Three daily voice feminization exercises for a more feminine voice
May 30, 2022
When people ask me about exercises they can do throughout the day to feminize their voice, I know they're looking for simple, practical techniques that fit seamlessly into daily life.
As a gender-affirming voice teacher, I've worked with countless trans women and transfeminine students seeking accessible ways to work toward their voice goals. Voice and communication therapy is recognized as an essential component of gender-affirming healthcare for transgender and gender diverse people, and it doesn't have to be complicated.
The answer to "what exercises should I do?" varies from person to person, since each person's definition of a feminine voice is unique to them. However, in my experience, many people seeking voice feminization are looking to accomplish three main things:
- Brighten their resonance
- Raise their average pitch
- Lighten their vocal fold mass
With these goals in mind, let's explore three easy exercises you can start practicing today.
Table of Contents
- Watch the Full Video
- Exercise 1: The Whisper Scream for Brightening Resonance
- Exercise 2: Memorize a New Starting Pitch
- Exercise 3: Straw Phonation for Lightening Vocal Fold Mass
- Consistency is Key in Voice Feminization
- Free Resources for Trans Voice Training
- Conclusion: Your Voice Feminization Journey
Watch the Full Video
Prefer to read? Keep scrolling for detailed instructions on each voice feminization exercise and how to incorporate them into your daily routine.
Exercise 1: The Whisper Scream for Brightening Resonance
To brighten your voice's resonance in transgender voice training, you need to gain control over the size and shape of your vocal tract.
The most effective way to do this is to master control of the height of the larynx. The higher the larynx, the smaller the vocal tract and the brighter the resonance.
What Is the Whisper Scream Exercise?
The whisper scream is my favourite exercise for gaining fine motor control over larynx height. This technique was developed by TransVoiceLessons on YouTube, and it's incredibly effective for feminization training.
How to Do the Whisper Scream
Step 1: Create the Aspirated Sound
You're going to aspirate on an "ah" vowel sound. Your vocal folds should be partially open, allowing air to pass through with some resistance but not vibrating to create pitch.
If you put your hand on your neck, you shouldn't feel any vibration when you're doing this fem voice training exercise correctly.
Step 2: Find the Right Balance
The sound should be breathy and open, not too strained. We want more air passing through than you'd use for a typical voiced sound, but not so open that there's no resistance at all.
Step 3: Darken and Brighten
Once you've mastered that aspirated sound, you can start darkening and brightening it:
- Darken: Start with a yawn shape to create a darker sound with a lower larynx position
- Brighten: Move your larynx up to make that sound brighter or more glassy sounding
You can do this step-wise (moving through distinct positions) or on a glide (smoothly transitioning from dark to bright).
Don't overthink it—just experiment with the sounds and notice how moving your larynx up and down changes the quality of the aspirated tone.
Why This Exercise Works for Voice Feminization
The whisper scream removes pitch from the equation, allowing you to focus purely on resonance control. This makes it easier to develop the muscle memory for maintaining a raised larynx position, which is crucial for feminine voice training.
Exercise 2: Memorize a New Starting Pitch
To work on raising your average pitch in MTF voice training, the exercise I recommend is simple but powerful: memorize a new starting pitch.
Finding Your Ideal Starting Pitch
Everyone will be comfortable with a different pitch, so it might take a little experimentation to find what's right for you.
Most of the trans women and transfeminine students I've worked with have fallen somewhere between E3 and A3, but a little higher or lower is perfectly fine.
This range might sound relatively low in my voice, but if you're trans feminine and feminizing your voice, this might feel in the upper range of your comfortable speaking voice.
Important: Don't Aim Too High
You want this starting pitch to be the new middle to low end of your range, not the highest note you can comfortably produce.
This gives you headroom to comfortably express yourself with natural pitch variation in conversation.
How to Practice This Transgender Voice Training Exercise
Step 1: Choose Your Pitch
Use a piano app or online keyboard to find a comfortable note between E3 and A3.
Step 2: Play and Repeat
Play your chosen pitch regularly and repeat it until you can accurately guess it without hearing it first.
Step 3: Practice Throughout the Day
The goal is to internalize this pitch so deeply that it becomes your new default starting point for speech.
Trust me, if you have viral TikTok songs rolling through your head all day in their original key, you can do this voice feminization exercise!
Why Pitch Memorization Matters
Having a consistent reference pitch gives you an anchor point to return to throughout the day. It helps prevent your voice from dropping back to old patterns when you're tired or distracted.
Exercise 3: Straw Phonation for Lightening Vocal Fold Mass
Lightening your vocal fold mass is all about creating sound efficiently. In other words, we want to use the least amount of effort while still creating a full and healthy sound.
