Hello everyone! I've been thinking a lot about my voice and about voices in general lately, and there's something I've always wondered about.
Cis guys' voices are naturally deeper after they hit puberty. Not all guys get really deep voices, but yet most sound masculine even if their voices aren't that deep. This is particularly noticeable in singers--when a cis male and cis female sing the same high note, you could generally still tell the sex of both singers, the same as if they sing a low note. Not always the case, obviously, but most of the time.
I've found many cis male singers who have the same vocal range as I do (pre-T), and I can sing fairly high and reasonably low. However, my voice sounds feminine when singing these notes but theirs do not.
Does anyone know why male and female voices sound different when you don't consider how deep or high they are?
That's something that has bugged me for a while. A man with a high voice still sounds like a man, yet a woman with a low voice still sounds like a woman.
Try these links. They have some explanation about the differences between male and female voices aside from pitch.
http://vocalability.com/voice-science/are-male-and-female-voices-really-that-different/ (http://vocalability.com/voice-science/are-male-and-female-voices-really-that-different/)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_therapy_%28transgender%29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_therapy_%28transgender%29)
It all comes down to VTL, or vocal tract length. This is the factor that decides the size of the resonating chamber in your throat.
Essentially, you can consciously modify VTL by moving your larynx (Adams apple) up and down.
So, if you want to have a deeper sounding voice at the same pitch, you are going to have to consciously drop your Adams apple down. Conversely for mtf, the goal is to make the voice sound tinier by pulling the Adams apple up.
This is also frequently referred to as "resonance" modification in trans voice therapy.
Very interesting. I wonder what of kind of exercises/therapy might change it permanently?
Quote from: Antagonist on December 25, 2013, 03:33:34 PM
Very interesting. I wonder what of kind of exercises/therapy might change it permanently?
It would have to be learned/motivated.
One exercise that can be helpful to demonstrate the muscular positioning of the larynx is...
Step 1) put your finger on your adams apple
Step 2) swallow, and feel how your adams apple goes all the way up. Try to hold it there and speak, which is near impossible. It might even sound a bit like kermit the frog. This is the highest it will go and the smallest you can make your throat chamber or the "highest resonance".
Step 3) still holding your finger there, try to yawn. This is as low as your adams apple will go and the biggest you can make your throat chamber or the "lowest resonance". If you are looking to make a voice sound deeper, this is the muscle position you will have to get used to.
I hope this helps!
Well speech therapists can work with transmen too. Though they need experience probably. I might go to one if my hoarseness doesn't improve. THough it seems like it is gradually getting a bit better.
--Jay