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How to make celebrity voice impersonations

How do I perform celebrity voice impersonations?

The last major league baseball player to reach 400 was Ted Williams. People would often approach Mr. Williams and ask, “Ted, what is the secret to your great hitting?” Although today Ted has his own website dedicated to the subject, in the past, the answer used to be something a little closer to “I just can.”

The truth is, Ted had little secrets that he would do, like counting the points on the ball as it spun toward him and making sure the ball was in his “happy zone.” But the fact of the matter is that there are two types of people, those who can just “do” and those who can “teach how to do it.”

As a professional broadcaster who specializes in celebrity voice impersonations, people often ask me the same kind of question. The answer is practically the same. “I can only.” But at least I will try to break the thought process that I use when trying to impersonate voices that do not immediately feel natural to me.

But before running, we must at least learn to walk. I think there are four imitations that almost everyone on the planet can do. The top three are Macho Man Randy Savage, Sylvester Stallone, and Jimmy Stewart. Although they all come from different areas of it, each of these voices begins and ends in the throat (unlike other more difficult areas that I’ll dig into momentarily), and they all fall into a tone range that is very easy to use. . to almost all people who have completed puberty. All without having to stretch your vocal muscles a lot.

Which brings me to the fourth person, William Shatner. Even a three year old can impersonate the unique, “Stop and Start” and “fast” way that Mr. Shatner speaks. Almost anyone can pick up on that timbre and that way of speaking enough to at least make a just spoofing, good enough to be a hit at parties. However, to tell the truth, it is almost impossible to get a very good impression of William Shatner.

For a great William Shatner impersonation, check out the Frank Caliendo video linked at the bottom of this page. Note that you are simply not speaking outlandish phrases about Spock and the spaceships. Lower your voice at the right times and apply the right emotions to it, and if we can think of the “impression” as an imaginary, physical “ball of voice” for a second, then you can understand that the key that makes this is a great impression compared to a party trick, is that Frank moves that ball through all the physical areas of his body that all humans use when talking. More specifically, it gets the Shatner pitch and moves it through the same areas that Shatner does. Any of us can lower the timbre and vocal gestures to achieve a Shatner, but what separates the men from the guys is actually getting the right tone and movement first, and then applying the unique vocal gestures.

So now you see why I separated the four into two specific groups. By understanding Shatner, we can now go back and understand a little more clearly why the first three are so easy to duplicate. While Savage could be a lower-type voice, Stallone could be a deeper one, and Stewart could be a bit higher-pitched – again, neither of them provide us with much effort. On an octave scale, they are pretty much everyone’s alley and their timbre and gestures are so unique, anyone can throw them into conversation and the listener will know exactly who you are impersonating. It’s not a great deal. Uniqueness is what makes them easy.

That’s why I’m rarely impressed by the personifications of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Aside from perhaps Darrell Hammond, who makes a spot in the version for all the same reasons mentioned above in Shatner’s Caliendo version.

Once again, unique voices are a piece of cake. It’s the normal voices that are difficult. That is why we have yet to see anyone really make a great impersonation of President Obama. Clinton, Reagan and The Bush made it easy for him. If you want to be really impressed, check out the following video. This is not really Harrison Ford.

So what other areas besides the throat are important?

Every voice obviously comes from the throat. Obvious, because that’s where the vocal cords are. But to some extent, all people also combine the nasal area, as well as the chest and diaphragm areas of their bodies in their everyday vocal communications. The first key to doing a good impersonation is identifying which of those areas the voice you are attempting is coming from. This is what makes doing a Morgan Freeman impersonation, for example, extremely difficult if the voice doesn’t feel natural to you. I would venture to guess that a good portion of the male population can find the appropriate deep tone of voice necessary for impersonation. But can they apply the correct “rough” to the voice and then deftly pull the voice out of the diaphragm and sell it to the world through the nasal passages, while finding the right mix of Freeman’s unique inflections? It sure isn’t that easy. But that’s the key. If you want to hear a good example, there is one on my website.

Also, and equally obvious, is the mouth. One of my biggest challenges as a broadcaster is concentrating on proper pronunciation. I have a tendency to speak very colloquially and sometimes fall prey to my Ohio accent. But, when I find it difficult to do my commercial and promotional voice-overs, I find a treasure trove of impersonations, as these deficiencies in “proper” speech mean that I can more easily spot the “flaws” that otherwise make a person or celebrity is unique. and thus make impersonation more achievable. Gerad Butler and Sean Connery take out their S, for example. Richard Burton requires a clench of the mouth and a turn of the R’s in a very Shakespearean way. These are just examples, to show how important enunciation and movement of the mouth is in the process. For more information, please check how strongly I am stating my P’s and B’s in my Jesse Ventura impersonation linked below.

In any case, no, this is not the last de facto lesson on how to do celebrity voice impersonations, but it will get you started.

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