The best way to do this? Hands down, it's straw phonation.
Why Straw Phonation Is Powerful
Straw phonation is a favourite among singers, actors, and other voice professionals because of how powerful it is at creating efficient phonation. Research shows that straw phonation exercises reduce phonation threshold pressure and decrease vocal effort and laryngeal discomfort, making them particularly beneficial for transgender vocal training.
How to Do Straw Phonation
All you have to do is hum through a straw.
You can do other vocalisations, but humming on a single note or gliding through your range is sufficient for trans voice work.
Basic straw phonation exercise:
- Take a regular drinking straw
- Place it between your lips
- Hum a comfortable pitch
- Sustain the hum or glide up and down through your range
Finding the Right Amount of Back Pressure
The secret to this feminine voice training exercise is finding the right amount of back pressure.
Too little pressure (like when you sing through a kazoo): You won't get the desired lightness in your speech.
Too much pressure: You won't be able to do the exercise at all.
Options for Different Resistance Levels
Companies like Singing Straw sell sets of three straws with different diameters, which are excellent tools for voice feminization therapy.
But you can increase the pressure of a normal straw simply by putting it in water.
When you place the straw about 2-5 cm deep in a glass of water and hum through it, you'll create bubbles and feel increased resistance. This semi-occluded vocal tract exercise increases supraglottic pressure, which supports the vocal folds in maintaining a stable and efficient vibratory pattern.
The Science Behind Straw Phonation
Research on semi-occluded vocal tract exercises demonstrates that prolonged straw phonation decreases phonation threshold pressure over time with continued practice. Studies show that straw phonation provides more significant improvements in reducing vocal effort compared to vocal rest alone.
For trans voice feminization specifically, this means you can develop lighter, more efficient voice production that feels easier to maintain throughout the day.
Want to know more about straw phonation? Check out these related posts:
The #1 Exercise for a Lighter, Feminine Voice (Backed by Science!)
Voice Feminization Warm-Up with the Singing Straw Creator
Let’s Talk Gender Affirming Voice Care: A Conversation with Renée Yoxon & Singing Straw
Consistency is Key in Voice Feminization
Voice feminization doesn't have to be complicated. Small, mindful adjustments done every day are what create lasting change.
These three transgender voice training exercises work because they're:
- Simple enough to practice daily
- Specific to key aspects of feminine voice
- Grounded in voice science and research
Whether you're just starting your MTF voice training journey or refining your existing fem voice practice, these exercises provide a solid foundation.
Quick Daily Practice Routine
Try incorporating these exercises into your day:
- Morning: 5 minutes of whisper scream exercises to wake up your larynx control
- Throughout the day: Check in with your memorized starting pitch several times
- Evening: 5-10 minutes of straw phonation to develop efficient vocal fold coordination
And if you to see what a daily trans voice routine could look like in practice, check out this video of a day in the life of a trans voice practitioner.
Trans Voice Training Every Day: What Daily Practice Actually Looks Like
Free Resources for Trans Voice Training
If you found these exercises helpful and want to learn more, I have additional resources available:
- Free resource library with guided warm-ups, journal prompts, and practice logs
- Gender-Affirming Voice 101 series covering voice fundamentals
- Voice feminization playlist on YouTube
Ready for Structured Learning?
If you're looking for comprehensive transgender vocal training beyond these daily exercises, check out my course Mindful Voice Feminization.
In the course, we cover all the voice feminization information you'll need to create a voice that feels like you, including:
- Detailed instruction on resonance, pitch, and vocal weight
- Progressive exercises building from foundation to advanced techniques
- Strategies for maintaining your voice in different situations
- Live monthly office hours for personalised guidance
If you've been thinking about trans voice lessons, this is your sign to start!
Mindful Voice Feminization
Conclusion: Your Voice Feminization Journey
These three exercises—the whisper scream, pitch memorization, and straw phonation—give you practical tools for feminizing your voice through daily practice.
Remember the key principles:
- Brighten your resonance by controlling larynx height
- Raise your pitch with a memorized starting note
- Lighten your vocal fold mass through efficient phonation
Voice feminization is a journey, not a destination. Small, consistent practice creates the muscle memory and vocal habits that will help you develop a voice that feels authentic to you.
Whether you're working on transgender voice training independently or with a voice coach, these exercises provide a foundation you can build on every single day.
Ready to explore your feminine voice?
Sign up for my free one-hour masterclass, Change The Gender of Your Voice: No Hormones or Surgeries Required, and work with a transgender voice coach who understands your journey.
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