Want a deeper voice? But aren’t sure which tricks to follow and which to avoid? Not to worry! I’ve got some basic info on how to gain better control over your voice and how to lower it, pre-T or on T.*
For a lot of us, our voice is a main factor contributing to us being misgendered, seen as younger than we are, feeling less confident in public, and general dysphoria. Those who are no-ho, but would like a lower voice, can use the following tips, as can those who are on T.
*Disclaimer:
I have about a decade of vocal work and training under my belt. However, I am
not the definitive source on vocal health and work, nor a doctor. I cannot, nor
do I intend to provide medical advice.
Speaking in a Lower Register – This is the most common tip I’ve
seen, and apparently the easiest. Just try to speak in the lowest register you
can, right? This can be helpful, and may
slightly lower your voice over time, but it won’t produce dramatic
results. And, if consistently pushed low
without the proper technique, you can injure or strain your voice.
Vocal Therapy – Though most often used by people
wanting to speak in a higher register, there are vocal therapists out there who
can help coach you to a lower speaking range. The upside is that they are
experienced and can help you stay safe and find your limits. The downside is that they typically charge a
fair amount per session, and you’ll need a number of sessions to make
substantial progress.
Vocal Exercises – There are several sets of vocal
exercises you can do to lower your voice on your own. These take between five
and fifteen minutes each day, and, if you stick to it, there can be noticeable
changes. You can buy a kit or “program”,
but there are several free ones out there. I’ve found the following exercise
most helpful:
When using
these, keep a few things in mind:
1. Make sure
that you use a quick exercise to warm up your voice first. These exercises
strengthen vocal tissue in certain areas. Like any muscle, if you don’t warm up
properly before exercising it, it can be very easily injured. Vocal tissue is
very tender, and can take a very long time to properly recover.
You can try
a singing exercise where you sing a short melody in a variety of increasing,
than decreasing octaves. Or, if you don’t sing, say “Mee, may, my, moh, moo”.
On each word, start at your natural speaking pitch (not the lower one you may
try to speak at), hold out the vowel sound, and just slowly increase pitch as
high as you can and then decrease it until you can’t go any lower.
2. NEVER do
anything that hurts or makes your voice uncomfortable. If your voice does hurt
or feel very uncomfortable afterwards, take a break for a few days, and don’t
push it as hard the next time. As with exercise, quick results aren’t worth
long-term injury
3. DON’T
rush it. It may take you a few weeks to even start to see a change, but if you
keep with them, the change will continue for months.
The important part is then implementing this in your speech. After a few weeks of any of these exercises, start trying to speak in the range of whatever word or sound you use a level or two lower than your natural pitch. (For example, aim for the “dong” or the “king”pitch you use from the video exercise.) If you’re on T, a combination of some short exercises (for example, the first part of the video exercise), and being mindful of your target speaking range can really help you feel more comfortable in your new natural register, and give you more vocal control.
Avoid:
Screaming
regularly. This will make your voice horse and perhaps a little lower. But you
can cause serious vocal tissue inflammation and destruction this way.
Smoking. If
done for the sole purpose of lowering your voice, it really isn’t worth it. You
get damaged vocal tissue and less vocal control, and if you do start T, a voice
affected by smoking will make your voice more prone to strain and cracking
Vocal
exercises during the first several months of T or a bad cold. While some very
light warm-ups might not be a problem, your voice is already going through a
lot of physical changes, and your brain is already trying to adapt to those in
how you speak. Doing exercises during this transition period won’t help
significantly, and could cause damage to your voice where they otherwise
wouldn’t.
-Gilligan
Questions?
Other tips? Comments? Feel free to write to us at gendercast@gmail.com !
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