ERIC VS TOM
Hi Eric, and welcome to your own personal 'voice hacking' page where over the coming months You and I are going to be exchanging ideas and working on the task of adopting the vocal traits of Mr Tom Hiddleston.
Of course as mentioned, I already think you have tremendous potential and will rock this, so have no doubts about your ability. The only question then is of your effort and dedication.
Below are two recordings which you have already sent me and another two empty recording files and two pdfs with some new text, which I will ask you to record at your convinience.
Once I have these new recordings I will take apart certain sounds and start to demonstrate first (on the left hand side of the page) how you currently make these sounds and words, then (on the right) how Tom does it.
The way this will work is I will set specific homework to include daily articulation, sight reading and listening exercises for you to complete. The combination of which will re-train your body and brain to act in new ways.
As we move on in the process, this page will get longer and more involved, but all the previous recordings, exercises and worksheets will remain up so we can track your progress and observe the changes made.
But once again, and as alwready mentioned, before we can get into Tom's specifics I need to start introducing you to the foundations that make him sound the way he does. We will do this by starting to change two very important factors about your own voice.
If you move past the below video and audio you will see your first set of homework.
Of course as mentioned, I already think you have tremendous potential and will rock this, so have no doubts about your ability. The only question then is of your effort and dedication.
Below are two recordings which you have already sent me and another two empty recording files and two pdfs with some new text, which I will ask you to record at your convinience.
Once I have these new recordings I will take apart certain sounds and start to demonstrate first (on the left hand side of the page) how you currently make these sounds and words, then (on the right) how Tom does it.
The way this will work is I will set specific homework to include daily articulation, sight reading and listening exercises for you to complete. The combination of which will re-train your body and brain to act in new ways.
As we move on in the process, this page will get longer and more involved, but all the previous recordings, exercises and worksheets will remain up so we can track your progress and observe the changes made.
But once again, and as alwready mentioned, before we can get into Tom's specifics I need to start introducing you to the foundations that make him sound the way he does. We will do this by starting to change two very important factors about your own voice.
If you move past the below video and audio you will see your first set of homework.
THEN |
NOW |
First area of work!
1. AIRFLOW/ PLACEMENT: One of the most prominent factors that differentiates how you sound Eric, and how Tom and other RP (Received Pronunciation) speakers do, is due to that way in which we send air into our nose and mouth. You seem to be particularly favouring the airflow into your nasal cavity. In the pic below (numbered) are different spots in the mouth where by sending air to each part you can acheive different accents. You are currently however unsing the nasal cavity to send your air to and this creates a sound similar to actor 'Alan Rickman'. A great voice but very distinctive for his nasal quality.
However in order to start adjusting this to how you want it. The air placement should be aimed toward the Gum ridge (AKA Alveolar ridge) number 4 in the diagram and just behind the top teeth. You can feel it with your tongue when you move it back from behind yout top teeth.
However in order to start adjusting this to how you want it. The air placement should be aimed toward the Gum ridge (AKA Alveolar ridge) number 4 in the diagram and just behind the top teeth. You can feel it with your tongue when you move it back from behind yout top teeth.
I expect you to start practicing sending air here as much as you can. The document 'Comma gets a cure' will be perfect for this and the accompanying video will demonstrate how you can achieve this.
Not only will you be aiming to place air more toward the gum ridge as you speak, but also, you should now begin to consider changing the flow of your voice. Most likely (due to your native language and accent), It's quite broken up and could be smoother so In this video I will also demonstrate how you can practice your 'vocal onset' air placement and more continuous flow of air.
Of course to ensure you are able to practice these things I want you to begin a daily routine of massaging your jaw for better articulation.
Not only will you be aiming to place air more toward the gum ridge as you speak, but also, you should now begin to consider changing the flow of your voice. Most likely (due to your native language and accent), It's quite broken up and could be smoother so In this video I will also demonstrate how you can practice your 'vocal onset' air placement and more continuous flow of air.
