Quote from: Laura Eva B on September 02, 2008, 07:26:11 PM
Am I just lucky with my voice ... its one thing I've never practiced ?
I've heard many trans women who sound really forced, almost falsetto, or those who just do not make an effort and sound like truck drivers.
You ARE lucky to have a passable voice without practice! I wish that I could say that, but the truth is that I did practice, beginning as a child. All of my friends were girls, and part of what I did in order to fit in, was to try to sound like them. I did very well and developed a very natural childlike voice that was 100% passable over the phone. I used to call my mother and tease her about having dialed her number by mistake. She thought that I was a little girl and never thought that the little girl was me!
You're certainly correct about trans women who try to over compensate by speaking in an un-natural, forced high voice. The goal is to sound natural, which is more than pitch alone, but also resonance and intonation. Articulation makes a difference as well. Vocal presentation is about subtleties; many women have low voices. Lauren Bacall is an example. I no longer can speak as sweetly and as childlike as I once could, and I've utilized the services of a speech pathologist to help me to refine my speech. I have excellent control over pitch, can easily speak in one note per syllable if I wish to, my resonance is very good, and most importantly, my speech flows gracefully, and is completely natural. For me, transition is about gender and self expression. My voice is crucial to my identity and to my ability to express myself, I place enormous importance to it. My voice has to be true to who I am, or how can I express myself honestly? I've spent a great deal of time practicing and refining my voice to the point where I really feel comfortable using it as I would like. I would never live full time as I am if I were unable to open my mouth and add to my ability to blend into society. I need to be able to freely interact with people, and to feel pride in who I am.
I do volunteer work. I work as a receptionist greeting visitors as well as taking phone calls. I also work in New York City as a saleswoman. I would never be able to do these things if I were unable to speak naturally as myself. I sound like a woman with a New York accent, and that is exactly who I am. As Laura has observed, some individuals make no effort. Everyone has the right to express their gender awareness as they experience it. I experience my gender in the same way as any other woman, and there is no way that I would be able to become accepted by mainstream society as I am without my vocal skills. They are, for me, at least as important as my visual presentation.
There has been a lot of attention given to the program recenly that showcased Dr. Marci Bowers, as well as another woman. Both women speak beautifully! They both present so very well physically and in terms of their speech! I'm not nearly as passable as either, and my speech is entirely different. I have no desire to look or to sound like anyone else. I'm transitioning in order to be true to myself, and I'm very comfortable with what I've accomplished. I practically never attract attention as I look like what I am; an average 58 year old woman. Sometimes an older man will start a conversation. My vocal skills allow it to continue!
