Need help with Adam's Apple.

[CuriousCat94x]

Hi everyone, CC94x here...

Please bear with me on this question as I'm very confused myself. I'm having trouble knowing if I'm working with the correct body parts. Iv'e been doing lot's of research about voice training (obviously not enough), but I don't think I'm progressing much I mean I can't even locate my Adam's Apple (even with help from YouTube), if I have one at all? Whenever I feel my throat with my fingers and I attempt to "lift" what I think is my AA with my throat muscles I actually feel a bone(?) moving down instead of upwards. Does that sound anything vaguely remote to what is supposed to be going on? I feel like I'm doing it completely wrong lol.

Also I believe that I can do head voice well enough now to where I only need to "swallow' my AA to sound natural. Unless of course the two (head voice & AA "swallowing") have nothing to do with each other. I use the PanoTuner app (is there a better app?) and can get my frequency to 150Hz at most using head voice.

While using head voice I can feel my chest vibrating less and my throat vibrating more than when I speak in my male voice.

Please help, I really want to find my true voice before beginning HRT or very soon after I begin. I am more than happy to provide answers to any questions and to clarify things as needed.

Thank you all in advance, CC94x 

[DustKitten]

Put your fingers on the front of your throat and swallow; you should feel a little knot of something bone-like (two knots for me--it's actually lumps of cartilage) move up in your throat when you swallow. That's your adam's apple. When you speak in a higher voice, your adam's apple actually moves up on its own to hit the higher notes, so don't worry about it too much I think it's just a way to help you feel the muscles you need to use for the higher range.

My therapist recommended an app called Eva to me, but I don't actually own a smart phone atm (I'm 10 years behind on phone tech, in spite of my age) so I can't give it a good review just yet. I'll probably get one soon just so I can try it.

[SammyHatesGreenEggs]

PanoTuner is pretty simple, but I use it as well, since it's free and it gets the job done.  I'll have to check out Eva as well.

Not knowing much else about what research or work you've done on your voice so far, can you hum at a higher pitch?  There's no "right" way to do it at the end of the day, but I started with good pitch first with crappy resonance, and have worked to maintain the pitch while improving my resonance (which sounds the opposite of the route you may be taking).

I've seen a lot of videos and read a lot about manipulating the larynx/adams apple, but it's not really something I've focused on, though to be fair, I'm not done with my voice training yet either.

[Dena]

You may not have an adam's apple as not everybody has one. That's not important anyway because what you really need is the larynx which the adam's apple would be attached to. The larynx is located in about the middle of your neck . Gently place a finger there and swallow. You should feel it move up when you do that. Using the same set of muscles, you need to hold your larynx up when you speak. You should see at least a 40HZ improvement in pitch if you have the correct voice and depending on your starting voice, you might see more. Another little trick is saying Ahhhh in your chest voice then start raising your pitch. You should feel the larynx move up and your voice will break and move into a higher pitch. The break point is the difference between your chest and head voice.

[OU812]

Adjusting habits of larynx position is typically the most fundamental physiological aspect of transitioning the voice - we're making the sound less 'covered' and more 'bright'. Speech habits matter too, but I'm talking about the voice itself.

The sound of the voice takes a lot of practice (years, not months) since you'll constantly be exploring what works and what doesn't. You need to trust your own ears in this regard. A voice app just is not going to tell you if your voice sounds female at any given time. It does not measure what's necessary, and it's entirely possible to develop habits of sounding bad at a "good" pitch just because your phone gives you a +1.

As much as modern surgeries are praised for raising vocal pitch, what they really fix are the problems related to playing an instrument whose fundamental frequency is low to begin with. The only app or set of lessons that will help you is the one that teaches you how to understand what you hear from yourself and how to control / adjust it to your liking.

[CuriousCat94x]

Thank you all for the feedback, it really means a lot to me and I'm sure that it will help others who are struggling with this problem as well. After reviewing all the replies and doing some more research I was able to find the "Adams Apple" and I am now doing the right thing lol (my "bone" is moving up instead of down).

@DustKitten I will definitely check out Eva and thank you for your tips, they really aided me in my struggle. Also don't worry about not having a smartphone, the only reason I have one is because my brother is helping me out until I graduate college in a few months 

@SammyHatesGreenEggs Thank you as well! I can definitely hum at a higher pitch, but I believe it's in falsetto mode lol I'm not sure if that will help me? Anyways I believe that now I am on the same track as you, I don't feel like I'm doing it backwards now 

@Dena I still feel like if I don't have one, but whatever I found I am starting to exercise it like if it is the AA (more likely than not it is indeed the AA) 
You're input greatly helped when it came to actually find the correct spot! 

@OU812 that is some very good advice that I will definitely take into consideration as I progress in my training. I realize now that I also need to work on the diction as well as the "sound". 
It's strange because I rarely speak, I'm on the quieter side, but as I'm slowly becoming my true self I find myself happier and wanting to speak more. 

[DustKitten]

It's strange because I rarely speak, I'm on the quieter side, but as I'm slowly becoming my true self I find myself happier and wanting to speak more. 

Me, too I'm actually sociable now. Not being completely depressed 24/7 really helps with the whole talking-to-people thing.

[CuriousCat94x]

Me, too I'm actually sociable now. Not being completely depressed 24/7 really helps with the whole talking-to-people thing.

Yess! That right there, I'm recovering from being stressed out, depressed, and suffering anxiety attacks. I felt like I was just going to drop dead at any moment. At first I thought that I was just overwhelmed with work, college, and bills/ debt. However, recently I (after doing some serious digging and researching my feelings) discovered that my whole life I've been living with a severe case of GD. I'm barely beginning to physically change (I've always been female in my mind and soul) into a female and I can feel a huge, giant, weight being lifted from my shoulders, like if I'm waking up from a long, deep, sleep. The only thing that is keeping me awake at night and that I'm stressing over now is "coming out" to my family and friends... they're all completely against anything related to LGBTQ so I don't know how I'm going to manage, but I will find a way, there is always a way!