Do you use a funny or different voice when you become your clown?

Did you work on this voice or did it come naturally?

My clown voice is an exaggerated [sp] version of my southern drawl. Sue is more prissy and Sally is more country. I didn't want to use a voice that could strain my throat and I wanted one that would come more naturally to me. Blessing or Curse I was born in Fl. raised in SC. so I tend to pick up what ever accent is being spoken around me. I have to consentrate not to do that. Ever heard southern/floridian it's weird.

The problem with not using your own voice is it is very hard to keep it up for a long period of time
You might be better to just mispronounce words it sounds funny but doesnt cause a strain on you vocal cords

I use my own but with a slightly more childlike twist on it. I talk a bit slower when I'm in clown as well. Like Jamz said, I mix up words or say them wrong, etc. But my laugh is not like my own unless of course something really strikes me funny and I just can't help it. I tend to snort if I get laughing really hard anyway :oops: so that usually strikes the kids as funny.

GiGi :D

Hey there Dingo! Welcome!

When I first started out I thought using a different voice would be cute, but after trying it at one of the charity functions ( I always try new stuff out at charity events, not paying gigs) I found out it wasn't for me.

Jamz was right about trying to keep it up. I would forget and revert back to my normal voice. It wasn't that much of a difference, but enough to let me know I was goofing it up.

I do use a different voice for my character. However, it's a very easy voice to talk in all the time. Not a high pitched squeaky type More of a regional accent. For those familiar with the expression..

"Say Da! to da UP,Eh?" or "I'm from just over da bridge" That is how I do scruffy's voice. I'll also change words in a sentence, spooner ize a phrase, or use a big fancy, two dollar word if favor of a regular old fifty cent one. :wink:
Just make sure if you decide to do a character voice, make it one thats easy to do. And like everything else, Keep practicing!

I use my real voice by my friend & mentor uses differit voices for each clown he dose but none of them is his real voice

My natural voice is too "good". That is to say, that I have a very nice, tonal, full speaking and singing voice which doesn't fit a clown well. So I have to either bring it up/down (depending upon character) or perform other vocal tricksin both phrasing, laughter, styling, truncating some of it's fullnes to make it seem appropriate. Yet I try not to go so terribly overboard that it will be a stretch which is hard to maintain or that could hurt my vocal chords.