"teen" voice

[Dena]

Thank you, Dena, for your insight. I really appreciate this.

It's also good to know this isn't just all in my head, haha.

While I feel as though I'm being as relaxed and open as is comfortable, and doing more than that doesn't help much in the resonance, I can't help but be worried it's the latter of your two ideas. If it's just simply I need to speak in a physically different way, perhaps I could see a knowledgeable singing teacher to help with that... If it's not that, am I basically just... stuck?

A singing teacher might teach you how to use the chest voice but the other option is a speech therapist who deals with transsexuals. It's a matter of undoing what we do to speak in a feminine voice. Simply put your hand on you upper neck when you are relaxed and then try speaking. You don't want that area to tense up and if it does, you need to work on it. Males don't tense that area but I learned how to do it so well that it's hard for me to relax the area to drop into the lower voice.

[Deborah]

Your voice actually sounds fine to me and if it's 97 Hz it's 20 to 30 Hz lower than my normal male speaking voice.  If you ever listen to GEN George Patton speak his voice was higher than yours too.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/G9DpKDwCJcM?autoplay=1&FORM=VIRE5

You maybe can improve your speech pattern to sound older and more authoritative but the rest really just comes down to personal presence, a relaxed and confident look. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FtMitch]

All of this ends up being really confusing to me, because I don't think I speak primarily from the area that many cis females do.  I've always spoken from my chest area, and even though I recognized my voice was "guy-ish" I always assumed that other girls spoke from that area, too, when they were in private, because I find talking in the higher, more "sweety-sweet voice" (that's what I used to call it back in the day) really exhausting.  The only time I would use that voice when I was presenting female was in work situations as a teacher where I was supposed to fit a certain mold of the feminine teacher.  Do most females really speak from the top of their throat all the time?  Even at home or with friends?

Can you guys listen and tell me if I am correct in thinking I already speak from the chest?  I honestly have no clue, but I don't feel anything at the top of my throat when I speak....  Note that I haven't had any voice changes from T, so it definitely sounds female.

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0l5GBkI75mb

Edit:  Wow, listening to that I had no idea how "bored with you and everything you are" I sound, lol.  No wonder people sometimes think I'm a word that starts with a donkey and ends with a pit.

[Laura_7]

Well the voice is good.... I'd say speaking a bit faster and more even might make a better effect... and maybe a bit more monotone still...


hugs

[Dena]

It's not easy telling from the sound where you are speaking, but place your fingers lightly on your larynx (about half way down your neck and then try speaking. If you feel it move up from a relaxed state, your not using the chest voice. To remain in the chest voice, the larynx should change position from a relaxed to a speaking voice.

The voice sample sounds like it's the lower end of the feminine range which could be a male voice shifted to the female range or a female pushing the lower end of the range. Test your voice with your fingers and you should be able to tell which it is.

[Sir Real]

I just want to say, thank you so much Dena and everyone else who gave their insights.

After playing around with what you said, Dena, I found that it was easiest to think of it like singing my speech. I've got a musical background so I know a -little- about singing. This seemed to help take the "edge" off of my voice. I still sound the same, but without that tinny edge. So it helps a bit, at least. I'd give an example, but my throat is quite sore at the moment (fighting something off, I guess).

I may end up talking to the SLP here in my city. They have a free consultation, so I figure it wouldn't hurt to at least talk to them.