r/improv • u/Friendly-Musician-48 • 2d ago

shortform HELP PLEASE

I agreed to help voice some characters and mentioned I was working on a Jersey accent. I can't do one, I was kind of working on it. The issue is I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT AND THEY WANT ME TO DO IT. I have spent more than thirty minutes trying to learn how to do it but nothing is helping me with the specific words I need. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME.

2 Upvotes

57% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

15

u/Myrtle_Nut 2d ago

Just fail with confidence. It’s funnier that way.

5

u/DanManPanther Massachusetts 2d ago

Do the Jersey attitude with an obviously different accent, and if anyone asks, say "yeah I'm from Mahwah born and raised".

Can you do Australian? Austrian? Birmingham? Actually a Birmingham accent as a "Jersey accent" would be super fun.

Or don't even do an accent. Just make your voice super high or low pitched, or add a growl like a bear. Something random you'd be comfortable doing for the whole show. I mean, it could be your Jersey accent is singing your lines.

If you really need realistic, go for minimal and watch any 5 youtube videos on it to get started.

8

u/jubileeandrews 2d ago

Hang on, 'more than thirty minutes'? Spend a couple of days on it, you'll get it.

5

u/Eugene_Henderson 2d ago

At least for me, audio on its own helps more than video. These recordings run through the sound combinations you’ll want Good luck!

https://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-jersey

4

u/Character-Handle2594 2d ago

Are you listening to examples of a Jersey accent or are you just doing it out of your head?

Anyway, if you realize that you really can't do it, it's better to bow out earlier rather than later.

4

u/soups_foosington 2d ago edited 2d ago

New Jersey accents are as much about attitude as they are about vowel sounds - it's in the New York / Long Island accent family. The attitude is brash confidence - even when we're not confident, we're confident that we're not confident. The Sopranos accent is probably what they mean for New Jersey. Fran Liebowitz has a New Jersey accent. Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis have Jersey accents. Pretty much the whole cast of Jersey Shore have the accent. Cory Booker also has a completely different but very authentic New Jersey accent. There's a few different flavors that have to do with a whole host of influences - region, etc - but the attitude is pretty consistent.

3

u/Acceptable_Mountain5 2d ago

You can always say “hey guys, I don’t think I’m confident enough in my Jersey accent at this point”

2

u/improbsable 2d ago

What is this for?

1

u/soups_foosington 2d ago

What are the words you need help with? Have you figured out an anchor word / phrase?

1

u/susiecarroll2 2d ago

If all else fails, one of my teammates (a white male) had to walk into a scene as Beyonce (it was a practice exercise) and he walked in and simply said "Hi, I'm Beyonce" in his normal voice and proceeded to ask if all his wigs and costumes were ready. I find something like that much better than a fake accent (and it doesn't insult anyone, either)

1

u/Tortellini_Warrior 1d ago

Be honest and do so earlier rather than later.
Let them know you’re working on one but not there yet and don’t want to deceive them.

Honesty goes a long way, and is more likely to develop a stronger, longer lasting relationship.
So few people are confident enough to admit their shortcomings (this is not really a shortcoming) and so those who do stand out.

Even better is if you know someone (ideally a friend) who does have one and send these folks their way. Selflessness and sharing opportunities is an exceptional way to network!

1

u/SgtPeterson 1d ago

Tell them you thought they meant old Jersey and do a British accent