Community Conversation => Transitioning => Voice Therapy and Surgery => Topic started by: blossom on April 17, 2016, 04:59:05 PM Return to Full Version
Title: My voice sounds like a man's
Post by: blossom on April 17, 2016, 04:59:05 PM
Post by: blossom on April 17, 2016, 04:59:05 PM
I am consistently called "sir" on the phone. What should I do?
Title: Re: My voice sounds like a man's
Post by: suzifrommd on April 17, 2016, 05:03:00 PM
Post by: suzifrommd on April 17, 2016, 05:03:00 PM
I was able to change my voice. I used a technique based on advice I got here and some youtube videos. Here's how I did it:
1. I spoke in the highest, squeakiest voice I could manage. I concentrated on remembering the exact position my throat was in. In practice this meant my voicebox was raised a fraction of an inch and my throat was "squeezed".
2. I would then position my throat exactly that way, but speak normally. Everything that came out of my mouth sounded female when I did that.
I hope this helps.
1. I spoke in the highest, squeakiest voice I could manage. I concentrated on remembering the exact position my throat was in. In practice this meant my voicebox was raised a fraction of an inch and my throat was "squeezed".
2. I would then position my throat exactly that way, but speak normally. Everything that came out of my mouth sounded female when I did that.
I hope this helps.
Title: Re: My voice sounds like a man's
Post by: Dena on April 17, 2016, 05:18:18 PM
Post by: Dena on April 17, 2016, 05:18:18 PM
What have you done to correct it. Have you looked at the youtube videos, considered speech therapy or reviewed what is available on the site? Have you obtained any of the tools discussed in the voice forum to measure your voice? Even a surgical voice tends to require some form of training for it to be gendered female. A trained voice take time and work to obtain. It took months of work for me to learn how to properly use a feminine voice. Unless you put out the effort, you will continue to be mis gendered.
Title: Re: My voice sounds like a man's
Post by: blossom on April 17, 2016, 05:57:11 PM
Post by: blossom on April 17, 2016, 05:57:11 PM
Well, I've done some research on Andrea James and Moorea Music which offer voice coaching. I've also read a little about Yeson and Dr. Mayer's voice surgery.
Title: Re: My voice sounds like a man's
Post by: Dena on April 17, 2016, 06:21:21 PM
Post by: Dena on April 17, 2016, 06:21:21 PM
If you fail to do anything to help yourself, you only have yourself to blame. Transitioning is an enormous amount of hard work and nobody can do it for you. We can only give you information on how to solve the problem but you will have to make that information a reality.
Even surgery may not solve your issues. Without applying what I know from speech therapy, I still sound like a man. It's only the combination of therapy and surgery the produce a feminine voice. Others after surgery had the pitch but still used male speech patterns which made them sound like a man with a high voice. Many of the girls sound very feminine with only therapy and never required surgery.
I am sure there are speech therapist local to you who are able to handle your therapy but nothing will happen until you make it happen so make a decision what you want to do and do it.
Even surgery may not solve your issues. Without applying what I know from speech therapy, I still sound like a man. It's only the combination of therapy and surgery the produce a feminine voice. Others after surgery had the pitch but still used male speech patterns which made them sound like a man with a high voice. Many of the girls sound very feminine with only therapy and never required surgery.
I am sure there are speech therapist local to you who are able to handle your therapy but nothing will happen until you make it happen so make a decision what you want to do and do it.