Many people whom we may want to categorize at female-to-male would not define themselves that way. It’s important to note that the female-to-male community is a very different culture than the male-to-female community. Trans men usually want to make other changes to their voices, but the pitch is taken care of by taking testosterone. When testosterone is introduced into a system, there are physical changes to the vocal folds they thicken, which lowers the pitch of the voice. Female-to-male trans people don’t seem to be as fundamentally unhappy with their voices. Both groups of people require different things, but essentially, male-to-female trans people have more work ahead of them. Photograph: Kathe Perez Is it easier to change ones voice as a male-to-female or as a female-to-male?Įasy or hard isn’t exactly the thought here. Learning that is tough.Įva comes built-in with a frequency tuner to help users refine their pitch. If you think of a male tenor singing a note, and then a woman hitting the same note, they sound different. As a woman, even if I talk in a low pitch, or a deep voice, I still don’t sound masculine. It can be tricky to retain the pitch.īut of all the factors, resonance is the most difficult part of changing one’s voice. For example, if you’re talking at a crowded bar or restaurant, you will have to speak louder than you would at home. Pitch can be learned over time, but it’s really tough to maintain a different pitch at various sound levels. Most people have great difficulty increasing their pitch and talking loudly at the same time. I’ll ask them: “when was the last time you heard a woman talk like that?” A lot of times when trans women try to change their voices, they go into false speech. I’ve mentioned pitch, but in addition there’s also the question of voice quality. Photograph: Kathe Perez What are some of the challenges in changing one’s voice? Kathe Perez’s Eva voice-training app also includes modules for transgender men.
The Eva app has a built-in frequency tuner that users speak into, and then get a score based on whether or not they hit the pitch they are aiming for, with feedback on how to improve. A woman’s pitch is about an octave higher than a man’s. One of the biggest differences between men and women’s voices is pitch. For example, in Eva 2.0 the male-to-female lessons provide important exercises that “code” the vocal cords to maintain a relaxed/healthy manner of vibration.
How does Eva work?Įva’s methodology consists of video-based instruction and self-guided exercises that use specifically designed tools to visualize the voice output, and a series of standalone tools that provide the user with a straightforward and playful learning experience.Įach lesson is a specific learning experience with definable goals and objectives. We wanted to give people the privacy to practice this important phase of their transition.
Often times people feel embarrassed or silly when they’re practicing – like taking a dance or acting lesson. Changing one’s voice is actually a very intimate thing. Their families don’t know what they’re going through, and they need a private place to train their voices. Photograph: Kathe Perez Why do you think it was so important to make voice training available on an app?įor the most part our transgender clientele are early in transition, often married. A screen grab from the courses for Eva’s training app for transgender women.