Hi !
I read several times that you have to train your voice to make it more feminine and that VFS is not the only thing to do. So what do you do to train your voice ? I try to sing a bit with a high voice everyday, is it good ?
Please tell me !
~ Emi
I highly recommend you watch the Youtube videos and read the guide by the girls behind Deep Stealth:
http://www.genderlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/voicebook020.pdf
http://www.genderlife.com/voice-consultation/voice-tutor/
https://www.youtube.com/user/deepstealth
It's really helped me and continuous to do so
This series of videos helped me the most.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbaj4tIX1kw
Thank you for your replies ;)
I'll try to follow your guides ^^
Quote from: (Not So)LonelyFrench on April 30, 2014, 04:46:24 PM
Hi !
I read several times that you have to train your voice to make it more feminine and that VFS is not the only thing to do. So what do you do to train your voice ? I try to sing a bit with a high voice everyday, is it good ?
Please tell me !
~ Emi
Here's what works well for me. Basically it's similar to the technique from the CandiFLA youtube videos:
1. I spoke in the highest, squeakiest voice I could manage. I concentrated on remembering the exact position my throat was in.
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.
Thanks again :)
I'll try what you said ;)
I was just about to make another voice training thread, until I saw this one.
I may or may not being going about this the right way but here's what I'm doing:
I'm setting myself on a routine schedule. I am putting 5-10 minutes a day to work on my voice by:
Drinking water first; Speak at my normal male voice and then take my voice up and up and up until I am in my falsetto, speak at my falsetto, and then trying to softening and lowering my voice as I envision my resonance going up, my vocal chords shrinking, and the muscles around my Adam's Apple constricting around it. When I do that I do get a voice that does sound girly but it sounds TOO girly and not an ideal voice I want to be using in public (CandiFLA mentions this as the "ultra high feminine voice" or something like that).
My goals here are to go into Falsetto and lower it until I get a female voice that I really want to use, and to train my brain to get used to speaking at a high voice with my Adam's Apple being higher into my chin.
The other things I'm doing is when I am not practicing, I listen to female singers and sing at really high notes with them in my "ultra high feminine voice" and I also swallow when I am drinking and keeping my Adam's Apple up into my chin for as long as I can until i really can't breathe.
I keep hearing that the CandiFla videos on YouTube are really helpful but I've watched them so many times to the point where I'm sick of watching/listening to them.
But as an aside I'd rather take 6 - 20 months practicing my voice to get to a female voice and a more autonomically correct female neck, than to spend thousands of dollars on voice surgery when it might not even work or get desired results! Not to look down on others who resorted to voice surgery but I would only recommend it as a last resort.
I will start using your tips as soon as my therapist will tell my family I should start transition. ^^ Ill start seeing a therapist monday. I hope she will fast see it's not "just a puberty thing" as many said. Ill keep you all informed ;)
Quote from: antonia on April 30, 2014, 09:43:32 PM
I highly recommend you watch the Youtube videos and read the guide by the girls behind Deep Stealth:
http://www.genderlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/voicebook020.pdf
http://www.genderlife.com/voice-consultation/voice-tutor/
https://www.youtube.com/user/deepstealth
It's really helped me and continuous to do so
^^^^
Yes this above, This is a great resource. Goes over all the technical things.
I also sing, talk, chat, give mini speeches when I'm in the car. I also record it, listen to it, try to adjust it and try again 4 or 5 times in a row. I probably sound a little crazy too but you have to have fun when you practice, you know? Lol
We should do a Topic/Post thing on peoples voice clips sometime - if there isn't one already. :D
I don't think there is one but, damned, we MUST do one ! lol
Quote from: antonia on April 30, 2014, 09:43:32 PM
I highly recommend you watch the Youtube videos and read the guide by the girls behind Deep Stealth:
http://www.genderlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/voicebook020.pdf
http://www.genderlife.com/voice-consultation/voice-tutor/
https://www.youtube.com/user/deepstealth
It's really helped me and continuous to do so
Thank you for posting these links, the resources are very, very helpful.
Your welcome, :)
Hopefully we can compare notes at some point.
Quote from: Kimberley Beauregard on May 07, 2014, 07:45:41 PM
Thank you for posting these links, the resources are very, very helpful.
