Peewee Herman voice?

[johnnybgod]

I share vocals with a singer in my band.  She has a tendency to slip into this mode of singing that I can only describe as sounding akin to the Peewee Herman character.  I want to discuss this with her, but I'm trying to come up with a more descriptive (and less offensive) way to deliver this criticism than to tell her she sounds like Peewee Herman.  I would also like to help her develop some techniques to steer her away from this voice.  

The best way to imitate the sound I'm describing is to raise the very back of the soft palate, including the uvula, and use a head voice.  It gives a somewhat nasal-y quality to the voice, but not your standard congested nasal sound.  More of a, well... Peewee Herman sound.  I hope someone understands what I'm talking about.  Can anyone offer any hints on what this sound/vocal quality might be called, or how to combat natural tendencies to slip into this voice?  If I just knew what it was called I could do the research myself.  But I get nowhere googling "peewee herman voice".

 

Thanks a bunch!

-jbg

[Gsoul82]

Welcome to the forum, Johnny. Please go ahead and add a profile picture. It helps the forum. If you're not sure how to do so, please watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5shcSf9VXs

 

Thank you.

What you're describing sounds like a nasaly twang placement.

[KillerKu]

Which one:

 

1. One of them is kind of a high larynxed, twangy, nasal thing like Gsoul is mentioning. It's kind of a childish timbre:

 

2. Another one he mixes a kind of Kermit the Frog sound (particularly the laugh) which can sometimes involve sliding the tongue back with a high larynx, but I'm not sure how to blend the two.

 

 

[johnnybgod]

Thanks for posting the clip.  I'd say more like #2.  You hear that sound a lot in his classic laugh (or at least the first half of the laugh).  Two good examples in this vid are:

2:31 - "What ever did happen on that date"

3:04 - "We'd love to have you for snack time"

 

Thanks!

[MDEW]

  I agree with the high larynx.....The nasal sound would be from trying to not be nasal by closing of the nasal passage at the nostrils instead of by raising the soft palate. If she is getting that Peewee laugh sound the sound is going too far behind the soft palate. Add the Kermit knoedel (I never learned how to spell that and google has no idea what I am trying to type) (high larynx, back of tongue meeting the wall of the throat and a low soft palate, makes its own little formant) sound and you get that laugh.....