Less Range, More Pattern

[Guest MelissaC]

I've been practicing getting a nice female voice for awhile now, reaching up to the falsetto and then lowering it a bit, and I'm at a point where my voice is at a pretty good height, and I can hold it there without it cracking or dropping. But talking to a friend has just made me realize something. She (GG) has a very low voice, almost the the same level as the voice I've been trying to get away from, and yet she sounds clearly female. Far more so than me at my higher pitch I'd say.

So I think I've reached a point where just working on a higher voice isn't going to take me much farther. Does anybody have any tips specifically on female vocal patterns and mannerisms (the sing-songy voice, the upward inflection, etc.) and how to work on those a bit? Or any resources specifically about those? The conclusion I've come to is that I'm going to have to start working on those aspects of the voice.

...I also have to work on not dropping my voice when I'm exasperated. That's when I most often lose it. But that'll just come from more practice I guess.

[Guest Julie90210]

Most of what is "recognizably female" about a voice isn't the pitch, it's where the voice comes from, which includes sound formation and resonance. Several years ago I made a recording of my voice with three different amounts of resonance, all at the same pitch -- somewhere between D3 and E3 -- the D and E below Middle C. The "masculine" voice was undeniably masculine, the feminine undeniably feminine, and the middle one was pretty much a coin toss. The vocal tract is no different from any other musical instrument -- learn how to control it, and you can play it any way you want.

The other aspects of voice, which includes the usual laundry list of characteristics, don't convey gender so much as "personality". The further you get into all the stereotypes of gendered speech, the more of a caricature you become.

There is one key to voice and that is making sure the "personality" of your voice matches the rest of you. If you're a "big woman", don't try to have a "small" voice, thinking people will be fooled -- they will only look at you more, trying to figure out why a "big woman" has the voice of a 4'10" waif.

[Guest Julie90210]

Does anybody have any tips specifically on female vocal patterns and mannerisms (the sing-songy voice, the upward inflection, etc.) and how to work on those a bit? Or any resources specifically about those? The conclusion I've come to is that I'm going to have to start working on those aspects of the voice.

Voice is "personality". It's hard to change your personality, and it's hard to add something to your voice that isn't really there.

That said, if you're like many of us, you beat anything non-masculine out of your voice with a baseball bat. Stop doing that and the voice will fix itself.

[Guest Miss_Construe]

I agree with Julie, focus on being feminine and not reducing masculinity. Basically any time you say 'don't ...' you will do exactly that. If you want to smile, tell yourself not to laugh.

One trick I try, and get fairly good results with, is to have my air travel up the back of my throat, and through the back end of my raised pallet and have it vibrate throughout my sinus cavities. It really isn't what is going on, but the visual is a good tool. So, what you are doing is 1) Raising your pallet from about the mid point of your mouth to the back, 2) having the air travel in the back of the throat 3) projecting the air and voice into your sinuses rather than strait out of your mouth.

One thing I also do, which may not be entirely accurate, is to make my vowels rounder (without leaving the following consonants hanging at the higher pitch), takes some practice. Of course this give a type of voice I prefer for my personality. Mileage may vary.

Hope those tips help, they are certainly not the only ones and there are many who are more experienced than me.

Amy

[Guest Julie90210]

I wouldn't say "focus on being feminine" because that's just as bad as the other way around.

Focus on being =you=. Stop stopping yourself. That's the best way I know to put it.

When I was a dude and in some group that was singing for some reason, I'd pick up the Alto line and try to match it. As soon as I'd catch myself doing that, I'd listen for the Bass or Tenor line, and follow the dudes. And then I'd slip (especially if I was following tenors ...) and sing with the altos. That was "stopping me from being me".

Once I had my voice down cold I instinctively followed altos, the same as always. Except I also stopped correcting myself. That was "stopping stopping myself".

If you spend time being yourself, who you are will eventually re-emerge from years of being beaten up. Focus on that person.