I'm feeling like my post became a tutorial xD
Thanks antonia ^^
Thank all ya'll for the pointers and tips. This thread is exactly what I was looking for! I'm going to try some of those vids when I get a chance to. Hopefully my voice is a little more feminine when I come out to my family in a few months (I will only do that in person and I haven't seen them for 3+ years)
For what I learned lately, one of the biggest problems, after finding the female voice, is the need to use the male voice, when you're not fulltime, because it is clearly sabotaging your throat position and therefore it takes twice as long to achieve a good, passable female voice...
I don't know if it is like this with everyone, but now, when I went fulltime and don't need to use my old voice anymore, the female one became much better in a very short period of time and now I am experiencing no efforts to use it 24/7 and even if someone wakes me up in the middle of the night and I am totally unaware of anything, I still use my female voice... I think the male one is slowly going away and I can't wait to come to the point, where I will no longer have got that male voice position.
Yes I'm not full time too (in fact I came out only to some friends and my family) and it's clearly bad for my female voice to have to speak with my male voice in public :-\
When I get to a better place I'm wondering if practicing your voice will affect your total(?) Voice? cause I do a lot of weird quirky voices, like meowing like a lot of different cats perfectly, and a lot of weird voices. Not a fan of my normal voice, but I like to still do the weird voices and I guess I'm wondering if that would be an issue. Thanks in advance!
I'm not sure if I understood what you meant.
You wanna know if training your voice will change your fun voices like meowing ?
Yea kinda I'm a bit weird... I guess I'm not to knowledgeable on this and was wondering if its more of like adding a voice or replacing?
I think I know what you meant now :P
If you train your voice, I think it will totally change. Actually, I'm not an expert about this, but I think it wont "add a voice".
I soooooo envy you girls that can achieve a female voice. For me due to throat damage from accident I'm afraid VFS is my only hope. If that don't work, I'm learning sign and becoming mute. I hate my voice so much i can't put it into words.
Ally :icon_flower:
Dang... I'm sorry about that. I hope the VFS works for you then.
I'm worried about something similar, but not quite as bad. Before I joined the USMC, I sang Tenor I (highest male voice in standard chorus, sometimes singing into the mid Soprano range) in a semi-professional choir. I haven't been able to sing the same since Boot Camp. When I can sing, it is not good and in the full Baritone range. I'm just hoping to train my voice up enough to be able to sing Alto, as well as pass as a feminine voice. I miss being able to sing... :(
Oh, I know that hurt, Raven :-\
I had a similar experience. When I was in elementary school, I sang in a choir and I was able to do very high voices, but at 10 or 11, my voice started to change and, now, years later, I can't do these high voices anymore. It really hurt when you realize that kind of things. :-\
But unlike Allyda, I wouldnt like to become mute ! I will do all I can do to sound female, but loosing my voice or any other sense is my greatest fear x)
Quote from: Allyda on May 17, 2014, 08:54:19 PM
I soooooo envy you girls that can achieve a female voice. For me due to throat damage from accidenr I'm afraid VFS is my only hope. If that don't work, I'm learning sign and becoming mute. I hate my voice so much i can't put it into words.
Ally :icon_flower:
What sort of voice damage you have?
I am asking, because I have a damage too, caused by too loud and too high singing during puberty, which leaded to lost ability to go in a falsetto and throat aching, whenever I try to go any note above middle C, and no voice at all, but only air above E/F... Although I still have got a proven passable female voice with no surgeries at all :)
Quote from: Aquarelle on May 19, 2014, 04:15:22 AM
What sort of voice damage you have?
I am asking, because I have a damage too, caused by too loud and too high singing during puberty, which leaded to lost ability to go in a falsetto and throat aching, whenever I try to go any note above middle C, and no voice at all, but only air above E/F... Although I still have got a proven passable female voice with no surgeries at all :)
I was in an aircraft accident in 1991 where my larinx was crushed -had to have tracheotomy on scene then emergency surgery on my throat to keep me from choking as things swole shut. So I have a lot of scar tissue near and in my voicebox that make my voice sound scratchy and I have no range. I can however still go falsetto but there is no in between. I'm afraid VFS is my only hope and even then I'm not so sure as VFS is far from foolproof.
