I've been reading a lot about voice training lately. I know it's pretty much hopeless to speak and still pass before getting T, but I still feel compelled to ask if anyone's had much luck with training their voices down. Or, more importantly, bringing resonance and 'boom' to their voices to achieve a more masculine sound.

There's only so far I can reverse-engineer the swarms of 'finding your female voice' stuff I come across, and most of it just ends up with me making funny faces, or sounding like a chronic smoker. So I'm curious if anyone else has any sort of insight they'd like to share. Successful or otherwise.

Quote from: CodyJess on August 13, 2009, 06:14:37 PM
There's only so far I can reverse-engineer the swarms of 'finding your female voice' stuff I come across, and most of it just ends up with me making funny faces, or sounding like a chronic smoker.

I took the easy way out for voice masculinization (T), but I want you to know that I very much enjoyed this part of your post.

There's a PDF file called 'Changing Speech' I found very helpful from the VCHA website. I'm not sure if it's still there or in the same location, but you should be able to find it if you go to vcha.ca/transhealth/, then click on 'Online Library' and scroll down to 'Consumer Information'.

I started out trying to lower my voice by making sure that I could always feel my chest vibrate slightly if I put my hand on it while talking, but I'm not sure if anything I tried from this file actually helped. Although I pass most of the time, it's as a pre-pubescent boy.

I train mine with singing. I end up with a sore throat and swollen larynx all the time but it has definitely helped. My voice has more bass and is a little deeper than it was before.

Quote from: Jeatyn on August 13, 2009, 08:19:09 PM
I train mine with singing. I end up with a sore throat and swollen larynx all the time but it has definitely helped. My voice has more bass and is a little deeper than it was before.

^ This. I've been crossing my fingers (and toes) hoping this would do some good, because I love it anyway (no matter how bad I sound). I started looking at other ways because of having sore throats and loosing my voice (twice now).

Quote from: Mew on August 13, 2009, 08:01:40 PM
There's a PDF file called 'Changing Speech' I found very helpful from the VCHA website.

I'm reading that right now, it's actually really interesting.

I wouldn't mind passing as a pre-pubescent boy, it'd be better than the strange, shifty-eyed double-takes I got in the sporting good store looking for a rash guard today. 

I sort of do two things which result in strange looks and girlish squeaks of "You sound like a guy!" from my brother (though I don't know how well I'd fare in real life). I sing low a lot, some pop, some musicals, etc., and I've noticed my range going from the traditional alto (and soprano when I can bothered) range to baritone (and the top bits again, when I can be ar*ed, which is rarely). So that's fun. Then, when I want to sound less female, I relax my voice as I would when I want to hit the low notes, but then just talk normally. I'm not trying to pitch my voice lower, per se, I'm just trying to relax it so it comes out with a slighter deeper resonance, or something. Essentially, I'm just talking lazily, not bothering to tense everything up to its normal state, but keep everything loose. It ends up sounding - in my head, anyway - no lower than normal, but it sort of has a sharper low edge to it. Of any of that makes any sense.

I found...

- Every You, Every Me (Placebo)
- Do you hear the people sing? (Les Mis)
- No place like London (Sweeney Todd)
- You spin me round (Dead or Alive)
- I kissed a girl (Katy Perry) - sung down the octave
- The Sailor's Arms (Doug Anthony All-Stars [aka DAAS])
- Throw your arms around me (DAAS)
- Mozart's Requiem in C minor
- Phantom of the Opera (particularly Raoul and the Phantom's parts)

...really helped me to drop my range and develop an "edge" to my voice, which, as I said, may or may not sound masculine, but apparently comes across as less feminine.

Quote from: William on August 14, 2009, 11:06:33 AM
Then, when I want to sound less female, I relax my voice as I would when I want to hit the low notes, but then just talk normally. I'm not trying to pitch my voice lower, per se, I'm just trying to relax it so it comes out with a slighter deeper resonance, or something.

^ this fills in an important gap in what I'm trying to figure out! You're my favorite person this month.

