Susan's Place Transgender Resources

This is just something I've been noticing recently that I thought I would throw out there.  Singing and music have always been important to me, as they were kind of the artistic expressions I used instead of the painting my sisters did.  I love singing, by myself, at karaoke bars, in the shower, in the car, walking to school, so on. 
With my transition, even without extensive practice in voice feminization my speaking voice has altered considerably, so I don't casually talk in the deep monotone I was used to.  However, with my singing I was pretty much most comfortable singing in the register of Johnny Cash or something like that.
So I'm at a pickling spot here, cause my voice isn't feminine enough to sing like a woman, but I don't want to keep singing in the baritone that I was most accustomed to.  I think I am progressing, but it's hard to tell and I think I'm singing worse. XD

So, basically just asking for everyone else's experiences, if you liked singing and what you did about it, or notable transgender musicians and singers.  I remember greatly admiring an androgynous singer from a Cirque Du Soleil sound track, who could switch between masculine or feminine vocals, and wondering if maybe I could adopt that style.

As a music major, singing and playing has always been important to me (although I don't particularly like performing, stage fright and all that lol). I guess I'm kind of lucky in that I have a very high tenor voice, so it doesn't take much for me to sound feminine. It's fairly common for me to be mistaken for a woman on the phone! :) Anyway, as far a singing goes, I've found that there's a certain place that you can sing from that has a feminine tone without being forced into falsetto. For me it's sort a very "forward" feeling, if that makes any sense. The only thing about singing that way is that I can't get very loud.

I came across this particularly impressive video a few years ago. I think it could serve as good inspirational material for those of us hoping to achieve a good female singing voice :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqDUM8X7Qq0

This is something of interest to me too.

While I've no desire to sing at anything other than karaoke, I'd like to be able to do that ( probably badly ), but sound female regardless.

From what I've read so far on the topic, it takes a very long time to learn, if your larynx is capable.

A further question for the thread, is this something I can slowly pick up myself without any specialised training? Assuming my voice is physically capable that is. I'm forever singing on a daily basis ( which I also found was great for my female talking voice ). In the car, at home etc...

Quote from: Caitlyn on December 30, 2013, 01:05:46 AM
As a music major, singing and playing has always been important to me (although I don't particularly like performing, stage fright and all that lol). I guess I'm kind of lucky in that I have a very high tenor voice, so it doesn't take much for me to sound feminine. It's fairly common for me to be mistaken for a woman on the phone! :) Anyway, as far a singing goes, I've found that there's a certain place that you can sing from that has a feminine tone without being forced into falsetto. For me it's sort a very "forward" feeling, if that makes any sense. The only thing about singing that way is that I can't get very loud.

I came across this particularly impressive video a few years ago. I think it could serve as good inspirational material for those of us hoping to achieve a good female singing voice :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqDUM8X7Qq0

Omg I remember that I love her and so does my aunt lol

Two words: Voice Coach! If singing is this important to you, learn from the best and go into training. :)

I have found that training for a female singing voice is do-able but needs a lot of time and practice. I started by working on pitch and tone and always stop as soon as my voice shows signs of straining. This used to be after about 30 seconds but I am up to about an hour now.

Once I was happy with the tone I started working on the volume. This is still a work in progress but I can sing louder than the usual shy mumblings of people who don't like singing. I haven't seen a vocal coach (yet) so it IS possible to train yourself. I would imagine my progress would have been quicker with a coach but I need the money for electrolysis.

Rosie

Oh! mountainhun, what a magic thread, thanks for starting it, and thanks for the video link. I've just been offered singing lessons from a profession singer who I admire very much, I shall be getting started as soon as I can.

I primarily want to develop a good feminine voice, as I expect most of us do, but learning to slide from female to male is a tempting skill to acquire after seeing the reaction of the audience etc. on the video link, and also that of my friends that I show my favorite CandiFLA video link to, which is 016 transgender voice-3 by candiFLA

This link is not it, as I've posted it on here quite a few times now, so for a change here's the link to Candi doing a sliding special.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibJFGRMYPCc&list=PLF4765311BB40432F (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibJFGRMYPCc&list=PLF4765311BB40432F)

Just like speaking, we gender singers by a combination of pitch, enunciation, inflection, etc. In other words, it's not all about your vocal range.

But if you are naturally a tenor, you're already in a really good position to develop a singing voice which people will gender as female. Tenor and alto singing ranges overlap by quite a bit. For a contemporary example, in "Wrecking Ball", Miley Cyrus sings deep into contralto (low alto) range ("...I will always want you..."), which is essentially also the heart of the tenor range. I'm a tenor and have no problem singing along with that record at the same pitch, even when she does the higher harmonies during the chorus.

If you are a baritone or bass, you will essentially have the same issues with speaking and singing. My best advice would be to work hard on your feminine speaking voice, then apply exactly the same techniques to your singing.

And have some fun: Sing along with your favorite female singers and try to imitate their pronunciation and inflection!

Lora

I couldn't hold a note if it was written on paper ;)

ive been working on my voice for while now and i can say, i am starting to "get it". i find trying to go as high as possible then leveling it off like in candi's video is the best for me as i speak femaninimly in a higher pitch. it sounds a bit unnatual for me in falsetto so i try to speak/sing in a normal voice with my voice box clenched and lifted.
a good tip i saw in another vid is to make sure your "neck bump" is above your hand when you put it right under your chin.
it made my resonance a bit more manageable.
i like to sing promises by nero to get up there which is a super high octave and try not to slip into falsetto which forces me to take the above steps. then more comfortably, i bring it down by singing monster by paramore. thats my more comfortable female range. then i go for radioactive by imagine dragons, matching his pitch but keeping the resonance of the previous songs.

for an example of a high male pitch, listen to move you by the urgency. not doable without practice.

its really based on how comfortble you are with which method.
you can either go high and come down or you can go up from you maleish voice if your resonance is more faminine or genderless.
hope this helped

Hi, same here.  I was born to be on the stage.  Studied music in Pretoria, South Africa.  I play various flutes, piano, guitar, violin and I most enjoy singing.  I am the lead singer in my church at the moment.  I can reach above avarge notes as a male singer but now that I want to change my gender my mother keeps asking me what about my singing talents.  I have a softer male voice and my prenounciation of words is alot more girly.  I guess I should ask for outside opinions if I could pass as a female vocalist, but just one with a deeper tone.  I sure hope so... 
To give you an example I kind of sound and can reach every note Chris Martin can from Coldplay.  But still I have a more feminine sound to my voice and pronounciation than he has.

I love to singalong with lots of different singers but it straisn my voice quite a bit so that day after I am noticeably gruff and male sounding so I try to limit myself to humming along.

Quote from: Lizandri Roth on January 01, 2014, 05:34:31 AM
Hi, same here.  I was born to be on the stage.  Studied music in Pretoria, South Africa.  I play various flutes, piano, guitar, violin and I most enjoy singing.  I am the lead singer in my church at the moment.  I can reach above avarge notes as a male singer but now that I want to change my gender my mother keeps asking me what about my singing talents.  I have a softer male voice and my prenounciation of words is alot more girly.  I guess I should ask for outside opinions if I could pass as a female vocalist, but just one with a deeper tone.  I sure hope so... 
To give you an example I kind of sound and can reach every note Chris Martin can from Coldplay.  But still I have a more feminine sound to my voice and pronounciation than he has.

Well, there's the contralto voice type, which fits very nicely in the standard tenor range. Perhaps listen to some good contralto singers on youtube to get an idea for their timbre and try to imitate that? Adele and (*cringe*) Miley Cyrus both fall into this vocal range.