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For those who seek to sound like the gender they present. It's possible to train one's voice to be different from the voice they were born with and grew up with. Think of singers. Opera singers are some of the best when one thinks of the sounds we humans emit. Even those who do Country or Classical songs train so their records, or now days DVDs sell. Think of those who do voice for animated characters. The Simpsons, it was a female who did Bart. She does several other voice overs also.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0pgxXGtZGk
Bill Farmer is the voice of Goofy and several other characters. This one he switches from his normal voice to Goofy gives an excellent example of voice training.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBGYr_BsKDs
As I mentioned before in a blog one needs to hear themself the way others hear them. It's not what one thinks if they never heard a recording of their own voice. I'm not crazy about the audio input-output of cell phones but it's cost effective if one already owns a phone. There is also the added incentive of the cell phone. Lots of apps for voice training and some of them are free. There are lots of data to be gleaned from youtube. If one has musical talent it is a head start as most understand pitch and scale. Don't get concerned if that skill isn't already there as this isn't an impossible task either way. Here is one to start you off on your future to finding the sound and the voice you want. Even if you already have the voice you want, this would be an excellent bit of info to know. I'm so fortunate to have this young lady as a voice coach. We are so in agreement and understanding what makes males sound like males and females sound like females, one would think we were sisters. I'm in love with this girl. The following youtube isn't her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OII2X7zglrQ
Great expectations won't bear fruit unless combined with action. Thus, usually time, effort, and desire must be invested. I confess my voice coach put me onto these places and wants me to do the research. Not a problem as this is why I signed up in the first place, to share info with girls all over this great big blue spaceship we call Earth. Above all remember the difference between male and female voice has a really wide middle ground. No one has to be absolutely female nor male nor should anyone feel they must achieve either without question.
Accept yourself for this is your life.
Hugs People
Barbie Jean
Life is a gift meant to be lived, not worn until it's worn out.
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Or
Thankfully, the accidental ingestion of acid... I am blessed that is all it did. Raised my voice quite a lot. The inflection came next.
Voice training
Once one is trained then it is down to being consistent with using that voice, no backpedaling if possible.
The reason is simple: your muscles need to default and adapt to this new configuration in your throat.
For me, it took like 5 years before it became basically instinctive and not feel the muscles getting strained.
I now have the trademark womens' squeal even when surprised, like suddenly getting hit on my hands at a restaurant restroom with hot water that was so hot that it would make McDonald's coffee proud. But then I've voice transitioned for 35 years now so there is that.
And my voice starting point was a low-medium baritone.
The Only Drawback
I've been doing this about 20 years. If get really angry, my dead voice surfaces, surprising both me and the person I am correcting.
Angry
Strong emotions will paralyze some critical muscles needed to shape your voice, something a typical GG obviously need not worry about as much of course.
This will vary by indiividual.
In my case, sudden sneezes that forces your mouth wide open on occasion will result a slightly deeper than normal sound.
I can cope with less sudden ones easily but very sudden ones are tough. Luckily it is still not like deep deep and would raise eyebrows necessarily.
When I transitioned
I asked the head of speech therapy about training my voice, she looked at me in astonishment. Why? she asked and then added just talk like you do now, your voice is relatively light. Admittedly I had raised my pitch very slightly, which was very tiring after much talking, also my colleagues would say if my voice dropped, which was very helpful and supportive. After a while of talking with other women, it becomes natural and it's worked for 38 years or so, even talking on the phone which tends to amplify things or among a group of women who have no idea of my history. I've also taught groups and done talks to quite large groups and no one seemed to question my identity.
I notice many American transwomen tend to have quite deep voices, which may give them away. That's okay if you're happy to be known as a transwoman, but I live in stealth because I just want to accepted as an ordinary woman, which I feel I am unless I have to go for medical treatment. The last time I did that, the woman physio I spoke with on the phone was extremely professional throughout the interview and very helpful.
I'm an older lady now, so invisible, that helps too in not being noticed, but it's all about presenting an image, if you are in a skirt or dress and acting like a woman, people react to what you project. So if you look like a gorilla in dress expect to be treated like one, voice is just part of the whole presentation.
Angharad
Deeper voices
Sure, like you said, if you are okay at being known as trans.
It is about motivation. During the time period we transitioned, there were no protections for me in the states. It was all catch as catch can. Security is a strong motivator to get ones voice sorted. In parts of the US where a certain political party dominates frankly I would be afraid to interact with them if I did not have my voice duck in a row.
Speaking of deep voices?
If you are concerned about having a voice that's too deep to be feminine check out Marlo Thomas in any St. Jude commercial, such as this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fCZI8qAQo8
A few years there was discussion about passing and someone pointed out that if Janet Reno could pass, any of us could.
That pretty much convinced me that I didn't have anything to worry about. And Marlo Thomas' voice does the same.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin ein femininer Mann
Sure
And so was Tallulah Bankhead back in the day.
Inflection and intonation is an important determinant given the appearance is at least feminine.
But back in the day before the age of FFS in 1990, masculine looking women with masculine sounding voices with poor intonation will make that poor transwoman have a harder time and invite scrutiny.
I also have the added handicap of having my legal name still my dead name due to practical reasons that my dead name technically was used by women back in the day - like over 100 years ago but is considered a man's now. This allowed me to let's say manipulate by BC for my identification needs. Back in 1989 when I transitioned to full time it was not guaranteed the person behind the counter at motor vehicles will be considerate enough to change your gender marker for you.
I can legally change my name now of course and being post-op the gender marker is of course now a non-issue. But, I am going to save that for when I retire and don't have a security clearance (which is in my dead name, and yes they know I am trans) to muck around with. And yes, I still pass and my BC and DL both state me as female, but people just think it a bit strange for me to have that name. Let's say I am doing something kinda like a George Sand.