Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Community Conversation => Transsexual talk => Male to female transsexual talk (MTF) => Topic started by: TSJasmine on November 28, 2014, 10:04:16 PM

Title: Effective method of voice training?
Post by: TSJasmine on November 28, 2014, 10:04:16 PM
Okay, so I've slowly but surely been consciously raising my pitch slightly in every day life. I've been using Praat to average out the Hz of my voice & so I can know what's in the female range. My completely normal voice is at 126 Hz & I can get it to a comfortable level of 177 Hz & talk completely fine with little to no effort, just slightly raise it. If I raise it a little more, I can get it 202 Hz & that's still with a bit of effort, only slightly more than when I'm hardly trying. The problem is, is that past this point, when I start trying to get it higher, it hurts. I can get it to 210 hz & 219 Hz but by that point my voice will start hurting & when I play back the audio, it doesn't sound as natural as when I talk in my lower (177 hz / 202 Hz) . I'd say it starts sounding like I'm really trying at 210 Hz .

What I want to know is, even though I can get my voice to about average female range (220 Hz) , should I still practice in that voice even if it doesn't sound natural at all? Will using it more eventually make it sound normal? Like, will my voice adapt to it? I feel like what's missing from it is a bit of resonance. Yes, I know girls have significantly less resonance than males do, but I feel like if the resonance is completely gone, it sounds like you're actually TRYING to make your voice sound that way which isn't something I'm looking for when I talk to someone I've never met. Should I stick to the 202 Hz voice where it sounds more natural & not as forced even though it's not exactly at the average female range yet?
Title: Re: Effective method of voice training?
Post by: Randi on November 28, 2014, 11:11:15 PM
Sing!  It's amazing what training to sing can do.  Have you ever heard of a "Countertenor"?

The biologically normal men train to sing in the alto or even soprano range.  It's not falsetto but something different.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertenor

Title: Re: Effective method of voice training?
Post by: katrinaw on November 28, 2014, 11:11:30 PM
Not sure whether I am qualified to answer this... After Xmas will be booking into some voice training sessions.

From what I understand the vocal cords can't easily jump pitches without continuous voice / pitch training... E.g as a singer... To get to 202 Hz (that's an 84hz improvement) is amazing, especially if you really comfortable up or close to that.. To get to the next level will be a long process I would expect, maybe a Hz or 2 at a time????

I think I'd be delighted with anything close to 200 without croaks or strains... Falsetto is awful unless you are in Pantomines!

Like I say not there yet myself, and unqualified...

L Katy
Title: Re: Effective method of voice training?
Post by: TSJasmine on November 29, 2014, 02:59:26 AM
Quote from: katrinaw on November 28, 2014, 11:11:30 PM
From what I understand the vocal cords can't easily jump pitches without continuous voice / pitch training... E.g as a singer... To get to 202 Hz (that's an 84hz improvement) is amazing, especially if you really comfortable up or close to that.. To get to the next level will be a long process I would expect, maybe a Hz or 2 at a time????

Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I've done vocal training in the past (talking in falsetto while reading a book), but that was on & off over time. I'm seriously not sure if it had any actual affect on how high I can talk though. Like I said, when I barely try to make my voice higher it already jumps to 177 (or 176? Can't remember), so when I actually try it makes a difference :>I hope it slowly but surely raises over time.
Title: Re: Effective method of voice training?
Post by: TSJasmine on November 29, 2014, 03:00:06 AM
Quote from: Hanazono on November 29, 2014, 12:17:13 AM
Singing scales will help with raising frequency.
I think singing arpeggios (1-3-5-8) of increasing higher keys can help .

Watching or listening to "Valley Girls " helped me. unfortunately I did sound like one in my early days of voice training.

I already talk like a Valley Girl because I am from California haha I'll try the appregio thing :) Thanks!
Title: Re: Effective method of voice training?
Post by: TSJasmine on November 29, 2014, 03:01:23 AM
Quote from: Randi on November 28, 2014, 11:11:15 PM
Sing!  It's amazing what training to sing can do.  Have you ever heard of a "Countertenor"?

The biologically normal men train to sing in the alto or even soprano range.  It's not falsetto but something different.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertenor

I'll look for videos on youtube :) Thanks!