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Vocal Process News Archive...
2
June 2002
Gillyanne Kayes’ tribute to Steve Hall
Gillyanne Kayes and
Jeremy Fisher were deeply saddened at the death of Barbershop
trainer and friend, Steve Hall. Here is Gillyannes tribute to Steve,
published on the BABS web site.
What to say about
Steve Hall?
If I had not met
Steve, I would not have become involved with Barbershop. It’s as
simple as that.
Here’s how I met
Steve. In 1997 with Jeremy Fisher I set up a five day Estill
training course. Steve, Rhiannon and Eddie Kidby were all on that
course. Steve was the first person to arrive on course – he breezed
in, wearing a baseball cap backwards and asked ‘was there was going
to be a bar?’ and ‘when was it [the course] all going to happen?’
This last word had a special emphasis.
Steve was not your
run-of-the-mill voice nerd or singing teacher type but my goodness
he got hold of the concepts of the course work quickly and he taught
us a thing or two! I have two favourite moments from him on course:
We were learning one of the Estill voice qualities (Cry/sob) that
requires quiet (thin fold) singing. The whole group was desperately
trying to sing quietly enough for Jo Estill while she admonished us
for getting louder. Up piped Steve – ‘they are not getting louder –
they’re stacking harmonics! Don’t you guys know about expanded
sound?’ [No, we didn’t and I am glad to have taken the trouble to
find out since.]
The other moment was right at the end of the course. Steve was the
only male course member who had the chutzpah to flirt with the
course leader Jo Estill (at that time around 78 years young). He did
a presentation which involved kissing in thin, thick and lord knows
what else vocal folds. I rather suspect that the repertoire has gone
down into the annals of Barbershop-meets-Estill-speak. Anyway – she
loved it and so did we.
What was so great
about Steve for me was that he was totally himself. Let us give
thanks for that.
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