Ally :icon_flower:
Oh I hope you'll can reach your goals Ally :-\
Allyda, did you have a lot of voice therapy yet? That gap between cheast and head voice (falsetto) can somtimes be minimized with some therapy. Other than that, I would suggest you look at two options for VFS and so consultations with both. Dr Kim seems to be really good, so I gues sit is worth a try to send him all the information you have. Do a thorough ENT examination with laryngoskopy and voice recordings before and see if you can possibly send it to Dr Kim for an evaluation. The opther option I would consider is Dr Thomas in Portland. He does a larynx reconstruction, so if you have a lot of scar tissue there, he might be able to actually reshape everything in a way that repairs some of that old damage as well. It is much mor invasive than Dr Kim, but Dr Kims metod IMO is made for a more or less healthy voice that is having minor issues like assymetry and pitch issues. Dr Thomas seems to be able to repair a lot more if there is previous damage. So I would get consultations from both and see who is more promising.
Quote from: Emi ("LonelyFrench") on May 20, 2014, 01:22:19 AM
Oh I hope you'll can reach your goals Ally :-\
Thanks Emi I really appreciate it. I hope so too because my only other option is learning sign and becoming mute. I hate my voice so much even though out in public I pass with ease despite how terrible I sound. I'm hurt so bad over the phone though because it's the only time I get Sirred. I was speaking to mt code enforcement officer this morning and no matter how many times I said I'm a Ms, not a Sir, or, I'm a woman, not a man, he still insisted on Sirring me. I was nearly in tears by the end of the short conversation.Quote from: anjaq on May 20, 2014, 03:55:34 AM
Allyda, did you have a lot of voice therapy yet? That gap between cheast and head voice (falsetto) can somtimes be minimized with some therapy. Other than that, I would suggest you look at two options for VFS and so consultations with both. Dr Kim seems to be really good, so I gues sit is worth a try to send him all the information you have. Do a thorough ENT examination with laryngoskopy and voice recordings before and see if you can possibly send it to Dr Kim for an evaluation. The opther option I would consider is Dr Thomas in Portland. He does a larynx reconstruction, so if you have a lot of scar tissue there, he might be able to actually reshape everything in a way that repairs some of that old damage as well. It is much mor invasive than Dr Kim, but Dr Kims metod IMO is made for a more or less healthy voice that is having minor issues like assymetry and pitch issues. Dr Thomas seems to be able to repair a lot more if there is previous damage. So I would get consultations from both and see who is more promising.
Yes, I've tried voice therapy quite a few time as I've been full time now for 5 years. I can get to the lower female range without going into falsetto but it's just too hard to hold. I'm supposed to have scheduling this week for an ENT consult at Shans University Hospital in Gainesville for a surgical consult but they haven't gotten back with me yet. So hopefully that will bear fruit, or at the very least give me some answers if they ever get me scheduled.
Ally :icon_flower:
Keep telling us about any progress Ally ;)
Quote from: Emi ("LonelyFrench") on May 21, 2014, 06:52:20 AM
Keep telling us about any progress Ally ;)
I promise I will. Had a setback today though. It seems after first telling me this ENT doctor at Shans did do VFS, now I'm being told he doesn't. So I'm a little depressed. Becominh mute is sounding better and better. Anyhoo, So I contacted my Endo and he's going to find me a surgeon that does do VFS for sure. My Endo doesn't like seeing his trans patients getting the run-a-round. I'll let y'all know when I know when I'm scheduled and with who.
I really appreciate everyone's support and concern.
Ally :icon_flower:
Quote from: Allyda on May 21, 2014, 06:00:43 PM
So I'm a little depressed. Becominh mute is sounding better and better.
Hey, don't worry, if your endo is a good one he will find you a good surgeon for sure. Don't be dipressed, keep hope ;)
Quote from: Allyda on May 20, 2014, 12:47:20 PM
I can get to the lower female range without going into falsetto but it's just too hard to hold.
Hmm - yes I understadn. it has to be done inthe proper way or it is straining a lot.
On a different note - how do you train voice melody and inflection properly. I tried to just speak after recordings of women who talk or read, but usually it is too fast for me to repeat, if I repeat I am not sure I did it right and if I record it I am not sure what to watch out for. I think I am doing a lot of mistakes there still
Girls, the whole voice thing is a challenge to all of us, but it does get better with training, effort, and listening to yourself.
