So, to keep it short and sweet, I want to get top surgery, but not bottom surgery (Bottom surgery results just dont seem so satisfactory to me ^^'), and a hysterectemy.
However, I've heard testosterone can get a bit expensive (and I can 100% deal without extra body hair) so I was wondering if anyone knows of ways to change my voice to a deeper one naturally? I've heard smoking can lower your voice pitch, but I dont smoke and don't intend to start.
I've seen transmen who don't take T, and they talk like any other 'normal' man. They apparently just practiced talking deeper quite a bit. So does anyone know if theres any other ways to make my voice sound deeper, or if I'll just have to practise on talking deeper a lot.
Also, I was wondering if I just get the above things done, will I legally be a man? Pretty much,if I get a drivers license etc will I be able to put that I'm male on it? Some people I know think if you haven't had bottom surgery done apparently you dont count as a man legally?
the speech therapists say to sound female MtFs have to use the front of our mouths and so to sound male you guys could try speaking from the back of your mouth...sort of place your tongue further back away from the teeth and drop your head a little so it sort of constricts the neck muscles and maybe the voice box.
Okay, thanks very much for the tips ^^
And thanks to Kvall for your advice too
There are far more things that change on T other than your voice. T is really not that expensive....I pay $50 for 3 months worth. Mail order is far cheaper. They send syringes and needles for free w/ the T.
As others have pointed out, T is pretty cheap. I spend about $150 for a whole year, by mail. And that includes syringes and wipes.
I have to buy the sharps container and the little "dot" Band-Aids myself.
I've met dozens of trans men, and I only know of one who was never on T and who sounded pretty male. I'm not saying that my experience is definitive, but is it possible that some of the guys you met took T and then stopped?
I haven't gotten very satisfactory advice about vocal training for guys, so I can't really help you there. Maybe a vocal coach, but that would cost money.
BTW, you can always shave the hair you don't want. A lot of guys, not just trans guys, do this.
Actually men's voices project from the lungs and push out from there. That's how men can be heard so well. Think of it as booming it out, starting deep in the chest.
But there's a lot more to the masculine voice than sound. Men speak very matter of factly. There is no doubt. Sentences are statements rather than questions or suggestions. They speak as if what they say is all there is to say. It's not conversation. It's a statement of fact.
So when you're booming it out there, make it short and to the point.
Yeah. I thought my voice passed pre-T and it did....for a 12 year old boy. When I started T I started passing more than ever before any physical changes, cause my voice dropped rapidly.
Quote from: zombiesarepeaceful on August 21, 2010, 03:07:45 PM
Yeah. I thought my voice passed pre-T and it did....for a 12 year old boy.
Ah, yes. I confess that I've known one or two pre-T guys who passed, even with low female voices--but they were read as preadolescents or very young adolescents, not as men.
Yeah, I'm not sure how low you can get without T but I've been making a little progress. To speak at the bottom of your range you need to relax your throat. Tenseness results in higher pitch. It's a little difficult to describe but I relax my throat and 'expand' it. I let sound resonate there n stuff. But as mentioned your speech patterns are quite important as well as pitch to sound male.
Since I'm not completely in the habit of speaking low all the time, sometimes I go through puberty in the middle of a conversation while trying to find my male voice again XD
There are voice exercises that can be done, they stretch your vocal cords thus making your voice deeper (or something like that). I did them regularly last year for about 4 months then stopped. My voice seems pretty good for my age now.
This is basically what I did Boom Your Voice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCwI2GAwH3c#)
Talking through your chest is key. And about being legally male, it depends on where you live. I have a male license even though I'm pre t and pre op because my state merely requires a letter from a therapist or doctor saying you are living as your new gender full time. Some states require surgery. It depends.
Glad Kyle answered that about the legally male thing. In my state you have to have top surgery done. As for the voice I've just been focusing my voice down and towards my chest. I go as low as I can without sounding like I'm forcing it and every couple weeks it gets just a little lower. My friends say they noticed a difference and I hadn't mentioned it so I guess it's working a little. Also I sing... a lot. So I tend to sing to really deep voiced mens music like three days grace and Eminem which helps me keep that deepness while talking someone if that makes sense?
