Intro

Transgender voice training is an integral aspect of gender transition. Training is not just about pitch; it’s about resonance, intonation, and a myriad of subtle changes that can make a voice sound more congruent with one’s gender identity.

For the longest time, I was so frustrated because it is literally the hardest thing that I have ever tried to do and I was unable to make progress. Recently, I was told that I’m a “vocal underdoer,” which means that I don’t use my voice to its full potential. I never heard of this before in any training, but I think its probably true for a lot of folks for whom voice is their primary source of gender dysphoria? Why would we enjoy using something that we hate about ourselves?

So, before I can proceed further, I am working on vocal excercises to help improve my connection to my voice and body. This is pretty personal, but I want to share these excercises in case they help anyone else in my position and didn’t know about this.

What is a “Vocal Underdoer”?

A Vocal Underdoer is someone who doesn’t fully engage their vocal folds or resonant spaces when producing sound. This can result in a voice that sounds breathy, weak, or lacks projection.

Exercises to Help Address “Vocal Underdoer”

Here are a couple of exercises that I have been doing to help address this, and you can too. Just spend time on it each day, and like any other physical exercise you will get stronger over time. After this, MtF voice training should be easier.

1. Straw in Jar of Water Technique:

This exercise can help by providing back pressure to the vocal folds, encouraging them to come together more fully and improve resonance.

  • Steps:
    1. Fill a jar with a few inches of water.
    2. Take a drinking straw and place it into the water.
    3. Blow gently into the straw to create bubbles. This helps establish a gentle airflow.
    4. Start humming or producing sound into the straw, creating bubbles with your voice.
    5. Play with pitch while ensuring you’re producing a steady stream of bubbles.

Benefits: The resistance created by the water helps in engaging the vocal folds more effectively and can build strength over time.

2. Resonant Voice Exercises:

These exercises focus on producing voice with a forward buzz or resonance, often felt in the face or the front of the mouth.

  • Steps:
    1. Start with humming – “Mmm” and feel the vibrations in your face.
    2. Move to open vowels like “Mee”, “May”, “Moo”.
    3. Gradually increase the volume, always trying to keep the vibration or resonance in the face.

3. Glide Exercises:

These help in smoothly transitioning between different pitches.

  • Steps:
    1. Start on a comfortable low note and glide your voice up like a siren.
    2. Then, start on a high note and glide down.

Thats all for now, I am working on a couple of tools, which I will also share soon.

<3