Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hello all. I'm new to this forum, been transitioning for a little over a year (November is my year anniversary on full hormone dosage) and I've been struggling with one aspect in particular...my voice. I know a lot of trans people struggle with this, and I've looked at several guides that haven't really helped me.

Does anyone have access to any good guides or videos about voice feminization tips or techniques? Or does anyone know any good, affordable voice coaches in the Bay area? Any hello would be appreciated.

Thanks so much and good luck in this current, awful political climate to all my brothers and sisters <3

Hi, Whimsy!

Welcome to Susan's Place.  Congratulations on your anniversary!

Voice is indeed a problem area for many trans women.  I found it helpful to see a voice therapist.  She wasn't cheap, so I had fewer sessions that would have been ideal, but I learned a lot from her.  Unfortunately, I am at the opposite end of the continent from you, so I can't help you with local recommendations.

One thing I learned from her was not to worry too much about numbers.  All the reference material indicated that I needed to raise my voice by a full octave to get it into official "female range".  I simply couldn't do a full octave without danaging my voice.  (And one of the advantages of working with a therapist is that she was able to tell me when I was doing something damaging, so I could stop doing it.)  So instead of trying for a full octave, I aimed for raising my pitch a fifth, which I could do without injury, and which got me up to the bottom end of the female range.

With practise (it's been a couple of years now), I am now able to start with my voice at that level most of the time.

More important that pitch is the intonation of your voice.  There is not much you can do about the natural resonance of your vocal cavities, but you can alter your how your voice rises and falls as you speak.  Letting your pitch drop at the end of a sentence is very male.  Women keep their pitch up, or even raise it, as they finish talking.

Please feel free to stop by the Introductions forum (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/board,8.0.html) to tell the members about yourself.  Here is some information that we like to share with new members:

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Quote from: Whimsy on November 01, 2018, 04:34:02 PM
Hello all. I'm new to this forum, been transitioning for a little over a year (November is my year anniversary on full hormone dosage) and I've been struggling with one aspect in particular...my voice. I know a lot of trans people struggle with this, and I've looked at several guides that haven't really helped me.

Does anyone have access to any good guides or videos about voice feminization tips or techniques? Or does anyone know any good, affordable voice coaches in the Bay area? Any hello would be appreciated.

Thanks so much and good luck in this current, awful political climate to all my brothers and sisters <3

@Whimsy
Dear Whimsy:
    I am most pleased that you had decided to join the Susan's Place.

    I see that our lovely member  @KathyLauren   has already welcomed you to Susan's Place.  Please allow me to also welcome you here.
Thank you for writing your very first posting.... other members will be along to offer their thoughts and comments in response to your specific questions and concerns..

    This is the right place for you to be to find out what others may have to say that may have been in your circumstances and with your questions and concerns.
    There are a lot of members here that will be able to identify with your situation as you continue to feel free to share it.

    I want to warmly WELCOME you to Susan's Place. 
You will find this a safe and friendly place to share with others and to read about others similar trials, tribulations, and successes.

    As you are certainly aware you can share with others and involve yourself with some give and take with other like-minded members.  When frustrated or if you have successes you can share it here if you wish and receive support from others and offer support to others. ....
     ***It's a very good chance that you might find that you will make some new friends here. 

    Please come in and continue to be involved at your own pace.
   
    There is information and important LINKS that  KathyLauren  included in her welcome message to you.   You will find information about the site that will help you navigate around and best utilize the features here.   
Please look closely at the LINKS in RED, answers are there to many questions that new members ask.

Again, Welcome to Susan's Place.
Danielle

NOTE:  Be certain to follow KathyLauren's suggestion and go to the Introductions Forum (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/board,8.0.html) and write a brief introduction post and summary about yourself so that more members here on the Susan's Place forums will be aware of your arrival and therefore you may obtain more responses and information that you might be looking for and you will be able to share with others.

I've been seeing a voice therapist through the VA. She has me using the EVA app. It's only for iPhone (6 and newer). It's 20 lessons at $5 each for a total of $100. I haven't stuck with it, but I do feel it was helping. It's very methodical. A lot of the early lessons are very basic, but do help to build a foundation for later lessons.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

One of the best ways to IMPROVE your voice is to simply go full time. It is soo sooooo soooooooo much more real when your neck is on the line in front of the world..... Not saying it is going to make your voice perfect but it certainly will do wonders........

Quote from: Katie on November 14, 2018, 01:54:21 PM
One of the best ways to IMPROVE your voice is to simply go full time. It is soo sooooo soooooooo much more real when your neck is on the line in front of the world..... Not saying it is going to make your voice perfect but it certainly will do wonders........

It's funny because it works that way for foreign languages too.

I went to a voice trainer at GWU.