So when I go out in public I can pretty much pass as a guy. I just started really being able to pull this off. But I am running into one problem. Seeing as how I am pre T my voice still sounds very much like a girl. I try really hard not to have to speak where people can hear me other then who already knows but sometimes I cant avoid speaking. So therefore I am seen as male but then as soon as I speak those who called me sir or by another male pronoun start apologizing and it is really begining to bother me. So therefore I am asking for help if anyone has any thing I could perhaps try to maybe lower my voice even a little bit.

I've had this happen, I've been working on trying to lower my voice. It's pretty low for a girl anyway especially if I let my geordy accent come out. (I've learnt over the years to suppress it so people can actually understand me)

I've been practising by singing songs that are too low for me, it seems to have worked, I think I've dropped my voice a level because I can no longer sing some of the higher songs I could sing before.

If that fails you could always take up smoking and drinking whisky

It's tough for anybody when their voice doesn't match their appearance.
Try not to let it stifle your social life. Don't be a recluse.

Early on in transition I'd be on a bus and a spontaneous group discussion would start.
I'd want to be part of it, but didn't like that my voice would out me.
I decided that I'd rather out myself than sit like a bump on a log.
So I joined in on the conversation and had a nice time.

Really, the only thing you can do is try to speak at your lowest, but that can sound pretty fake and, therefore, ridiculous. I tried speaking as low as I could prior to getting on T, and had a few people point out that I sounded like an mtf who was just starting to try using a female voice (no offense intended, ladies, just the truth). After that, I pretty much just spoke in my normal voice, which was fairly low to start with, but it was still distinctly female.

Yes, smoking cigarettes will give your voice more of a throaty quality, but as someone who's been smoking for 9 years and is desperately trying to quit, I'd recommend against starting. Unfortunately, the only tried-and-true method of making your voice sound more masculine is T.

SD

Thanks for the input everyone. I will just have to keep working on it. For being as big and masculine as I am I have a very distinct feminine voice and it sucks but whatever. But again thank you for the input. Ill give everything but the smoking a try.

Quote from: JakeDenver on February 24, 2009, 10:40:01 PM
Ill give everything but the smoking a try.

Yeah wouldn't recommened it, and it does guarentee your voice will get lower. You could try and speak from your stomach and just keep trying my friend.

Just the opposite
I have a deep Scouse accent (Beatles) even though I've been Aus for many years. How do I get a more feminine voice? I sound like John Lennon

Cindy James

I just sound like Michael Jackson when I try ...

Quote from: CindyJames on February 25, 2009, 03:58:34 AM
Just the opposite
I have a deep Scouse accent (Beatles) even though I've been Aus for many years. How do I get a more feminine voice? I sound like John Lennon

Cindy James

Omg I love The Beatles. But uh I guess I would just try the opposite of what everyone is telling me to try. Practice Practice Practice I suppose.

To naturally speak more deeply, you have to flex your diaphragm more for intonation as opposed to your throat. Or so I've read. My mother is actually a speech pathologist, I can give her a bit of a quiz on it.

She's not really pro LGBT anything but  a few years ago was considering switching over to help MTF's learn how to pitch their voices higher. If only she were more open I'd be taking free lessons every night!

I'd say singing will definitely help you. I got through the end of puberty with a fairly high and soft voice, then I had to learn to sing properly for my band and my speaking voice dropped considerably because I got used to projecting it without trying and it dropped in pitch (vocal chords loosen up?).

Now I just have to figure out how to undo that and keep the singing voice...

Guess it might be easier for a guy to feminize the voice than feminine to masculine. It is true that smoking will do it. However?   I know that the morning after excessive drinking and smoking my voice is deeper. But one can't spend a lifetime with a hangover and smelling like an ashtray.

Ha.  I have the opposite problem.  I try not to worry about it too much though.  Just practice, and if it gets better it gets better.  Just try not to let it make you silent.  Though if you scowl a lot, you could pull off the strong silent type guy, maybe?

According to what I've read the involuntary reactions such as coughing and laughter are the most difficult. One the best feminine voices I've heard is Flo the Progressive Insurance lady. She has a very dynamic, sing-song type of voice.

I don't advocate smoking, drinking or joining the military, but all of those will cause you to develop a pretty good bark. I would go with the singing and practice. I went from sounding fem, to barking like a Marine, and back to sounding fem. again. But I've been a singer nearly all my life and have taken my voice from one extreme to the other 

oh man I would love to have a strong military voice. I'd love to join the army actually. I wish I was German  everything they say sounds manly

Quote from: Jeatyn on March 06, 2009, 06:59:17 PM
oh man I would love to have a strong military voice. I'd love to join the army actually. I wish I was German  everything they say sounds manly

It's a great throaty language. Another very masculine language is Russian, it's they way they speak low in their throats. You can't help but sound manly when you speak it.

I learned quite a bit of German and Russian when I was young. But have forgotten most of it. You do use allot of lower throat with those languages. 

Quote from: Jeatyn on March 06, 2009, 06:59:17 PM
oh man I would love to have a strong military voice. I'd love to join the army actually. I wish I was German  everything they say sounds manly

Didn't you say you were Geordie? That puts Germans to shame!

Think it's really hard to hear how a language one understands sounds, maybe it's because one is listening in a different way perhaps...

Quote from: imaz on March 06, 2009, 07:47:17 PM
Didn't you say you were Geordie? That puts Germans to shame!

Think it's really hard to hear how a language one understands sounds, maybe it's because one is listening in a different way perhaps...

haha yeah I'm a geordy. definitely nothing ladylike about that.

german is a whole other kettle of fish I love learning it