Hey there I was the voice anon about the singing with hormones. I've heard I'd have to retrain my voice and such I just get scared of that because for my whole life I've just been able to pretty much sing anything. I can match by ear and am an audio engineer but I don't really look at actual music theory or notes I'm strictly a I can hear it and match it or know if it's out of tune so my fear relies on I'll be out of tune/won't be able to recognize that or something if that makes sense?
Hey!! So you’ve definitely come to the right person. I, too, have little to no training in music theory or notes - I just match pitch. The good news is that your voice changing definitely doesn’t alter your ability to recognize your own pitch. My ability to tell when I’m off-key, for instance, has never wavered - but the key I sing in certainly has.
Here are some highlights of what to expect…
In my experience, testosterone will not change the QUALITY of your voice. If your voice is smooth, or nasal, or warm, or meant for belting - those qualities will remain. Again, only your range itself will actually change.
Keep in mind that the period of voice dropping is a gradual one. When you start T, you won’t even notice changes as much as other people will, and you’ll probably be able to sing all the same songs for a little while. This gives way to an odd transitional period of being able - and then suddenly not being able to sing songs how you’ve always sung them. And that’s totally fine. It just means that some songs may become more or less suited for your new range (just like songs are written for typically “male” or typically “female” voices). You might have to change key to accommodate a song with your new voice - I’ve done that a ton, and it’s worked very well! (I will note that if you’re doing topical T, the changes will be much, much slower - my point of reference is with T injections.)
Your range will be smaller in the first few months on T, but that will only last for a little while. My biggest piece of advice is NOT to push it. Your body is changing - you have to be kind to it and let it grow! Don’t go out of your way to hit those high Gs when it’s starting to drop. It will only strain your vocal chords and cause you pain. Be patient. Instead, what you SHOULD do is become as comfortable as possible in your new lower register. Then, use singing exercises like scales to help you slowly grow more comfortable with higher notes. (Here is a very rudimentary example of some such exercises.)
That said, don’t stop singing! Don’t push it, don’t belt too high, but do not stop. Practice is necessary to ease yourself into your new range.
It’s understandable to be scared. There is very little research on the effect of testosterone on the DFAB body - and especially on the voice.* I will fully admit that losing my singing voice was my BIGGEST fear before I started T. Ultimately, my dysphoria made the final decision, but I didn’t sing for performance for about six or seven months when I started T because I was still getting used to my new range. Still, like anything, I learned to work with it - and when I finally started auditioning again after growing comfortable with my new ability, the difference was incredible. I was so much more comfortable singing songs for parts that I wanted with my new range. I started to train for musical theater about two years after starting T, and learning breathing and vocal techniques really helped me expand my range without hurting myself, too.
It will likely take time until you’re satisfied. But rest assured - if testosterone is the right decision for you, your body, and your gender, your singing voice will not be lost. You just have to know how to take it along for the ride.
If you’d like, I will happily post a before/after of my singing voice so you can hear a comparison! And for others - feel free to reblog, or ask me anything else related to singing and T!
*This is the only academic study I’ve found on the effects of T and DFAB bodies - not bad, if a bit dated, but interesting!: http://www.radical-musicology.org.uk/2008/Constansis.htm
*And from the same study, here is a graph gauging FtM singing range to number of years on T: http://www.radical-musicology.org.uk/2008/constansisgraphs.pdf