I started doing voice training only a month ago, with a singing teacher, to improve my range. And at the same time I have been working on pitch, tone and inflection by really listening to how women speak. (Women's Hour - a great BBC Radio 4 program and available as a podcast!)
And today one of my girl friends sent me a text saying that there was a strange voice doing the greeting for my mobile phone voicemail. It was my old male voice. The one she no longer recognises :D
Patience and practise... and yes, I wish I was patient and had time to practise!!!
Hugs!
J
you got there in only a month? you must be a natural ;)
I've always sang to myself as far back as when I was very little when I used to sing along to cartoon theme songs (they had some good ->-bleeped-<- back in the 80s, I tell you). But going forward a bit there was a time I my life when I got hooked on Sailor Moon and while singing along to the theme song my brother asked me why I was singing like a girl. I smiled, but was like "uh-oh" I got caught, but still continued to sing like that (I can't even remember now of what I really sounded like then, probably hyper cutesy or something similarly exaggerated). But I used singing to help my talking voice (it took many years, and I'm still working on it), but that did not help my singing voice ("Please...oh god, please shut up!" This coming from someone being tortured having to hear me sing; my mom, she's done long gotten used to it). I also do a lot of cat meows all the time (dog now too, ever since my Snickers came into my life), and cartoon voices (silly pointless stuff for my own amusement, not voice training or anything like that, just for fun).
I don't like my normal voice much (sometimes I'm self-conscience about it), I sound female enough, certainly not like how I used to sound. And while I can get my voice deep (again for my own entertainment when quoting cartoons, movies, games) it sounds artificial like a girl trying to sound like a guy. I don't fully remember exactly what I used to sound like unless I watch an old family tape with me in it (its been some years since I had seen and heard my old self), and its just weird because not only does it make me cringe hearing and seeing me then, I sound like a different person.
Sometimes, because I do have really bad allergies, I tend to sound nasally much of the time and also always mucus running down my throat (post-nasal drip?) sometimes I get clogged up and have to hack it up because it'll cause my voice to crackle and try to get stuck sounding horsey. Also if I've been talking too much my throat gets tired and I have to clear it a lot, drink something and lessen down on the talking for a bit while my throat recovers. My voice is very bland (at least to me), nothing pretty or sing-songy, but then I've never been one to show excitement through talking since much of my life I tried so much to avoid talking to anyone except myself (there were times in my life all too often that I wished I'm lose my voice altogether just so I'd have an excuse not to speak). But whatever. If no one gets confused seeing and hearing me in person, or over the phone, I'm good.
Is tone one of those things that only has a certain amount that it can change. I guess what I mean is my voice is insanely deep, I look the complete opposite but I could easily impersonate the actor Michael Clark Duncan over the phone. This is really my biggest fear in "passing" and also the thing I have worked on the least so far.
Does this mean more work or does it mean that even with all the work in the world I will land at a Michael Cera voice which is MUCH closer to female but not quite what I would want as an end result.
Quote from: Julia-Madrid on May 28, 2014, 05:01:51 PM
And today one of my girl friends sent me a text saying that there was a strange voice doing the greeting for my mobile phone voicemail. It was my old male voice. The one she no longer recognises :D
I had setup the voicemail on my wife's cell phone years ago. I had a friend in the car and I called my wife on speaker phone and her voicemail picked up and it was my old voice. I don't know who was shocked more, me or my friend. We first thought I had dialed the wrong number since I no longer sound anything like that anymore.
CandiFLA is fantastic! I hadn't found her before.
One strange thing that has been helping me is that I noticed that I talk to my three year-old with a softer sing-songey higher pitch voice. It's just what comes out naturally with him. That is if I'm not scolding him for filling the toilet with toys. :) Anyway...I'm working to develop that voice without sounding like I'm talking down to someone. I still have a bit more condescension than I'd like, but I'm closer than I was.
Quote from: Michaela Whimsy on May 28, 2014, 10:46:41 PM
Does this mean more work or does it mean that even with all the work in the world I will land at a Michael Cera voice which is MUCH closer to female but not quite what I would want as an end result.
Pitch-wise, that may be the best you can do since you're starting with such a low voice. But the female voice is more than just pitch. Women tend to be more sing-songey and their speech patterns are even a bit different. Men are more monotone and emphasize words with strength rather than pitch. If you can develop those with a Michael Cera-range pitch, you should be in pretty good shape.
