Gender-Affirming Singing: How to Transpose Songs to Suit Your Voice
Jul 27, 2023
Have you ever wished to sing a song but found it too high or low for your voice? Don't worry; you're not alone! Today, we're diving into the world of singing and gender-affirming voice. Singing can be one of the most powerful and gender-affirming activities, allowing us to explore our identities and express ourselves authentically. If you watch the video above, you can see pictures of me doing teenage bedroom gender-bending while getting ready to sing Leonard Cohen's "I'm Your Man" lol
In this blog post, I'll show you how to transpose songs to suit your unique voice, empowering you to sing with confidence and joy.
The Power of Singing in Gender Expression
Singing is a liberating and affirming way to explore and express your gender identity. Who among us hasn't closed their eyes and belted out a song into their hairbrush, imagining that you ARE the lead singer? Singing has the capacity to be profoundly gender-affirming!
The Struggle of Loving a Song But Straining to Sing It
It's frustrating when you fall in love with a song, but it feels uncomfortable to sing along. That's where transposing music comes to the rescue! Transposition is the process of changing the key of a song to make it higher or lower, aligning it with your vocal range and making it more comfortable to sing. This is something super common to jazz singing (which is the background that I have) but not so common in other genres.
Transposition with Ultimate Guitar Tabs
In the video above, I use the popular song "Creep" by Radiohead as an example to demonstrate how to transpose music using Ultimate Guitar Tabs, a widely-used platform for guitar chords and tabs. This song is originally in the key of G, which, as you'll see in the video, does not suit my voice at all.
The steps to transposing on Ultimate Guitar tabs couldn't be easier:
- Go to the Ultimate Guitar Tabs and search for the song that you want to sing.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page to locate the "Transpose +1 -1" button.
- Click the button to change the song's key by a semitone.
- Repeat this process until you find a key that feels comfortable and suits your voice.
The Power of Finding Your Perfect Key
By transposing a song, you open up a world of possibilities for your singing journey. Whether you're a trans woman looking to feminize your voice, and want to sing feminine songs more comfortably, or anyone seeking to match the song with your vocal range, finding the perfect key is a gratifying experience.
Embrace the Joy of Experimentation
Using transposition to find your key, much like trans voice training, is not a linear process. Embrace the joy of experimentation as you try different keys and explore the nuances of your voice. You may need to transpose a song several times to find the ideal fit, but remember: each attempt is a step toward discovering the right key for you.
What is Your Gender-Affirming Song?
If you haven't already, make a list of songs that make you feel gender-euphoria when you sing them. Let's celebrate the power of music in our journey of self-discovery and vocal empowerment. Your experiences and song choices might inspire others on their voice training and gender-affirming paths.
Conclusion
Singing is a beautiful form of self-expression, and through voice training and transposing music, you can make any song suit your unique voice. Remember, the process might require patience and practice, but the rewards are worth it!
Let's continue supporting each other on this journey of voice feminization, voice masculinization, and gender affirmation. If you're interested in further resources and guidance, check out my freebies page.
Now go forth, explore your voice, and sing your heart out with confidence and pride!
