slowing down my speech usually helps overcome them. I also spent plenty of hours just reading to myself. I never recorded my voice before and after. I only focused on that voice that i knew i wanted.

For anyone who is feeling self-conscious about just letting their voice be heard, let me give this little bit of insight. when was the last time you sat around and made fun of anyone for sounding too manly or too girly? Probably not often if ever at all. It is just something people don't pay that much attention to unless they are in our situations.

And just how feminine does my voice sound? I have had my TS status questioned because people think i am a genetic woman due to my voice. I have lots of tattoos, small boobs, and short hair so there are plenty of not so feminine identifiers. The biggest thing is having the confidence to just do it. Just letting the voice be heard is the biggest step above everything else.

[melissa90299]

I found the course a total waste of cash.

and time. 

Why do you say it's a waste of time?

[Feral Cat]

I have it, but it hasn't done me that much good.  I worked on it diligently for the first six months, even did telephone sessions with Andrea, then decided to just go to a professional voice coach.  That has helped me more than anything.

I know a lot of girls that have great fem voices that have used Andrea's program, but I know just as many who used other methods.   

I think working on the resonance is a lot more important than the pitch, which is what Andrea teaches.

To each her own though, whatever works

Pam

[Ms Bev]

I think you have to find a voice that works without effort............... listen to women speaking and copy their speech patterns and their way of saying things ... an ongoing process.
Laura

Laura....I agree with you a million percent.  I find it very distracting to try to raise my pitch, and I've never tried it at home, as I find it embarassing.  My actual speaking voice is well within range, and now it's a matter of proper inflections, vocabulary, and patterns.  I'm working hard at it, and when people start calling me ma'am even half the time on the phone, I'll know I'm there.  In person, I have no problem at all, and had friendly conversations with women at Fashion Bug, on the elevator at the doctors, at the restuarant, etc, and when buying my first ever swimsuit yesterday.

I worried about this pitch thing, until I listened to lots of women I know, and find my range is above at least some of them, anyway, and those have no problem being recongnized as female in their speech.

Bev

[Keira]

Using a spectrograf specialized in speach is what speach therapists use: Praat  is very powerfull it has so many different levels of analysis, but the interface is not the best. If you google it online you can download it. There are several others dedicated to speach that exist.

With it, you can see all the higher harmonics (the formants) and see how moving your tongue, opening your mouth, will affect them.

Also, for resonnance, you just have to work on the vowels, especially the frontal ones.

Of course, nothing beats a good hear, but for that, not a given for those who start, or those who haven't learn to sing. A spectrograph can help devellop a good ear.

[melissa90299]

I just received a CD form the exceptional voice people, it is waaaaaaaay better than AJ's bull->-bleeped-<- course, actually in just a day, I realize what I was doing wrong in that AJ seems to teach you to try to speak in your highest possible pitch, I found I only need to raise my original male voice from around 160hz to 220 hz A3, I was trying to hit D3, waaaaaaay tooo high!

Anyway, I have an electronic guitar tuner made by Seiko already that my new CD course recommends. I have had the damn thing for years but only used it to tune my guitar. I started talking into and realized I was pushing my voice too high!

I will post some tips later.

The seiko is a chromatic tuner, at around $30 Model ST757.

[Keira]

My normal voice is F0=235 pre Transition. Melissa, and I've got no prob. So, 200 should be quite all right if there are higher harmonics (ressonnant formant). Higher harmonics really change the sound of the voice, making it sound at much higher pitch that it is.

[melissa90299]

I failed to explain how the tuner is used when you speak or sing into it, you get a readout of the pitch, A3 is the average genetic female pitch, I am consistently hitting minimum G3or G#3 with just two days of practice.
My voice has never been that deep, I need to wok on resonance, articulation and pacing. Women articulate precisely, and vary pitch and volume, men tend to speak choppily and monotonic. I notice when I speak in the tuner that my pitch is jumping around which is good.

I am going to hit this course hard, then try my new voice out on the telephone. I noticed one of my buddies tonight, a butch woman, sounds more male than I do and lower in pitch.

[Jeannette]

I've used it in the past and found it quite helpful actually.  Much better than Melanie's.