Quote from: anjaq on May 28, 2014, 05:30:28 PM
you got there in only a month? you must be a natural ;)
He he, Anjaq, I have a fairly gentle voice to start with, which helps. What also helps are long weekends permanently in girl mode. Work days in boy mode are a bit of a pain, but thankfully I have less than 2 months left of those! Can't wait to get rid of the dual personality!!!
Well, more disappointments. I've struck out in the Gainesville area and am now taking a break from the phone tag to hopefully enjoy myself this weekend, and get a fresh start next week with the Tampa area. Tampa also has a few LGBT support groups that can maybe help find an ENT specialist to analize my voice/voicebox to see what can be done. Hopefully I'll be able to find an ENT specialist in the Tampa/St. Pete. area. I would make some calls today but I have my gender change on my driver's license going on and some shopping and other things to do, so today is out. I am very excited about getting my gender changed to female on my license, however this does nothing to solve my voice issues. Hopefully, I'll have more luck with finding an ENT and getting my path to having my voice corrected back on track next week. I hope so, for I don't know how much more I can take getting Sirr'ed over the phone.
Ally :icon_flower:
Good luck Allyda!
Getting sir'd on the phone is a pain; getting Ma'am'd via email is ok; getting Madame'd by a waiter in ironic mode is the worst :D
J
Quote from: Julia-Madrid on June 04, 2014, 02:04:50 AM
Good luck Allyda!
Getting sir'd on the phone is a pain; getting Ma'am'd via email is ok; getting Madame'd by a waiter in ironic mode is the worst :D
J
Thanks Julia. I really appreciate the support. There was a delay in getting my Driver's license gender changed that involved my having to drive back to my Endo's office to get another revised letter with more information on it, which I did yesterday, and of course today I was successful at the DMV and got my gender changed on my license, YaY!, so I haven't had the chance to sit down and make the phone calls to ENT specialists in the Tampa/St. Pete area. And since I'm busy with the grocery store tomorrow, and then with my pain management Doctor on Friday, I'm just going to get a fresh start with finding an ENT specialist Monday. I'm going to enjoy this weekend and celebrate having a driver's license that no longer embarrasses me, lol!
I'll keep y'all informed of my progress.
Best Wishes :icon_bunch:
Ally :icon_flower:
Mmmmm, I'm about to start the documentation merry-go-round soon as well.... Good luck with the ENT!
xxx
J
Quote from: Julia-Madrid on June 05, 2014, 12:58:59 AM
Mmmmm, I'm about to start the documentation merry-go-round soon as well.... Good luck with the ENT!
xxx
J
Thanks, I think I'm gonna need it. The good thing is I used to live in Tampa so I know the city well. The bad thing is, it's a two hour drive. I should be able to find an ENT specialist there to suit my needs.
Good luck with your documentation. I don't know where you live, but here in the US the driver's license is the hardest, once it is changed getting the rest changed is a little easier.
I'll let y'all know how next week goes with the ENT.
Ally :icon_flower:
I reward myself with chocolate every time I get ma'am-ed on the phone. I figure if you give your dog a biscuit...
...then I should get a reward too dammit. I did good! Gimme a chocolate! :laugh:
Sigh --- if that chocolate would go to my hips I'd be happy.... :D
Eeeer... I didn't came for a while on here ! :o
I hope things are going in a good way for you, Allyda !
I did work too with videos and musics and I figured that it was not hard for me to get to a female-sounding voice (even if it sounds a bit false because I'm sick for some days) because I already had a great range of voice and with training I could easily get a better voice. I still cant use it as my full-time voice and I wait the next few months to start transition (because yes, it's just a matter of time now for me ! :D )
The awkward part for me is that I still dont pass as female yet (I hope a new wardrobe and makeup will help !.. ^^' ) and I wait to have longer hair but my close friends already consider me as Emi, so it's already great for me ^^
But when speaking with strangers it's hard to be myself. I would look and sound weird, looking like a feminine guy with a girl voice. Additionally, I have been chosen to represent France to a Model United Nations session in Berlin ; that is a pretty damned great new !! But I wasnt chosen as Emi but as the other "me" and I'll have to speak with strangers from all around Europe with the stress and the gender problems combined... yeepee :embarrassed:
PS : Is there enough chocolate for me ?
