Is the voice funny or the content funny?

Any form of performance art is tough. You need to get on stage every time and be the best you can be. As stand up comedians often say - you are only as good as your previous show.

There's a percent of skill and a ton of practice involved in this art form. It's only those who grow every day that reach the greater and uncharted heights.

Some are great performers, but aren't as knowledgeable of the art form. They are not as technically adept of their form. Their experience has exposed them to certain wisdom but they aren't learning and putting new things to practice.

People don't just remember great talent - people also appreciate the knowledge one has and one's inhibition to distribute it to anyone willing to learn. 

They operate from a plane of high confidence - about themselves, their know-how and their skill. They aren't insecure and that oozes in their attitude and behavior.

They are great teachers - not because they want to teach - but they because they can. The old adage that those who can do and those who cannot teach cannot be more wrong. The best are those who do and teach. And they come by in small numbers.

And the voice of people, like a musicians set - have a certain pattern that voice impressionists tap into. They are easily recognizable traits and we see it very often in many sets. 

You have many people who could easily mimic. And you often hear these characters come alive in a humorous context or a setting that is against the grain of the character. It works in all languages. Kamal Hassan as a traffic police trying to stop a speeding lady, or Hritik as a boxing coach, even Denzel as a Deliveroo delivery guy.

Changing voice is a common trait even in stand up to represent different people. Sometimes, the character's voice is funny and other times, the joke delivered in the voice is funny. Very rarely is the joke and the voice both funny. 

So, how can one upskill one's art of voice impressions and do something that no one has seen before?

But what is amazing is when someone puts all that educative and informative understanding of voice modulation and creates an entire set that completely blows you away.

This is the set by James Arnold Taylor. He has a way of explaining the science of how to move from one voice to another and what modulations need to be done to the tone and the pitch to arrive at certain characters. 




And he does this with such ease and smoothness that you fail to see the hard work and clockwork perfection in it.

Like they say - the greatest of artists make the toughest think look really easy. 

You'll laugh in this set - be impressed by his knowledge of the profession and his art form and you'll come out a little wiser and lighter.


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