Stage 4 of 7 in the course
Intonation
How your pitch moves
Intonation is the melody of a sentence: how your pitch rises and falls as you talk, rather than where it sits.
The dashed line is the same sentence said completely flat.
More movement, and more lifts, tend to be heard as more feminine. There's no shape you have to copy.
Say “I'm fine” flatly. Now say it warmly, then as a question. Same words, same voice, three different tunes. That's intonation.
What to expect
It's the quickest thing to change, because it's a habit of expression rather than a physical adjustment.
What changes it
More melody
Flat, then not
- Do this
- Say “I think I'll get a coffee before we go” completely flat, like a robot. Then say it the way you normally would.
- You'll know it's working when
- You can point to at least two places the pitch moved that stayed flat before.
In the app: Flat, then not (I1), 1.5 min
More melody
Wider than feels natural
- Do this
- Say a short sentence with much more movement than usual, like reading a children's book aloud. Then bring it back down, but not all the way to flat.
- You'll know it's working when
- The toned-down version still moves more than your everyday voice.
If reaching the top takes real effort, use a smaller range.
In the app: Wider than feels natural (I2), 1.5 min
More melody
Lift one word
- Do this
- Say “I didn't say she took the money” a few times, lifting a different word each time, and hear the meaning change.
- You'll know it's working when
- Someone could tell which word you lifted from the pitch alone.
In the app: One word, new meaning (I3), 1.5 min
Putting it together: tell it, don't read it
Movement with a reason behind it.
- Notice where it moves
- A little wider than usual
- Lift the word that matters
This is usually the last thing to become automatic, well after the exercises feel easy.
If widening your range takes real effort, keep it narrower. There's no need to reach.
Good to know
What the research says
Studies keep finding that speakers who use more upward movement and a wider range are heard as more feminine. One finding is a bit uncomfortable: trans women who aren't read as female tend to use less upward movement, and more downward movement, than those who are.
Quick to change
Resonance takes weeks and weight takes months. You can shift your intonation in a single conversation, because it's a habit of expression rather than a physical change. That makes it very good value.
Don't overdo it
If every sentence swoops up, you don't sound feminine, you sound like someone doing an impression of enthusiasm, and it's tiring to keep up. You're after more range and more variation, so your voice moves instead of sitting flat.
A lot of trans people have spent years keeping expression out of their voice, and many have gone flat without noticing. So this part is often less about learning something new and more about letting go of something you did to protect yourself.
Sound like yourself
Intonation carries your accent, where you're from, your background and your personality, much more than resonance or weight do. There isn't one right tune, and someone else's tends to sound borrowed on you. Here, more than anywhere, the aim is to sound like yourself.
This is practice, not medical care. Keep it comfortable: if your throat feels tight, sore or tired, stop for today. Read Looking after your voice, and see a speech and language therapist if hoarseness lasts more than a few days.