I did take choir (the only alto amidst 58 sopranos) in school, before being kicked out and sent back to 'instrumental music', so I'm grateful I remember enough to understand what you're explaining.

dead can dance - i am stretched on your grave

also a good one, very very deep but definitely has that resonance to practice 

Funnily enough one I love to practice with is Sweet ->-bleeped-<- from rocky horror

the day my voice stopped cracking on the last few words of the chorus was the day I knew it was really working

Why have I never thought to practice with sweeny todd? Great choice

You know I think it'd be fun if the singers among us recorded some stuff to share

Some of these songs I recognize, I think I'll take time to learn the rest.

Gives me hope I may someday pass while actually speaking, instead of just while signing.

... still gonna look into getting T next year.

not a lot, but a few people still think I'm a guy after I talk to them and I haven't started T yet.

In fact, I had bio lab with this kid for a whole semester and he was my lab partner and I talked to him quite a bit and the whole time he thought I was a guy.  (and I wasn't even particularly attempting to pass, but really usually it does give me away)  I find the worst is at work.  With normal people I can get away with a "stoner" mumble but at work I have to be polite to customers and I feel like if I did pass it'd be fine, great, whatever, but if I were to not pass in any particular customer's eyes my manner of speech would be considered blatantly rude and unenthusiastic... which makes not so pleasant customers.

luckily I'm starting T like within the month so.. yay!

Quote from: GnomeKid on August 15, 2009, 01:59:51 AM
not a lot, but a few people still think I'm a guy after I talk to them and I haven't started T yet.

In fact, I had bio lab with this kid for a whole semester and he was my lab partner and I talked to him quite a bit and the whole time he thought I was a guy.  (and I wasn't even particularly attempting to pass, but really usually it does give me away)  I find the worst is at work.  With normal people I can get away with a "stoner" mumble but at work I have to be polite to customers and I feel like if I did pass it'd be fine, great, whatever, but if I were to not pass in any particular customer's eyes my manner of speech would be considered blatantly rude and unenthusiastic... which makes not so pleasant customers.

luckily I'm starting T like within the month so.. yay!

Oh the good old stoner mumble this is why I hate working in customer facing environments. Once I'm forced to pronounce things clearly and be polite it all goes to hell. My "telephone voice" is also rubbish.

Quote from: GnomeKid on August 15, 2009, 01:59:51 AM
With normal people I can get away with a "stoner" mumble but at work I have to be polite to customers and I feel like if I did pass it'd be fine, great, whatever, but if I were to not pass in any particular customer's eyes my manner of speech would be considered blatantly rude and unenthusiastic... which makes not so pleasant customers.

YES! i was discussing this with my therapist the other day, i put on this girly mask of cheerfulness to connect with customers better, and that involves girly inflection and crap, ugh.

Quote from: DRAIN on August 15, 2009, 03:16:59 AM
YES! i was discussing this with my therapist the other day, i put on this girly mask of cheerfulness to connect with customers better, and that involves girly inflection and crap, ugh.

Yep, I do the same kind of job during the summer, client-facing,  I actually had to train my voice up an octave to stop people from looking at me weird when I was 13 or so.  I realise from bringing my voice back down to natural that it's no wonder I was having panic attacks in social situations since constantly constricting my vocal chords to produce the higher octave wasn't letting me breath enough air.      

Oh, I forgot to include this part before, but I've noticed that if you talk more through your chest/throat than your mouth (trust me it makes sense if you try it) your voice has less of the girly qualities... I mean still too high in pitch to be considered fully masculine, but much more passable than otherwise.

Favourite person by two people, I feel loved! (And rock on DAAS! Paul McDermot, the lead singer, once jumped from stage straight into my lap in a concert. It was great fun ).

Here's Sailor's Arms, the one I've found really helpful (and somewhat topical, too... ).

DAAS - Sailor's Arms

QuoteOh, I forgot to include this part before, but I've noticed that if you talk more through your chest/throat than your mouth (trust me it makes sense if you try it) your voice has less of the girly qualities... I mean still too high in pitch to be considered fully masculine, but much more passable than otherwise.

Mm, that's sort of what I try to do, think about the sound actually coming from all the way down there, rather than from just at the top, so-to-speak... Almost like if you had a tracheotomy, but instead of it being through your neck have it go straight into your chest cavity, and speak like it's from there...if that makes any sense...

first time I heard the group. Love em.