Is T really that cheap without insurance or does insurance help pay for it?
Quote from: Kyle XD on August 23, 2010, 05:31:25 PM
about being legally male, it depends on where you live.
I live in West Australia if it helps any
I know that my insurance starts paying only after I've changed my license to male. Then it goes under the "necessary for life" category.
Well, if you take T until your voice changes, you can stop taking T and it won't change back. Same with facial hair.
Did these FTMs that don't take T have facial hair? If so, they must have been on T long enough to get permanent voice changes.
Quote from: Kyle XD on August 23, 2010, 08:13:17 PM
Is T really that cheap without insurance or does insurance help pay for it?
T is really that cheap if you get it at the right place. My insurance doesn't cover any of this. I'm on the so-called standard dose (PM me if you aren't sure what that means). If you go on a lower dose, it could be cheaper than the $150ish I quoted. And I've heard that you can get it a little cheaper elsewhere, but make sure you inquire first or verify a posted price.
I started out at Costco, and it was close to the same price for T and needles (no wipes), but I had to specify that I wanted the generic. I had a friend who insisted on not getting the generic hormones (thought generics were inferior) and wound up paying quite a bit more. So make sure you have that covered.
Quote from: Arch on August 25, 2010, 12:10:51 AM
T is really that cheap if you get it at the right place. My insurance doesn't cover any of this. I'm on the so-called standard dose (PM me if you aren't sure what that means). If you go on a lower dose, it could be cheaper than the $150ish I quoted. And I've heard that you can get it a little cheaper elsewhere, but make sure you inquire first or verify a posted price.
I started out at Costco, and it was close to the same price for T and needles (no wipes), but I had to specify that I wanted the generic. I had a friend who insisted on not getting the generic hormones (thought generics were inferior) and wound up paying quite a bit more. So make sure you have that covered.
$150 for the year. ->-bleeped-<-...time to start saving up!
wow. these are some great tips. :)
I don't know what you look like, but a lot of pre T FTMs look like kids. Even if it's possible, would a deep voice suit your appearance at this point? I think that might make some things more awkward.
I'd definitely recommend practicing your vocal pitches, highs and lows, because the higher (or lower) your voice can go, the lower (or higher) it can go as well.
Tuning it with a guitar. (find your most comfortable voice pitch on a fret, then work your way up or down around it. It doesn't hold for days, but keep doing it and you can stretch it out nicely (just like pumping, hahaha)
Make a lot of noise.
Invest in HRT. It really helps, and my voice was deep before.
i already pass in public. the only thing that doesnt pass is my voice. and i've met bio guys with deep voices that dont have facial hair yet. so i'm not too worried. with these methods, i can stop where i need my voice to be at the moment.
Quote from: Sharky on September 07, 2011, 11:40:32 PM
I don't know what you look like, but a lot of pre T FTMs look like kids. Even if it's possible, would a deep voice suit your appearance at this point? I think that might make some things more awkward.
That's something to consider, but it's much moreso about your comfort with (or without) it. Other people truly don't matter in the slightest when it comes down to these things, the best thing you can do is be comfortable with yourself and present that confidently to others. Different people will make what they will of it and your confidence largely affects this.
i look like my profile pic - facial hair.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-ash4%2Fs720x720%2F292712_124631924302236_100002662872621_126844_5194301_n.jpg&hash=da58c442ce45843d4e0eb51d586504d92225f23a)
Quote from: ilovetodrinktea on September 07, 2011, 11:46:11 PM
That's something to consider, but it's much moreso about your comfort with (or without) it. Other people truly don't matter in the slightest when it comes down to these things, the best thing you can do is be comfortable with yourself and present that confidently to others. Different people will make what they will of it and your confidence largely affects this.
Oher people's reactions can certainly make you uncomfortable though.
i've lived too long with giving consideration to how others view me. this is my time. i'm going to be me whether they like it or not. i have all the support i need and i really dont care if people think my voice and body dont match.