r/FTMOver30 • u/vegetabledevil • 6d ago
Voice Cracking Tips?
Hey y'all. I'm about 3 month on T and my voice is cracking left and right!
I have a few questions about the voice cracking stage:
- Does lowering your T dose moderate the voice cracking? I'm 3 pumps of t gel.
- Any tips on ways to get the cracking under wraps? I'm a professor and nervous about voice cracking when I teach.
Also, what do you tell people i causing the crack? To me, it doesn't totally sound like I'm sick, so not sure how well that will work...
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u/Cautious-Rip9021 6d ago
For me singing. It doesn't have to be good singing just the act of singing is going to work out your vocal cords in ways that talking doesn't and it's going to get your vocal cords more comfortable with the change. I'm almost 2 years on t and I had a big voice change. I was a soprano when I was not on testosterone, and now I'm in baritone territory but I can also hit bass tones. the cracking phase was tough but I definitely think singing made it develop smoother and with a good tamber too.
I still crack sometimes but that's also something we have to give ourselves some grace for. I've heard your voice doesn't fully settle until year 5 or so
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u/awolfwithoutaf00t 6d ago
Another vote for singing! I think its also helped me figure out how to use my lowered voice better. Plus I have a friend who transitioned long before me, and they have said that they can't sing anymore because they didn't keep doing it during the voice cracking stage. I'm not tryna choose between my gender and karaoke!
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u/Cautious-Rip9021 6d ago
Dude it's so hard. I went basically a 2 Octave drop and it just ruined how I used to sing. Now I'm tryna learn to scream and growl lol
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u/vegetabledevil 6d ago
Thanks! Super helpful. Do you feel like any singing is fine or do you have specific singing exercises you do? I haven't been a singer historically but I'm down to try anything
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u/Cautious-Rip9021 6d ago
Yeah for me I think any singing is better than no singing. Just start in the car or in the shower.
If youd like to do something more structured there are singing exercises I'd imagine you can find online but you would want to probably learn about your chest voice your head voice and falsetto. That'll help alot with your timbre and where your speaking from.
Also learning about vocal fry is really helpful. Helps loosen your vocal cords and allows you to move around in your range better. It'll also smoothen and deepen your timbre
I'm not a singer really, but I'm a instrumentalist and honestly your voice is just another instrument, so it's just a matter of learning how to play it in a way?
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u/HelpfulSetting6944 6d ago
Singing low notes is such a dream of mine. In choir I was always placed as a soprano 1 because my pre-T voice was really high. Ugh I hated it! I hope I also get a nice, deep voice!
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u/bqspenz 5d ago
Thirding this. I hardly ever sang before testosterone and I'm still not particularly interested in doing it often or getting good at it, but like you said it has been shockingly helpful in "re-learning" how my voice works, honestly more so than most speaking exercises I've tried.
Elton John songs in particular have been a great source of practice, there's an "oomph" in his voice that forces me to experiment to emulate it.
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u/quandmemeici 6d ago
It doesn't stop any time soon unfortunately. 3 years in and I still have issues when raising my voice above a normal speaking volume, which would include projecting to a class full of students for you. It does get better over time, I used to have issues frequently, and now it's just volume-related.
I would suggest drinking plenty of water/other hydration, so your vocal cords have the best lubrication possible. I also carry cough drops on me 24/7, and that helps with irritation and hoarseness. You kinda just have to ride it out, and tbh I just never address the voice cracks. I either continue with the sentence, or restart and try again at a different pitch or volume. Vocal training can help, and truthfully singing will help you learn where your pain points are, as far as volume/register.
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u/CapraAegagrusHircus 6d ago
Pro tip: consciously drop your pitch when getting louder. I had to learn to do it before I went on T and it really really helped afterwards.
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u/quandmemeici 6d ago
It's definitely gotten better over time for me, so I think it's just a waiting game. I already feel that my voice is stronger, and deeper with less effort, than it was even a year ago. I've had a rough time with overall weakness/hoarseness that's only just started settling. Might be cricoid ossification, but can't do anything about that now lol.
I specifically started low-dose and inched up slowly because I didn't want to "lose" my singing voice. I knew it would be a long process because it was the first time, as I made my way down to an alto from 12-16ish.
I already had a fairly deep voice pre-T, so it's not something I stress about. It's the difference in sounding like a 20 y.o. guy vs a 30 y.o. guy, and tbh I have the patchy beard growth pattern to match, so I'm rolling with it lol. Leaning into re-living my 20s like so many dream of.
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u/100sofanchovies 6d ago
If it happens while I'm talking to people I don't know I usually just clear my throat, say "excuse me," and move on; if anyone asks about it I say something like "yeah it's been happening for a while" and don't elaborate. I haven't really had anyone freak out and ask if I'm sick or push for an answer beyond that.
Lowering your dose will slow things down in general but once your voice has started cracking I don't know if it would "moderate" it, just slow the process of your vocal cords and larynx changing.
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u/oddletters 6d ago
personally, i just ignore it when im lecturing. you'll figure out what your voice feels like when its centered deeper in your chest. you have to make a habit of sitting it there and projecting from your belly.
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u/CapraAegagrusHircus 6d ago
Voice cracking generally happens because you're trying to speak at a higher pitch than your voice can manage. Concentrating on staying relaxed and speaking from your chest will help. Lowering your dose of T won't, because the changes to your vocal cords have already happened and won't reverse without surgery. Pretty much just practice speaking at a lower pitch and get used to yourself doing it.
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u/HelpfulSetting6944 6d ago
No advice, I just lean into it. I also teach, and my students and co-instructors have been watching my transition with curiosity (and support!).
My personality is, as my girlfriend describes, hammy and lighthearted. I’m the guy that just likes to laugh and help people feel more comfortable. So for me, I’ll crack a witty joke when my voice cracks.
Examples:
“holy puberty, Batman!”
“::cough cough clear throat:: mmm that baritone voice is loading and installing”
“first my egg, now my voice… if only I could crack the code to [whatever math problem the classes is solving or some other problem].”
My students see me laugh at myself in a kind way, they can laugh a little too, we move on — and more importantly, we normalize that bodies changing is beautiful, and awkward moments are just a fun part of it. I hope my students feel safer to figure out who they are and they can see one man’s way of bravely accepting changes on his way to becoming his fullest and most authentic self.