{"id":2013,"date":"2023-08-04T11:22:21","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T11:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/?p=2013"},"modified":"2024-01-05T16:49:33","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T16:49:33","slug":"how-to-master-an-accent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Started with Accents"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Voice coach Laura Carroll shares her top tips on how to learn an accent<\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s no quick way to learn an accent. Like any skill, it\u2019s developed through training, practice and feedback, but once perfected, it will open up a whole new world for your voice work. Commercials, video games, audiobooks, narration \u2013 all of these opportunities are more likely to come to a voice over artist who can vary the way their voice sounds.<\/p>\n<p>We asked vocal coach Laura Carroll, who was the Head of Voice at the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lipa.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts<\/a>, for her top tips on how to learn an accent.<\/p>\n<div class=\"responsiveEmbed\">\n<div class=\"embededYoutube\"><iframe id=\"756714334\" title=\"What's the Best Way to Master an Accent?\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PCiKWf8cn9U?rel=0&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspotlight.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-2257647_115=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-7=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-12=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-17=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Choose an Accent<\/h4>\n<p>Before you start, you need to decide which accent you want to learn. With so many varying accents to choose from, it can be overwhelming, but think about which accent will serve you best \u2013 as well as which is most suitable for the type of voice work you\u2019re hoping to get. It may also help to choose an accent that you\u2019re already slightly familiar with, be it through exposure to TV shows, films or the people around you.<\/p>\n<h4>Listen to the Accent<\/h4>\n<p>Listening is the key to mimicry. Laura Carroll advises that you should,\u00a0\u201cListen to an accent as if it was a piece of music, the music of the area.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The quickest way to get into the sound of an accent is to pay attention to the cultural stereotypes and icons of the area. Also pay attention to things like whether the area is urban or rural, and the physicality of the people who live there, etc. Gaining this understanding of how the accent has been shaped should help you replicate it accurately.<\/p>\n<p>You should also take note of things like vowel sounds, facial expressions, mouth movement, tongue positions, and the stress and rhythm that native speakers of the accent put into their speech patterns. These are all attributes that shape an accent, and copying them as closely as you can, will help you get the accent spot on.<\/p>\n<h4>Practise and Playback<\/h4>\n<p>The way to develop any skill is with practice. Accents are no different. Laura Carroll recommends you,\u00a0\u201cPractis[e] it as much as possible,\u201d\u00a0and make sure you\u2019re,\u00a0\u201cRecording and listening to yourself back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When you hear yourself trying to do the accent, it\u2019ll be easier for you to identify what bits need more work. When you finally have that accent perfected, you\u2019ll be able to hear it. If certain words are tripping you up, write them down phonetically as they\u2019d sound in that accent. This will help you sound them out and understand their vocal shape.<\/p>\n<h4>Be Patient<\/h4>\n<p>It takes time to learn an accent, so it\u2019s important to be persistent and not give up if you\u2019re still struggling after a while. Keep listening, keep practising, and eventually you\u2019ll be able to do it.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re not the only actor trying to learn a new accent, so look for fellow actors online or in classes who are at the same stage as you. Perhaps you could form an accent practice group with them to get feedback and share tips?<\/p>\n<p>Or, if you\u2019re struggling, or really need a certain accent for an upcoming audition, you might consider working with a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/contacts\/listing\/search?Category=Contacts%5CDrama+%26+Dance%5CDrama+Training%2C+Schools+%26+Coaches%5CVoice+Coaches\">vocal coach<\/a>\u00a0or joining an accent workshop or masterclass. Spotlight often runs accent workshops for members, so make sure you\u2019re signed up to our newsletter to be notified about when we run events.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re feeling more confident with your chosen accent, take a look at these articles on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/tips-and-advice\/how-to-master-an-accent-with-nic-redman\/\">how to master an accent<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/interviews-podcasts\/perfecting-accent-work-with-dialect-coach-william-conacher\/\">perfecting accent work<\/a>\u00a0to take your accent to the next level.<\/p>\n<p><em>A big thank you to Laura for sharing her insights on learning accents. Take a look at our website for more\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/?tags=accents\">tips for accents<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/?tags=voice\">voice work<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Image credit: Joanna Nicole Photography<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Voice coach Laura Carroll shares her top tips on how to learn an accent There\u2019s no quick way to learn an accent. Like any skill, it\u2019s developed through training, practice and feedback, but once perfected, it will open up a whole new world for your voice work. Commercials, video games, audiobooks, narration \u2013 all of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":2971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[116,83,84,44,52,77],"class_list":["post-2013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-essentials","tag-accents","tag-acting","tag-open-house","tag-starting-out","tag-video","tag-voice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Getting Started with Accents | Spotlight<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Getting Started with Accents | Spotlight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Voice coach Laura Carroll shares her top tips on how to learn an accent There\u2019s no quick way to learn an accent. Like any skill, it\u2019s developed through training, practice and feedback, but once perfected, it will open up a whole new world for your voice work. Commercials, video games, audiobooks, narration \u2013 all of [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spotlight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-08-04T11:22:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-05T16:49:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ac6d68e7-70b4-4bd3-9a8c-a5fa6889bd53.