Femme
Voice FAQ
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If there is any one subject that comes up more often than any other in
our email and chats it is the topic of voice modification. After all it
is perhaps the one area where where even the most naturally passable have
to practice some to avoid being read when they speak. So to get those that
are looking for info in this area started we have prepared this short FAQ
page. |
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| What
are some general voice techniques? - |
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Speech training is generally necessary in order to produce a satisfactory
'female' voice. At first, it may seem hard to concentrate on all the different
facets for producing an acceptable voice, and lapses will happen, the only
solution is to practice and practice again until it eventually becomes
second nature. Some very basic techniques are: |
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| Singing
- To loosen-up the voice, extend your
pitch range, and help develop good control, often a very helpful practice
that many have found is to choose a female vocalist that you like, preferably
one with a similar vocal range, and sing along. Musically minded individuals
may also wish to perform singing exercises, such as singing the scales
(doh, re, mi, fa, sol, lah, ti, doh). |
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| Raise
the position of the laryngeal cartilage (adam's apple) - The
higher position raises voice pitch and decreases characteristic male resonance.
The point of this is to try to gain a higher baseline pitch than you previously
used, from which one can then increase the pitch further when placing emphasis.
But do not overdo the pitch-raising, a squeaky, falsetto voice has a tendancy
to sound very false or forced. Everyone's voice is different to begin with,
some will be able to raise it more than others without sounding squeaky.
It may be slightly tiring on your voice-box at first since you are unused
to speaking in that register, but it should become comfortable with a little
practice. If it does not, then you are probably trying to force your pitch
up too high. |
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| Place
emphasis with pitch not volume - Women
gain loudness by using the cavities inside the head as a sounding box,
whereas men use the chest. Upward intonation places emphasis, women tend
to keep their volume much more constant but vary their pitch to express
emphasis, whereas men place emphasis in their speech by varying the loudness
but keep their pitch within a very narrow range. |
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| Use
appropriate content when speaking - Men
and women tend to talk about the same things in different ways and what
you say contains gender cues just as much as how you say it. Women tend
to concentrate more on thoughts and feelings, while men on the other hand
concentrate on objects and actions. Men also generally tend to use more
colloquialisms, slang, and bad language, too. |
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| Use
feedback when you practice - If possible,
record samples of your voice and listen to yourself while you practice.
Read a passage of text, listen to yourself, and keep practicing. It can
be very helpful to actually hear the sound of your voice aloud, as you
practice and successively refine your voice. |
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| Where
can info on voice training techniques be found online (is there anyone
other than Melanie)? - |
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Although they can be difficult to find, there are many resources on the
internet related to the topic of voice, often these are in the form of
tips pages on personal homepage sites. These are a few of the more popular
resources to try first: |
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| It
would be absolutely impossible to present a page on feminine voice techniques
without at least mentioning Melanie's site, since it is possibly the most
well known resource on the topic. Many swear by her techniques, and an
equal number despise them, but either way definately worth a look if you
are just starting out looking for help on this subject. |
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| A
great site available in several languages, Katrina presents two techniques
as an alternative to Melanie's traditional approach which involve somewhat
less falsetto. |
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| Rather
than focusing directly on developing a female voice, Amy focuses on achieving
a less masculine voice, leaving out the topics that many beginners dont
need right away like feminine words, infections, etc. |
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| An
interesting site looking at many of the technical aspects of perfecting your
Feminine Voice. Including information about PC software that can help you in
developing a higher voice pitch as well as improving intonation and inflection. |
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| Ciara
presents a guide as to what you may expect from traditional voice therapy
lessons. |
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| An
overall fairly informative site although from something of a fetish or
D/s approach, their voice training page offers some exercises as well as
tips on pitch, resonance, intonation, and vocabulary. |
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| What
about voice surgery? - |
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The fundamental frequency or pitch is the quality of voice that can be
modified with surgery. There are two types of proceedures typically used
for this: |
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| Scarring
procedures on the vocal cords (by laser and cautherization) which are irreversible,
often unpredictable, and may require several revisions. |
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| Cricothyroid
approximation which increases the tension in the vocal cords. A procedure
typically done under local anesthesia through a short neck incision often
combined with adam's apple shaving. |
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|
Extensive literature and additional information on these proceedures can
be obtained directly from the surgical provider. However, voice changing
surgery is widely regarded as inadvisable, and is at best only a partial
solution. Speech training is still generally required both before and after
surgery in order to produce a satisfactory 'female' voice. |
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Forums
Contributions
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While all of our site is open to your contributions and suggestions, the
forums area in particular depends upon them. If this area is to become
the source for information and support that we know it can be, then it
is all of our transgendered sisters & brothers that will make it so.
Your input might be just what someone else needed! If you have something
to share here E-mail us: TGE@tg2tg.org |
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