Chocolates for all!
(Hershey's) Kisses,
Jill
Quote from: Emi ("LonelyFrench") on June 06, 2014, 05:44:28 PM
Additionally, I have been chosen to represent France to a Model United Nations session in Berlin ; that is a pretty damned great new !! But I wasnt chosen as Emi but as the other "me" and I'll have to speak with strangers from all around Europe with the stress and the gender problems combined... yeepee :embarrassed:
It's great to be chosen for these Berlin sessions. But do you really need to go in disguise as a boy? Maybe it's a good opportunity to go as Emi, and "to speak with strangers from all around Europe"...!!
And you WERE chosen as Emi - she is you. They chose you!
Un beso
Julia
Quote from: Julia-Madrid on June 06, 2014, 07:10:44 PM
It's great to be chosen for these Berlin sessions. But do you really need to go in disguise as a boy? Maybe it's a good opportunity to go as Emi, and "to speak with strangers from all around Europe"...!!
And you WERE chosen as Emi - she is you. They chose you!
Un beso
Julia
Yeah they chose me but... it was written "Ludovic" everywhere...
It would be like going to this session with a false name (even if IMO, the false name is Ludovic...)
Meh... Let's see what will happen in the next weeks and months. I'll be on holidays in two weeks and with my good friends and my sister I'll may start going out as the real me. That made, I think the rest will be easier. And if it isn't, I still have a little hope somewhere. :)
Bises :-*
~ Emi
Quote from: Emi ("LonelyFrench") on June 07, 2014, 10:55:20 AM
Yeah they chose me but... it was written "Ludovic" everywhere...
It would be like going to this session with a false name (even if IMO, the false name is Ludovic...)
Emi, I don't know how progressive your school is, or how much they know about you, but I'm willing to take a bet that the organisation behind your Berlin sessions would happly change your name should you really want to go as Emi. And even if they don't change your name, you could still go as Emi, but called Ludovic. It would take more courage, but we transgirls have a LOT of it!
It's strange- I spent many months carefully planning how I would come out to my work colleagues, and since I informed a few key people and got their support, my transition has really come alive. I'm no longer scared so say to colleagues "I'm trans, and in August they boy will become a girl." People really respect the courage of that decision.
Quote from: Julia-Madrid on June 07, 2014, 06:51:03 PM
It would take more courage, but we transgirls have a LOT of it!
Let's see if I'll have our mighty courage :)
Quote from: paula lesley on June 07, 2014, 07:55:29 PM
Have been to see a voice therapist and she said that the main difference is girls use a head voice and boys a chest voice. She went though a list of things with me and then she asked if I was using my " real voice " Which I said " yes ? " Now, not really knowing where to pitch it ? Then said say " It's very girlie ! But in a nice way " ;D She said I was already doing all the things on her list. Oh ! I said. lol.
Just speak with your natural voice I think then see how to change it in a good way if it needs to change ! ;)
Quote from: Julia-Madrid on May 29, 2014, 01:25:23 AM
He he, Anjaq, I have a fairly gentle voice to start with, which helps. What also helps are long weekends permanently in girl mode. Work days in boy mode are a bit of a pain, but thankfully I have less than 2 months left of those! Can't wait to get rid of the dual personality!!!
Well, that did not help me ;) - I am in "girl mode" for 16 years now but my voice still sucks. :(
QuoteSigh --- if that chocolate would go to my hips I'd be happy.... :D
Be careful what you wish for :P
I think having a gentle voice to start with helps a lot too :P
He he he, my voice is so gentle as to sometimes be inaudible :D
It's weird - at what point does the voice become "good enough" or are we always wishing it would be something different??
Bon weekend, girls...!!
^ My voice is good enough, yet not enough that I still constantly feel I have to keep a constant check on it.
I sound my best when I'm talking to my doggie, I guess its like when people talk to children, I sound cuter. I guess maybe because I am happiest around her.
By myself I tend to get lazy when talking to myself and while I know I don't sound like a guy anymore, my voice doesn't have the cuteness to it either.
When at work and a customer asks me something I try to be cheerful when answering them, it not only helps me be in a slightly better mood (had a hard time with this though yesterday) but I sound very girly and know I get looked at as such too.
