Gary McLarry
Posts: 7
Joined: 07 Dec 2022, 01:22

A long absence

Greetings to all. I've been away for so long, but still remember some names; Judy K., Jim Wasson, Mack Hoover. God did not impart the gift of gab to me, so I never had much to say, but always tried to remember to pray for those asking for prayer. In September of 2017 I had the opportunity to hitch a ride through the air with my pilot son on his way to Grand Junction, CO. I had the pleasure of taking a rental car to Bow String Drive in Clifton and found Mack Hoover's house. We had a short, but wonderful visit. I hope to make some new friends here at Praise Whistles and get re-acquainted with those I knew in the past. Maybe share some music, maybe make some music with new and old friends.
jimwasson
Posts: 42
Joined: 20 Dec 2021, 18:22

Re: A long absence

Welcome (back,) Gary. There are not many of us who frequent this new site location, and most of the folks who were quite gifted at initiating conversation are not around. Whatever you are led to contribute would be most welcome!
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Susanne
Site Admin
Posts: 71
Joined: 27 Oct 2021, 13:39

Re: A long absence

Hi Gary, and welcome (back)! I don't remember your name from the old forum but it's good to have you here. I hope to hear some of your music later.
Gary McLarry
Posts: 7
Joined: 07 Dec 2022, 01:22

Re: A long absence

Thanks Susanne. I was reading some of the chat posts and found that we have some common music interests. My wife and I played/sang with a bluegrass gospel group for several years. Tony Rice’s Old Train is a good start for beginning to learn flat pick style. I have been fingerstyle all my life with an early background in classical and flamenco guitar. I was never able to hang on to a pick, so I stay with rhythm and vocals. Also, you mentioned taking concertina classes with Noel Hill and being in Donegal. Do you live in Ireland? ‘Tis our favorite place on earth. We were at the Willie Clancy Summer Schools in 2013 and again in 2017. So much fun! I attended Noel’s midwest school here in the states for concertina in 2008. He’s such an amazing musician.

Jim Wasson, so glad to see you are still here. I listened to your music posts. Wow, you’re a gifted musician. Alto Flute, Bass Clarinet, low whistle; I have a Michael Cronnolly (M&E) traditional polymer D flute, no keys. I’ve tried to play just about every instrument that I could or could not afford, some reasonably successful, others a total flop. The flute belongs in the latter category.
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Susanne
Site Admin
Posts: 71
Joined: 27 Oct 2021, 13:39

Re: A long absence

Gary, that's fantastic that you've been both in bluegrass and at Noel's concertina course! I attended his class in 2020 in Ballyvaughan just before the pandemic, and in 2021 I joined his online class. This year I was busy with the Tony Rice stuff and wasn't enough up-to-date with my concertina practice to join Noel's class but recently he's been doing some separate extra classes for the Americans that I've joined, one in November and one last Sunday night. He's truly an amazing musician and an amazing teacher too, very inspiring and encouraging. Do you still play the concertina?

I live in West Cork, on the southern coast of Ireland. It certainly is a good place to be. I moved here from Sweden in 2019.
I started playing flatpick guitar in the spring/summer of 2020, and usually follow Bryan Sutton's course at ArtistWorks but in January this year I was stuck in technique practice and just needed to do something else. Of course I could do that on Bryan's course too but then I came across that Zoom workshop with Tony Rice materials and over the year I've attended two more, one to study Doc Watson and another to study Norman Blake. I've also played here and there with my husband and we had a few gigs too in a small pub, we have a bluegrass duo. Now I'm going to settle down a bit and get back to technique and build up my basic repertoire while taking one thing at a time from the Zoom courses, and continue working on other songs.
Gary McLarry
Posts: 7
Joined: 07 Dec 2022, 01:22

Re: A long absence

Susanne, I no longer play the concertina. We first visited Ireland in the spring of 2006. While in Doolin my wife bought a cheap Chinese concertina. She had given up before we had even headed back home. So, I started tinkering with it. Soon realized that it was really a piece of junk and I started looking for a good box. I bought one from a maker here in the US, Bob Tedrow of Homewood, Alabama. Fun to play, but nobody in my area to play with. I live in southeastern Oklahoma, so that should explain a lack of interest in anything but honkey tonk country western among the natives. A few years later I sold it.

We've been all over the Republic of Ireland, got lost in Cork more than once. There is a small community on the east side of Cork called Midleton. If you are going east on N25, as you cross the River Owennacurra, look to your left and you will see a large stainless steel statue of feathers. That is a memorial to the Choctaw Indian tribe of Oklahoma. We live among the Choctaws here in this area of Oklahoma. The memorial was a thank you for the generosity of the Choctaw tribe during the great famine. We stopped there on our last trip, but there was no inscription explaining anything about it.

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