Of course to ensure you are able to practice these things I want you to begin a daily routine of massaging your jaw for better articulation.
AIRFLOW/PLACEMENT EXERCISES:
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In your accent you tend to pronounce most vowels very well but just a few are shortened and not given enough weight. Here is a great sentence which we'll use as our 'buzz line' to creating proper vowel sounds clearly and with the accuracy of Tom.
"Through good tone all not part must serve and then shape fit speech"
"Through good tone all not part must serve and then shape fit speech"
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Practice these sentences below as often as you can and pay attention to the correct vowel sounds for each.
LONG VOWELS ɑ: - The army master asked the fathers pardon. ɔ: - The tortoise called the tall mortal awful. ɜ: - Her skirt was pert which flirted with her shirt. u: - You flew too soon from shoe to moon. i: - She sealed the meat in three pieces feeding the steaming fleas. SHORT VOWELS ə - Isabel don't contradict the londoner, understand? ɪ - It's beginning to filter into the split killing the filling. ɒ - Lotty and Dotty got hot on the pott Olive and Spot did not. e - Get steadily ready to tread through the lead eventually entering the bed ʌ - Have you money for the butter and honey? æ - Gather that hat and that mat and flatter Andrea Samantha Panders. ʊ - Look, put that book back in the nook you hooded crook. DIPTHONGS (TWO VOWELS SOUNDS TOGETHER) ɪə - 'Hear, hear,' cheers the peer, sheer fear from the beer in his ear. eə - The fair pair shared caring and wearing the scarce mare's chair. ʊə - The dour gourd during security endured the curious moor. eɪ - The ape made the lady waste the eigth veil weighing a great steak. aɪ - Either try to dye the bright cider or bite the high light fighting mightily. ɔɪ - The boy's voice and oils the coiled point in the void. əʊ - So the old folks at home toasted the soapy and moulting toads. aʊ - How about shouting down the town house allowing a mouse to flounder. |
Below is the same text as on the left, but as a downloadable version. There are a couple of sounds which you are not making quite correctly. However rather than me pointing them out I want you to print out these sentences and underline each word in each line which corresponds to the correct vowel sound for each. I'd then like you to email me back a picture or copy of it to check before I set you straight.
One thing I will suggest is, Eric, take your time when practicing all the exercises. Accuracy is important in muscle memory, if you try to speak too fast you may miss certain issues which will only become further entrenched. Which is why I want you first to recognise where the correct vowel sounds are first.
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TH vs TH
For your accent Eric, these next few sounds are probably the biggest giveaways that you are a non native speaker and by mastering them you will make a tremendous leap closer to your goal. The vowel sounds are very close (and not forgotten) but we'll look at a couple of these sounds before re-visiting the vowels as they may get affected by your consonant creation. First up is the voiced and unvoiced 'TH' sounds or as they are written phonetically θ and ð.
I'll explain (in the video below) the pronunciations around these.
Get practicing and we'll start speaking a little more regulary online together now so I can adjust you and start putting these into conversational English sooner.
I'll explain (in the video below) the pronunciations around these.
Get practicing and we'll start speaking a little more regulary online together now so I can adjust you and start putting these into conversational English sooner.
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Then
They Though Than Lather Worthier Bother Soothe Clothes |
Think
Thought Thin Thread Path Arthur Mathematician North Thousand |
What a to-do to die today at a minute or two 'til two
A thing distinctly hard to say yet harder still to do
For they'll beat a tattoo at twenty to two
A rattatta tattatta tattatta too
And the dragon will come when he hears the drum
At a minute or two 'til two today
At a minute or two 'til two.
A thing distinctly hard to say yet harder still to do
For they'll beat a tattoo at twenty to two
A rattatta tattatta tattatta too
And the dragon will come when he hears the drum
At a minute or two 'til two today
At a minute or two 'til two.
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Hi Eric, Take a look at this video. There is a lot on the LABAN efforts we discussed. The one you should pay most attention to is the gliding one. Sustained, indirect and light!
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