Top 5 Transvoice Mistakes To Avoid In Voice Feminization

As a transgender, you might have everything going on from the perfect face beat to stunning heels and even hip enhancements that make your figure look flattering.

But the second that you open your mouth, your voice can give you away if you don’t sound like a girl.

Especially if you had your MTF transformation after puberty.

So how do you deal with this and what should you avoid?

As your big transgender sister, I’ll walk you through the 5 common mistakes that you should avoid in your voice feminization journey.

But first, let’s explore what voice feminization is and why you need to try it.

What Is Voice Feminization?

Basically, voice feminization is the process of changing your everyday voice to make it sound more feminine.

During this process, you can either work with a speech therapist or practice some voice feminization exercises from home.

Why is this so important?

Learning how to properly feminize your voice and avoiding common transvoice mistakes can:

• Help you feel more confident in your identity as a transwoman
• Protect you from discrimination and abuse when strangers realize that you are transgender
• Help you avoid unnecessary attention when you’re in public

Now that you know why voice feminization is important, let’s explore what makes a voice sound feminine and then move on to the transvoice mistakes you should avoid.

What Makes a Voice Sound Feminine?

We’ve all seen female celebrities with a wide variety of voices. For example, Iggy Azalea has a low and raspy voice while Ariana Grande has a flirty one.

But most people consider both their voices feminine.

So what makes a voice sound feminine? These are:

• Pitch: Many people consider a higher pitch to be more feminine
• Resonance: This is the quality of your voice and how sound vibrates inside you
• Vocal Intensity: This is how soft your voice is
• Voice Clarity: This is how clearly you pronounce your words instead of just murmuring

Remember to keep these four factors at the back of your mind as I go on to show you the 5 transvoice mistakes you should avoid in your voice feminization journey.

Using Too High Pitch

Basically, your pitch is how high or low your voice is. Naturally, women have a higher pitch voice than men.

But there are women with a low-pitched voice but they sound just as feminine as the ones with higher-pitched voices.

Why? Because pitch isn’t the only thing determining if your voice sounds feminine.

If you’re like me and you transitioned after your voice broke, you can raise your pitch up to a certain level. Then from there, you can’t go higher.

The trick isn’t to go as high as you can, but only a few tones higher.

The right pitch will be lower than you think since you’re not supposed to sound like you’ve inhaled a helium balloon.

My experience

I remember the first time I went in public after finishing my hormone replacement therapy.

I hadn’t gone through voice feminization so my first instinct was to speak in the highest pitch that I could.

Long story short, it was a disaster. Most people gave me weird looks and honestly, that experience traumatized me and I couldn’t go out for a month.

So please don’t make the same mistake that I did.

Tips for getting the perfect pitch feminine voice

• Download a voice pitch analyzer app
• Start humming your favorite songs at a higher pitch, then progress to speaking short phrases.

With practice, you can get a feminine voice like the one Transgender actress, Laverne Cox has.

Although her voice is not high-pitched, it’s very feminine because she’s learned how to perfect her pitch without sounding unnatural.

Neglecting Resonance

The second transvoice mistake that you should avoid is neglecting resonance.

This is how your voice vibrates and how your vocal cords influence the sound that comes out of your mouth.

I know it sounds a bit scientific, but you have 100% control over it. Resonance has more influence on whether your voice sounds feminine than pitch.

So aim to have a high resonance. Here are some exercises that can help you with it:

Practice humming: Start humming with your normal voice then raise the pitch but the trick is to keep the resonance and vibrations in your head instead of your chest.

Use siren sounds: To do this, practice making a low-pitched sound, then a high-pitched one, and vice versa. Then direct the vibrations to move from your chest to your head

Nasal exercise: When you’re at home and you have some free time, practice speaking as you hold your nose. Your voice should sound a bit nasal. Then try to speak like this without holding your nose

Combine these resonance workouts with your pitch exercises and record yourself.

If you do this for a few minutes every day, you’ll train your vocal cords and soon enough you’ll start speaking more femininely without even thinking about it.

Speaking Too Fast

As a trans woman, I’ve been in so many situations where I would go into a restaurant or a coffee shop to order something and I’d speak quickly so they wouldn’t catch on and realize that I’m trans.

But I can tell you, nine times out of 10, I got a funny look and I had to repeat what I was a ying like 3 times.

So I know how easy it is to overthink and get into your head, especially when you’re speaking to a stranger in public. 

But remember that your voice is not a stamp of approval for your gender identity.

Whether you have a natural feminine voice or a lower masculine sound, you are who you want to be, and no one can take that away from you.

So the next time you’re having ‘verbal diarrhea’ and you need to slow down your speech, here’s what I recommend for you:

• Take a deep breath:This will help calm your nerves and you can speak more softly and with clarity
• Pace  yourself:For example, before you go into a café, practice how you’ll place your order and focus on pronouncing each word in a slow way
• Pause:Have you ever noticed that seductive women like Marilyn Monroe used to pause between their sentences? This simple trick made them more mysterious and seductive since everyone wanted to know what they’d say next. So take short pauses in between your sentences and pay attention to how you sound.

Sounding Breathy and Airy

I’ve seen many transgender women make the mistake of thinking that if they sound breathy, they can pass as a female in public.

That’s because sounding too airy will make your voice sound weak and like you’re whispering.

And that’s not how women usually sound like.

It’s better if you train your voice to be clearer and a bit stronger because this will make you come off as a confident woman.

Plus, using a breathy voice can make you easily tired.

If you’re used to using a breathy and airy voice, here’s two ways how you can correct it:

• Do a voice warm-up:Try humming your favorite song to prepare your vocal cords
• Focus on where your voice is coming from:Instead of channeling your voice from your throat and sounding breathy, try to direct your voice from your mouth. You can practice this by making ‘mmm’ sounds.

Ignoring Nonverbal Communication

The last transvoice mistake you should avoid is thinking that you can only communicate with your voice.

You might have the most feminine voice but your non-verbal communication and body language makes you look masculine.

Here’s how you can avoid incorrect body language and how you can use non-verbal communication to look more feminine:

• Talk with your hands (especially if you have a beautiful manicure)
• Smile when you’re talking and make eye contact with the person you’re talking to
• Avoid slouching but sit straight and cross your legs especially if you’re wearing a skirt or a dress
• Walk with your head high and take short steps instead of longer one
• Soften your face so that you look more relaxed and open

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed this article and now you have the tips you need in your voice feminization journey.

Remember that it’s a process. For example, it took me 5 years to perfect my feminine voice.

So don’t overthink it or let the fear of sounding like a man paralyze you.

Like I said, your voice isn’t a stamp of approval for your gender identity.

All you can do is avoid these 5 transvoice mistakes, practice, and remember to be kind to yourself.

Feel free to check out  YouTube videos on how you can get a low-pitched feminine voice and I promise, it gets better with time.

And very soon, you’ll have the voice of your dreams. Until next time, cheers!