When talking to my mom I tend to go back and forth, its like I have a hard time keeping the old me out of my voice, probably because she won't judge me for it, but still it bothers me.
I recorded my conversation with some phone calls I made yesterday to some doctors' offices, played a few parts back to see how I sounded, eh, I was nervous (always am when I have to get on the phone), and well, closing my eyes and listening, I could've gone either way, sounding either male or female. But then maybe not, as many times in the past when someone had called for mom but I answered, they thought I was her. I guess its because it doesn't sound pretty that it still bothers me.
Quote from: Megan Joanne on June 13, 2014, 08:57:02 AM
^ My voice is good enough, yet not enough that I still constantly feel I have to keep a constant check on it.
I sound my best when I'm talking to my doggie, I guess its like when people talk to children, I sound cuter. I guess maybe because I am happiest around her.
By myself I tend to get lazy when talking to myself and while I know I don't sound like a guy anymore, my voice doesn't have the cuteness to it either.
When at work and a customer asks me something I try to be cheerful when answering them, it not only helps me be in a slightly better mood (had a hard time with this though yesterday) but I sound very girly and know I get looked at as such too.
When talking to my mom I tend to go back and forth, its like I have a hard time keeping the old me out of my voice, probably because she won't judge me for it, but still it bothers me.
I recorded my conversation with some phone calls I made yesterday to some doctors' offices, played a few parts back to see how I sounded, eh, I was nervous (always am when I have to get on the phone), and well, closing my eyes and listening, I could've gone either way, sounding either male or female. But then maybe not, as many times in the past when someone had called for mom but I answered, they thought I was her. I guess its because it doesn't sound pretty that it still bothers me.
I loved how your voice sounded in your video Megan! Very cute. I loved your doggie too -how she makes her toys squeak and squeak. Adorable!
Ally :icon_flower:
I've been working on mine for just shy of a year now. A few months ago I found it, and got it sounding right....but then I discovered that the real trick was using it all the time, every day. If I get dry, or dusty, it affects the sound and resonance, and I need to drink something every few minutes. And of course, keeping the voice going through the little involuntary sounds...IE sneezing, clearing my throat, etc.
I use my voice A LOT at work, and since going full time (ready or not...lol) I've noticed a dramatic improvement in the quality and consistency. But I have been repeatedly reminded that FINDING the voice is only the beginning....as difficult and frustrating as it is. Learning to USE it and keep it steady and consistent all day, every day is the real challenge. I get there for a few hours at a time, and it is easier all the time. I don't have to "warm it up" anymore, and involuntary sounds are coming along. It's only when my throat gets dry that it all falls apart...I need to learn how to handle that situation when there is no drink available and I HAVE to talk.
Quote from: Allyda on June 13, 2014, 09:36:12 PM
I loved how your voice sounded in your video Megan! Very cute. I loved your doggie too -how she makes her toys squeak and squeak. Adorable!
Ally :icon_flower:
Ah, thank you! :D
Quote from: TaoRaven on June 14, 2014, 12:08:48 AM
I've been working on mine for just shy of a year now. A few months ago I found it, and got it sounding right....but then I discovered that the real trick was using it all the time, every day. If I get dry, or dusty, it affects the sound and resonance, and I need to drink something every few minutes. And of course, keeping the voice going through the little involuntary sounds...IE sneezing, clearing my throat, etc.
I use my voice A LOT at work, and since going full time (ready or not...lol) I've noticed a dramatic improvement in the quality and consistency. But I have been repeatedly reminded that FINDING the voice is only the beginning....as difficult and frustrating as it is. Learning to USE it and keep it steady and consistent all day, every day is the real challenge. I get there for a few hours at a time, and it is easier all the time. I don't have to "warm it up" anymore, and involuntary sounds are coming along. It's only when my throat gets dry that it all falls apart...I need to learn how to handle that situation when there is no drink available and I HAVE to talk.
Yep, that's the real kicker there, getting it is not too bad, keeping it going, rather tough. Talk too much, throat gets dry, voice starts getting strained sounding, then have to try to get it back again, after wetting throat, trying to clear throat, or just giving it a few minutes to recuperate. Or, I just talk to my dog, I always sound cute with her. ;)
Thanks for the advice
As for the chocolates, it's reeses pieces for me, yum!
Allie :icon_flower: