PSA for any trans+ person looking to start, or currently doing, any kind of voice training

Seattle Voice Lab has broken their silence over a former employee of theirs (Jimmy Chen), who set up his own voice coaching service called Trans Voice Lab.

We need to address Trans Voice Lab.

We highly recommend watching / listening to the whole video, but here are some key points within their video:

• Jimmy's employment was terminated for "manipulative teaching practices and dishonesty towards" their students.
• He downloaded their bespoke training materials (SVL's intellectual property) and client lists (!!!), then used these to set up his own voice coaching service and write a book.
• SVL didn't want to have to make the video, but has felt obliged to do so.
• SVL is pursuing "legal counsel" over Jimmy's actions.

tl;dr

• Avoid any videos or guides from Jimmy Chen.
• Avoid using Trans Voice Lab at all costs.

Boosts and crossposts very welcome, as we need to make more folks aware of this  

#trans #transgender #enby #NonBinary #voice #VoiceTraining #VoiceTherapy #VoiceCoaching #VoiceFeminization #VoiceFeminisation #VoiceMasculinization #VoiceMasculinisation #SeattleVoiceLab #TransVoiceLab #JimmyChen #PSA #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #BoostsWelcome

We've been thinking more about voice training.

• We don't find it fun: it's a painful chore.
• We can't do it if being perceived in person.
• We find the exercises too much like singing lessons (which are triggering) and very cringe.
• We cannot stick to a regular training regimen, particularly where we cannot guarantee sufficient uninterrupted time and space alone.

We do, however, like poorly attempting other accents (mostly English regional accents) and find it actively fun. (Not by ourselves though.)

Anyone managed to voice train not via daily, boring, abstract exercises, but rather fun voice activities that don't feel embarrassing to do around others and which actually spark joy?

#VoiceTraining #VoiceFeminisation #VoiceTherapy #SpeechAndLanguageTherapy #trans #transgender #NonBinary #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking

Edit:

• Fixed some typos and missing thoughts / sentences.
• Thank you for all answers so far. Sadly none are helpful for us, but they may be helpful to others.
• We struggle with many things that make voice training much more difficult for us, including the inability to make verbal noise(s) solo within earshot of anyone else where we're not directly communicating with them.
  • Even when we used to stream, it was very difficult for us to do if wife was downstairs in living room, on the same floor as our office, even with the door shut.

Query

Any being have any experience of a free audio tool (offline or online) that can analyse a voice recording from an uploaded file or an online source (like YouTube) to produce a frequency range?

We ask because we are trying to answer questions raised by our new voice coach ahead of our second initial assessment with them on 31st July, and part of answering requires us to determine how our ideal voice might sound.

The problem is that we simply do not know what our ideal voice would sound like.

What we do know is that:

• We wish we had the voice we would have had if we hadn't gone through an androgenic puberty from age 10.
• We have lost (or never picked up) most distinguishing features of the local accent where we have lived all our life (barring university).
• We do not want any kind of stereotypical "uwu" or "anime girl" voice.

We'd like to analyse the pitch ranges of voices of people whose voices are gendered fem but do not maintain the kind of stereotypical pitch range that many trans fem folks aim for.

The kinds of voices we find appealling in others are those of:

• Hannah Fry - e.g., the doorbell for fish
• Amelia Tyler - e.g., Baldur's Gate 3 - narrator's outtakes 3
• Claudia Black - e.g., Claudia Black for Dragon Age III

etc.

We can't tell you why we like such voices, as we lack the understanding, analytical skills, and terminology to describe them.

We've managed to do some frequency analysis in Audacity¹, but it's not particularly easy to analyse and compare, and Audacity only exports to text.

Any suggestions? 🩷

#voice #VoiceAnalysis #VoiceTraining #VoiceTherapy #trans+ #TransFem #transgender #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+

¹ Analyze > Plot Spectrum > Algorithm set to Spectrum, Size set to 16384, Function set to Rectangular Window, Axis set to Log Frequency

@shiri Thanks for the amazing thoughts there Shiri 🥰

They actually echo what our voice coach was trying to get us to do when we stopped doing regular sessions: get used to talking in the higher pitch, so it became more comfortable, natural, and strengthened.

Part of her last advice to us was using an app called Sing & See (Student version) to focus on getting our pitch slowly up to A#3.

Giggle technique to sustain strength and stamina in the larynx whilst creating optimum laryngeal posture for your best voice.

/h/ + vowels breathy chant at A#3 (use sing and see). (This is a really good warm up for the whole larynx).

Then look at the /h/ longer phrases. These specifically focus on breath support. The exhale is the stabiliser.
Start each 1st syllable in chant to establish A#3 then go into the spoken femme voice.
Remember vocal wave and exhale to keep vowels soft.
From the onset think Vocal Springboard to immediately lift your voice and vocally engage with the listener.
Don’t drop the final syllables, just dip them slightly.
Think - Don’t drop the vocal full stop!
Repeat the phrases to increase familiarity and connect with mindset.

Look at the consonant longer phrases A#3 onset and use the above strategies.

Vocal generalisation:-
Days of the week A#3
Months of the year A#3
Think Vocal Wave and exhale.

Vocal flooding:-
Chant “This is my A#3 voice” (use sing and see)
Chant “I really like my A#3 voice”

Looking back, we've focussed so much on everything else (including a lot of life stuff) that we've really neglected doing this, because we don't feel comfortable with that A#3 voice... yet.

@Gwendolyn Don't know if this will help you at all, but Louise gave us some parting great advice:

Remember we talked about Tags to sustain femme voice or reset femme voice if it drifts lower. These are little words like ‘So’, ‘Well’, ‘Right’, ‘Anyway’ etc… Initially, purposefully overuse the Tags to increase familiarity with the mindset and create a habit.

Overall remember VETS (the 4 main vocal parameters to sustaining your femme voice):-
V - Vocal Wave
E - Exhale
T - Tags
S - Springboard

#TransVoice #VoiceTherapy #VoiceTraining #VoiceFeminisation #VoiceFeminization #transition

Okay, one of my homework assignments for #VoiceTherapy is to come up with ideas of women I'd like to sound like.

Please help me brain storm ideas!

#trans

7 Essential #Trans #Voice #Resources

How to find your #voice, share your #authenticself, and #thrive with every #spoken #word.

#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Transitioning #Voice #VoiceTherapy

https://medium.com/translating-everything/7-essential-trans-voice-resources-4f24b3e2d8d7

Talking with my great friend Alison Hiester about voice! Wait...talking about voice...voice is talking...excellent!

20 October 2023 - Gender-Affirming Voice Therapy by Amethysta Herrick

https://genderidentitytoday.com/20-october-2023-gender-affirming-voice-therapy/

#transgender #lgbtq #voicetherapy