To Voice a Problem

[Guest LauraJen]

I haven't posted in a week or two on here so sorry about that, I guess I have just been a little too preoccupied. But lately I have been down a lot about trans stuff and the main focus (other than the obvious genital issue) is the subject of my voice.

I am near enough 22 now so as far as escaping male puberty goes, well, that ship has left the dock. It is weird but it seems as though testosterone has largely ignored my body and seem to have a female-like face and things, but instead has concentrated completely on distorting my vocal cords. Before I went into university I had a long period at home where I would practice talking in a female voice and actually did make some progress with this. However when my course started in 2010 practicing was impossible as I was constantly around other people (the walls in the accommodation were quite thin and just generally did not have much in the way of privacy) and since then I relapsed to where I was before. This could change after I leave uni next year, but it's only a "could" and I just really do not like talking to people at all. I was out with an ally of mine not too long ago (more than just a friend, someone who supports me with the trans issue) and told her this. She too is trans.

I have been fairly convinced up until now that my voice is so bad that it's unworkable. According to Wikipedia (and I am sure the numbers are accurate, from background knowledge) the frequencies of voices for males range from 85 to 180 Hz while females range from 165 to 255. We once had to do an experiment where we recorded our voices and worked out the frequency and I got around 130, which didn't exactly leave me jumping for joy.

I realise that this unfortunately takes a lot of practice and practice is something that is quite difficult for me right now due to circumstances. Not only that, but I do not yet have complete independence from parents (of which one is supportive, the other has been a problem for over five years and will never change) and it will stay this way for at least the next 15 months or so. If I am to make progress in that time, then I want to easily be able to revert to male voice when I need to.

I'm not really asking anything in this thread, but rather letting out some negativity about something which I think is going to really give me problems and I can't do anything about it. It has always been my aim to get through transition with the minimum surgery needed - I don't want FFS or BA or anything like that. But not too long ago I really was considering voice surgery out of desperation and hopelessness thinking that is the only option. I know a lot consider it a no-no, but can my voice really be so bad it will never be acceptable?

[Guest Izzybell]

Well, you are right, practice is important. Like any muscle, voice training can help greatly with achieving a more feminine voice. And even if your voice sounds rather deep now, it is still possible achieve this. As for vocal training, I know there are some good videos on youtube that can really help, but you seem to have minimal privacy to practice these, which can make it really difficult. (I'm pretty much in the same boat. lol)

What I like to do is substitute practicing my female voice with singing something, usually in a higher register. It doesn't necessarily have to a song sung by a woman, or really a song that is difficult to sing. The main goal is to exercise the voice so that you can gain better control of it. From what I've read, it's good to practice in the range where your head voice meets you falsetto.

Others here can probably give much better advice than I can, so I hope this helps at least a little. lol. Good luck!

-Isabella

[Charlize]

I do a lot of chanting of mantras i've learned in yoga in a higher registry when i'm driving in the car. They just become a part of me and i love to hear the higher voice. I can't do it forever but mix it up with a deep base for rest and fun. Maybe they help me to accept myself as i am as well. i feel they do.

Hugs, Charlie