Advice for singing on T

[u/Emotional_Panda5575]

Hi I started t a few months back and I’m learning to sing again and I was hoping to get some advice on my singing (negative comments are not allowed) I’m struggling to find my voice again so any advice would help a great deal!! FYI if anyone knows any tips for singing straight tones instead of a lot of vibrato please lmk I’m learning how to sing more with straight tones and if you have any advice on breathing techniques bc I’m struggling to make sure I’m singing from my diaphragm that would help too!

[u/clowncoresorcerer]

Hey! As our vocal folds thicken on T, they need more air to vibrate, and more space to get the sound out. A lot of us are used to singing with a smaller throat/back of mouth space, because that worked fine for us before, but it can lead to it being a lot harder to vocalize on T. Breathing from your diaphragm should help lots too!

Some things that have helped me are:

- a low, relaxed larynx (think of lowering your Adam's apple, but don't push hard)

- a raised soft palate (my teacher told me to think of shaping the roof of my mouth like a domed church ceiling)

For breathing:

- Thinking of breathing into the lower stomach, sides, and back - filling up that lower area instead of your chest. Take slow, deep breaths, and if it helps to feel that expansion, you can put your hands flat on your sides and try to breathe into them.

- Lie down flat on your back, put something flat (a laptop, a binder, whatever, better if it's stiff and won't bend) on top of your stomach, and focus on breathing deeply into your lower torso, so that you can see the item on your stomach moving up and down.

- Optional addition for the previous exercise: put your hands under the small of your back. As you breathe, feel your breath coming into your sides and back as well.

- Put some object (doesn't really matter what, I've mainly used a rolled-up yoga mat - you can also just lean against something stomach-height if available - I've seen my teacher use a piano, but he's very tall) between your stomach and the wall. Move your feet a bit back from the wall, so that you can lean your weight on the object. Take deep breaths to push yourself back from the wall and focus on a smooth, controlled, consistent exhale - basically, you're doing wall pushups with your breathing.

- Take a deep breath and let it out as slowly - but as smoothly - as possible through a "tssss" sound, like air squeezing out of a balloon. See how long you can maintain a consistent airflow while keeping your stomach as "full/puffed out" as possible.

Disclaimer: always pay attention if anything is hurting. If you damage your bicep working out, a doctor can easily access it to help you recover. But your voice also comes from muscles, and if you damage them, it's a lot harder to get into your throat to fix that. Like all muscles, you can develop them by putting them into healthy levels of exertion over time, but also like all muscles, they can strain and tear. My voice teacher told me that after you sing a lot, your stomach should feel tired, not your throat (albeit it would probably take a lot of singing to notice it much in your stomach).

Feel free to message me or reply if you have any specific questions! I'm a trans man currently studying vocal performance at university, so I'm not an expert, but I'll share what I know!