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Natasha Raymond\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Natasha Raymond\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Natasha Raymond\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/021d61758a4139218cb5ce312c49be84\"},\"headline\":\"Getting Started with Accents\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-04T11:22:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-05T16:49:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":655,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/ac6d68e7-70b4-4bd3-9a8c-a5fa6889bd53.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"accents\",\"acting\",\"open house\",\"starting out\",\"video\",\"voice\"],\"articleSection\":[\"The Essentials\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/\",\"name\":\"Getting Started with Accents | Spotlight\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/ac6d68e7-70b4-4bd3-9a8c-a5fa6889bd53.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-04T11:22:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-05T16:49:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/021d61758a4139218cb5ce312c49be84\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/ac6d68e7-70b4-4bd3-9a8c-a5fa6889bd53.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/ac6d68e7-70b4-4bd3-9a8c-a5fa6889bd53.jpeg\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":1024},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/news-and-advice\\\/the-essentials\\\/how-to-master-an-accent\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Getting Started with Accents\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Spotlight\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/021d61758a4139218cb5ce312c49be84\",\"name\":\"Natasha Raymond\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0f34c44ae04aeed211eb14f5b1c839b8dac29d2447d589a747f5481232b7b9e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0f34c44ae04aeed211eb14f5b1c839b8dac29d2447d589a747f5481232b7b9e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0f34c44ae04aeed211eb14f5b1c839b8dac29d2447d589a747f5481232b7b9e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Natasha Raymond\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spotlight.com\\\/author\\\/natasharaymond\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Getting Started with Accents | Spotlight","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Getting Started with Accents | Spotlight","og_description":"Voice coach Laura Carroll shares her top tips on how to learn an accent There\u2019s no quick way to learn an accent. Like any skill, it\u2019s developed through training, practice and feedback, but once perfected, it will open up a whole new world for your voice work. Commercials, video games, audiobooks, narration \u2013 all of [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/","og_site_name":"Spotlight","article_published_time":"2023-08-04T11:22:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-05T16:49:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1536,"height":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ac6d68e7-70b4-4bd3-9a8c-a5fa6889bd53.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Natasha Raymond","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Natasha Raymond","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/"},"author":{"name":"Natasha Raymond","@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/#\/schema\/person\/021d61758a4139218cb5ce312c49be84"},"headline":"Getting Started with Accents","datePublished":"2023-08-04T11:22:21+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-05T16:49:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/"},"wordCount":655,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ac6d68e7-70b4-4bd3-9a8c-a5fa6889bd53.jpeg","keywords":["accents","acting","open house","starting out","video","voice"],"articleSection":["The Essentials"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/","url":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/","name":"Getting Started with Accents | Spotlight","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ac6d68e7-70b4-4bd3-9a8c-a5fa6889bd53.jpeg","datePublished":"2023-08-04T11:22:21+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-05T16:49:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/#\/schema\/person\/021d61758a4139218cb5ce312c49be84"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ac6d68e7-70b4-4bd3-9a8c-a5fa6889bd53.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ac6d68e7-70b4-4bd3-9a8c-a5fa6889bd53.jpeg","width":1536,"height":1024},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/how-to-master-an-accent\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Getting Started with Accents"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/","name":"Spotlight","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/#\/schema\/person\/021d61758a4139218cb5ce312c49be84","name":"Natasha Raymond","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f34c44ae04aeed211eb14f5b1c839b8dac29d2447d589a747f5481232b7b9e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f34c44ae04aeed211eb14f5b1c839b8dac29d2447d589a747f5481232b7b9e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f34c44ae04aeed211eb14f5b1c839b8dac29d2447d589a747f5481232b7b9e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Natasha Raymond"},"url":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/author\/natasharaymond\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2013"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2014,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013\/revisions\/2014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}