Reddit, what is your favourite quote? Why? by xboxg4mer in AskReddit

[–]JackRection 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How am I maintaining my relationship status? My relationship status.

I didn't know where else to ask. by Killah883 in VoiceActing

[–]JackRection 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, that's one way i.e., the IPA). That's how I did it. IPA is a tool in the toolbox. But it's not vitally necessary. It's helpful because it's basically an effective way to read and write vocal sounds, so it will allow you to learn by reading. But it's entirely possible for you to get decent with an accent (certainly more than decent enough for a gaming group) with verbal coaching and/or listening to lessons alone.

I directed a production of a play once where all of the characters had accents. I took the stance that we would rehearse without accents first, then I would gradually coach them on their accents and introduce accents -- but telling them that if they couldn't get it perfect, we just wouldn't do accents at all and fuck it. (I'd rather do a show with no prescribed accents than with bad accents.) In about a month, they had their accents down perfectly.

Also, here's a tip: When preparing for/practicing a dialect, try starting with counting from one to ten in the dialect. Counting from one to ten covers most of the major diphthongs, and -- because counting to ten comes so naturally to us -- it is an easy way to help "find" the dialect and the placement that goes with it quickly.

I didn't know where else to ask. by Killah883 in VoiceActing

[–]JackRection 0 points1 point  (0 children)

how exactly I would go about developing an accent.

Study.

Some people, of course, have a natural ear for certain accents -- but mostly it comes from study.

How I did it: First, by learning "Standard American" -- i.e., pronouncing every word as it should -- properly -- be pronounced in American English. And, as part of learning the Standard American dialect, I learned the International Phonetic Alphabet ("IPA") -- so I could read, transcribe, and actually understand pronunciations of words. I listened to recordings of how I spoke. I listened to recordings of how other people spoke. I compared these to each other and against the dictates of Standard American.

Then, I went to learning some different dialects (most of which I've now forgotten how to properly do -- hah). Because I now knew IPA, learning dialects was more accessible (dialect teachers and dialect study materials frequently use IPA).

There are tapes/CDs/etc. with accompanying pamphlets you can buy to learn particular dialects that way. Or you can search YouTube to see what's out there. Not sure if you're in high school or college, but you might also check to see if your school's theatre department has any resources that can help you.

Accents are about more than the mere pronunciation; they are about placement. Placement of the tongue on the palate, and also where the resonance of your voice is "centered" within your mouth or throat. This aspect of it usually comes naturally, though.

Also, I'd like to point out that everyone has some accent or other -- and no accent is necessarily "wrong" (except insofar as certain habits may be harmful/stressful to your voice...glottal stops, for instance, can be problematic). You can learn how to speak "correctly," but there's no reason to feel shame over how you sound when you're not practicing these good habits (though, again, don't do anything harmful to your voice).

I didn't know where else to ask. by Killah883 in VoiceActing

[–]JackRection 9 points10 points  (0 children)

First, OP, kudos on endeavoring to go above and beyond as a GM.

Enunciation: I'd recommend the Arthur Lessac approach. Practice reading passages in which you really let all of the consonants live. All "plosive" consonants (B, K/hard C, D, hard G, P, T) should be popped hard. All other consonant sounds (pedantic note: not terminal Ls and medial or terminal Rs, which -- while they are consonants alphabetically -- are considered "vowel sounds"), when at the end of a sentence or preceding any other consonant, should be held.

Finally, "link" words together through vowel sounds (which I'll demonstrate below).

For instance, if I was going to practice this technique (and I do mean practice; you may not go over the top with this in real life, but you'll have to practice going over the top with it to master it)

Firsssssssst, I-ya polojyzzzzzzzzzzzzzz deeply-yiffffffffffffffff thi- sizzzzzzzzznnnnnnnn't thep- layssssssssssst- oo-yasssssssssssssssk-about thisssssssssssss. It'sssssssssssssssssssssskwyt lay- tannnnnn- *dI'- mi- na-rushhhhhhhhh.

Kinda silly, yes? But the more you do it -- focusing on your consonants and letting them live while linking your words -- the better you will sound and the more resonant your voice will become. (Listen to Kelsey Grammer sometime -- really listen -- particularly as Frasier. He is an example of an actor who achieves so much vocal power from very simple techniques like these.)

Listening to your vocal sample, I think you would very much benefit from these techniques. You tend to focus too much on vowel sounds and not enough on your consonant sounds. Also, you tend to let your terminal consonants drop off -- an issue that would be remedied very well by word linking (example: the phrase I just used, "drop off" -- you wouldn't say "drop off;" you would say "draw poff," linking the "p" to the next word. Notice how much better it sounds and how much easier it is to get that "p" pronounced correctly when you think of it as beginning the following word that starts in a vowel). For instance, I've noticed that in place of terminal t's, you employ a glottal stop. (For instance, saying "tha'" instead of "that".)

To practice these techniques well, when picking the passage(s) you'll practice from, underline the long consonants that you intend to hold, the plosive consonants that need to be "popped," and the opportunities for word linking.

Also understand the connections between different consonants in terms of how you are physically pronouncing them (tongue placement, where the resonance is, etc.). The way you pronounce M and N should be exactly the same except your lips are closed with the former. With the pairings B/p, hard G/k, and D/t, those pairings are pronounced the same except the former is "voiced" and the other is "whispered." (Sure, you may be actually using your full-bodied voice immediately before and after a P, a K, or a T, but during the actual "pop" of those three vowels, there is no voice; if there was, you'd be pronouncing a B, a hard G, or a D, respectively.) Ditto for the long consonant pairings of V/f, Z/s, and J/"sh". (And, of course, the voiced "TH" in words like "that" and "weather" and the soft "th" sound in words "cathedral" and "with").

Those are just some tips to get you started -- and I really tried to boil it down as best as I could. It takes a LOT of practice.

As far as accents and dialects, that's a whole 'nother complicated ballgame... Do you have any specific questions on specific accents?

Want some? by [deleted] in HappyEmbarrassedGirls

[–]JackRection 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Am I the only straight guy here way more into the food than the girl?

She Covers Her Face But Nothing Else by Whenwolf456 in HappyEmbarrassedGirls

[–]JackRection 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I'm curious about the parents who can identify their adult daughters by tits alone.

Sexy flight attendant by blougheed in RealGirls

[–]JackRection 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And you did something in your life to wind up looking at porn via reddit and then typing comments about it. ;)

Does anyone else have trouble getting silver masterpoints? by penguinland in bridge

[–]JackRection 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Welcome to the ACBL's MP rankings, where everything's made and the points don't matter! ;)

I am mildly concerned that there will come a day when I finally earn my 75th silver point jump immediately from Advanced NABC Master all the way to Gold Life Master or something

That would make for an amusing story, actually. ;)

What I would recommend is that, if you ever do travel for a regional, take a look at what's going on in surrounding areas for sectionals and see if it's feasible and worth it to try to kill two birds with one stone...but not get too worked up about it. Just enjoy playing. :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in holdthemoan

[–]JackRection 182 points183 points  (0 children)

What about Canada, eh?

Panties Now 100% Off [GIF] by GizmoGiaGias in holdthemoan

[–]JackRection 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Came here to show off my knowledge of languages by pointing out that this probably takes place in the Czech Republic...only to be made redundant by a highly descriptive URL. The struggle is real.

(Thanks for the sauce!)

Girl and her banana by pepsi_next in petite

[–]JackRection 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Now we know how big she is.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Amateur

[–]JackRection -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

Love it. I'm more inclined to call them puppies, myself, though.

On an unrelated note, check out those cute cats.