Strategies

There is absolutely NO substitute for daily,
concentrated practice.  Voice modification needs to
be a slow process if it is to be natural and life-lasting.

That said, here are a few tips to help you along your
journey:

Remember that there are many aspects to
gender identity of communication.  While pitch
(Fundamental Frequency-Fo) is important,
other facets such as non-verbal cues, pitch
variability, and lexical usage are equally
essential to capturing a natural voice of the
gender you portray.

Relax.  Tense muscles in the vocal mechanism
are, by definition, not flexible.  This rigidity is
not only unhealthy in general, it prohibits ease of
pitch variability and reduces the oral resonance
often associated with feminine voicing.

*This does not mean that female-to-male clients
should keep tension in their voice.  Relaxation
allows the voice to more easily reach all
pitches-including the lower portion of the vocal
range.

Additionally, if you keep the muscles of your
neck and throat tense through much of the day,
you are going to find it harder to maintain the
voice you are trying to acquire.  Eventually, the
muscles will atrophy (weaken) which can cause
major vocal problems.  There is no reason for
your voice to feel tired, hoarse, or scratchy at the
end of a normal speaking day.  Period.

Tip #1:

Tip #2:

Be specific with your goals.  It is not enough to say, "I
want to sound like a woman/man."  You need to
decide what it is about a certain voice that you want
to develop.  In order to do this, you need to observe
as many people of the gender you are emulating as
possible.  Really watch and listen to how they speak
and what they say.  

For male-to-female transgender people, this serves
two purposes.  It is a highly accepted belief that most
women are more astutely observant than men.  The
more you can train yourself to observe details, the
more likely you are to allow your observations to
come through in your conversations.  

Tip #4:

Tip #3:

Vocal hygiene is very important to anyone trying to
improve his/her voice.  Good vocal hygiene
involves avoiding vocally abusive behaviors such
as smoking, yelling, clearing your throat, and
excessive coughing.  Also, make sure you are
sufficiently hydrated by drinking plenty of water.  
For more vocal health do's/don'ts, click here.

Tip #5:

It is extremely helpful to recruit objective listeners
while you are in the process of voice modification.  
Whether this is a professional speech therapist/voice
coach or friends and family members, a trusted
opinion can help you gauge your progress.  

Be aware that your voice sounds differently in your
own head than it does to others.  Many people do not
like to hear themselves on a recording for this reason,
but it also the exact reason you can benefit from
recording your voice.