An actor should utilize all 88 keys of the piano

Not literally, unless you are a quadruple threat actor like Jason Segel.  Gets me every time.  Honestly, I do indeed tear every time he mutters "how I love youuuuu" at the end.  That and the end of Adam Sandler's "Wedding Singer", when he serenades Drew Barrymore on the airplane.  Those are the two times I cried during movies - the only times.  When funny guys get all vulnerable and pour their guts out over serio-comic love songs. 

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!?!?

Schindlers List?  Nope.  When Haley Joel Osment's parents leave him in the woods in A.I.?  Not once.  When Bambi's mother died?  Surely, you jest.  "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "The Wedding Singer"?  Yup, every time.  Like a schoolgirl with a skinned knee.  Oh my sweet savior, I literally just got misty eyed thinking about Adam Sandler singing "I wanna grow old with you." 

Anyway, by utilizing all the keys of the piano I mean using all of your tools in a monologue, using all of your training all the time, being the best possible actor you can be at any given time.  One way you can do this is by varying up your speech patterns by tweaking a combination of four things.  I've mentioned rate, inflection, pitch and dynamic before on this blog.  I've even given a video demonstration.  Varying RIPD is so important.  Sure, you can have a hamburger on a cold potato bun and it would be, OK I suppose.  Maybe even passable.  But if you toast that bun, add some fresh lettuce, tomato and raw red onion and some Heinz, its ethereal. 

Additionally there are 16 ways to say a line.  You can even combine those ways to utilize your skill sets. 

Next blog I will talk about exploring "Relationship: getting the focus off of you".  That's one of the sixteen ways.  We'll talk about how I use that to free up my RIPD.  I spoke about entering "the matrix" a few posts ago, I used "relationship" to get to that point - read it if you haven't yet.