How to Do Impersonations of People
Work on mimicking vowels, which are usually the way to get an accent., Drop syllables and words like your subject., Find the voice's "location" to get your pitch right every time., Make a list of the person's most famous words and phrases., Think...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Work on mimicking vowels
Think of the Boston "ar" in words like car or park (pronounced "cahh" or "pahh-k"), or the long, strong "aye" sound in the Australian "A" ("good d-AYE, m-AYE-t").
Pinning down vowels will help turn every word quickly into an impression, and is the most obvious way to throw your voice.
Does your subject extend the vowels out, our are they short and quick? Do they "replace" vowels with other vowel sounds? For example, some Spanish speakers turn an "i" into a long "eeeee" sound. -
Step 2: which are usually the way to get an accent.
For example, a southerner generally omits the G at the end of "-ing" words, so "going" sounds more like "goin'." American speakers from across the country drop syllables in the center of words, like "average" ("av-reg"), so keep an eye out for these little word shortenings.While not all accents and tones of voice will drop words or syllables, you can usually find some variation or spin on common words in strong accents/voices. , Most impersonations won't be in your natural vocal "range," meaning you'll have to speak either lower or higher to get it right.
If this is confusing, sing a very high note to yourself and then a really low note.
With the high note, notice how your voice vibrates in your head, but the low note vibrates in your chest.
Using these two marks as baselines, figure out where you need your voice to come from for the accent.
Once you get the pitch right, make a mental note where the voice "comes from."If you're performing an impression live, you don't want to make people wait while you "find" the accent.
Locating where the voice comes from is a good way to gain consistency., If you're impersonating Arnold Schwarzenegger, you better have an "Hasta la vista, baby," saved up somewhere.
If you're impersonating Bernie Sanders, say "percent" (pronounced "perthent" with a lisp).
If you're talking about Donald Trump, the word "huge" (pronounced "yuuuge") should be prominent.
People worth impersonating usually have big, colorful vocabularies and recognizable phrases
-- make sure you use them.
Are there phrases the subject is commonly associated with, even if they don't really use them that often in real life? For example, a good Michael Jackson impersonation must have a high-pitched "heee-heee!" What common words do they substitute out? Southeastern Americans, for example, frequently use "fixin'" in place of "getting ready to," such as "I'm fixin' to get something to eat."
This isn't so much what is said or the accent used, but how the words come out.
Consider Sacha Baron Cohen's famous Borat character: while you could get the accent down, the impersonation isn't complete until you get his phrasing correct, such as "what is up, vanilla face," instead of "what's up, vanilla face." It seems small, but forgetting to contract "it is" is a common mistake of foreigners, making it an essential detail for a good impression of the fictional Kazakhstani citizen.
Some things to consider include:
Does the subject speak slowly or do they rush the words out? Pacing is important! Where do they place pauses or emphasis? To see this in the extreme, check out a William Shatner or Christopher Walken impersonation, as both actors have extremely unique pauses in their speech patterns. -
Step 3: Drop syllables and words like your subject.
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Step 4: Find the voice's "location" to get your pitch right every time.
-
Step 5: Make a list of the person's most famous words and phrases.
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Step 6: Think about speech patterning and pacing to pull it all together.
Detailed Guide
Think of the Boston "ar" in words like car or park (pronounced "cahh" or "pahh-k"), or the long, strong "aye" sound in the Australian "A" ("good d-AYE, m-AYE-t").
Pinning down vowels will help turn every word quickly into an impression, and is the most obvious way to throw your voice.
Does your subject extend the vowels out, our are they short and quick? Do they "replace" vowels with other vowel sounds? For example, some Spanish speakers turn an "i" into a long "eeeee" sound.
For example, a southerner generally omits the G at the end of "-ing" words, so "going" sounds more like "goin'." American speakers from across the country drop syllables in the center of words, like "average" ("av-reg"), so keep an eye out for these little word shortenings.While not all accents and tones of voice will drop words or syllables, you can usually find some variation or spin on common words in strong accents/voices. , Most impersonations won't be in your natural vocal "range," meaning you'll have to speak either lower or higher to get it right.
If this is confusing, sing a very high note to yourself and then a really low note.
With the high note, notice how your voice vibrates in your head, but the low note vibrates in your chest.
Using these two marks as baselines, figure out where you need your voice to come from for the accent.
Once you get the pitch right, make a mental note where the voice "comes from."If you're performing an impression live, you don't want to make people wait while you "find" the accent.
Locating where the voice comes from is a good way to gain consistency., If you're impersonating Arnold Schwarzenegger, you better have an "Hasta la vista, baby," saved up somewhere.
If you're impersonating Bernie Sanders, say "percent" (pronounced "perthent" with a lisp).
If you're talking about Donald Trump, the word "huge" (pronounced "yuuuge") should be prominent.
People worth impersonating usually have big, colorful vocabularies and recognizable phrases
-- make sure you use them.
Are there phrases the subject is commonly associated with, even if they don't really use them that often in real life? For example, a good Michael Jackson impersonation must have a high-pitched "heee-heee!" What common words do they substitute out? Southeastern Americans, for example, frequently use "fixin'" in place of "getting ready to," such as "I'm fixin' to get something to eat."
This isn't so much what is said or the accent used, but how the words come out.
Consider Sacha Baron Cohen's famous Borat character: while you could get the accent down, the impersonation isn't complete until you get his phrasing correct, such as "what is up, vanilla face," instead of "what's up, vanilla face." It seems small, but forgetting to contract "it is" is a common mistake of foreigners, making it an essential detail for a good impression of the fictional Kazakhstani citizen.
Some things to consider include:
Does the subject speak slowly or do they rush the words out? Pacing is important! Where do they place pauses or emphasis? To see this in the extreme, check out a William Shatner or Christopher Walken impersonation, as both actors have extremely unique pauses in their speech patterns.
About the Author
Amy Bennett
With a background in law, Amy Bennett brings 2 years of hands-on experience to every article. Amy believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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