Hello -
Thought I should join & properly introduce myself since I've been lurking about & reading all the archived postings for about a week now. My name is Deana Dearry and I currently live in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Sadly, I must report this area is devoid of any and all things Shakuhachi but a new friend directed me to
this news group and it is as though he tossed me a life-line for the Shakuhachi! My introduction to this wondrous flute came a little more than a year ago in Fredericksburg, Virginia. A friend and I had driven
up to attend a concert - the Violent Femmes w/ Dr. Eugene Chadbourne. I was hoping to hear the familiar sounds of a conch shell, didgeridoo, or even a little electric rake, but it was only the haunting tones of the curious wooden flute played by Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie that were still ringing in my ears when the evening ended. My friend had thought the flute was lovely but nothing more so I was left to my own thoughts
as we drove home. I wondered if anyone else had closed their eyes and saw visions of waterfalls
and mountaintops as the sounds floated in the air around us. How can sound have color and shape? It
was a few more months before I could get the answer to that question! Once I had the name - Shakuhachi -
I was on my way! I discovered Monty's webpage and that enabled me to begin learning and, most
importantly - I thought - ordering some recorded music. For awhile, listening was enough; I was content. Then everything changed. I was invited to hear the Shakuhachi played in a small room - no amplifiers, no distractions. For the first time I heard the whole of the Shakuhachi not just the notes - but the breath - the
air! I had somehow been missing that part all along! When I least expected it - the Shakuhachi had a
lesson for me - I had been listening but not hearing! Believe me when I say the importance of that
realization & it's relation to life has not been lost on me. Within days I had decided I wanted to learn to
play. I spent some time seeking teachers in my area & quickly realized I was on my own in that regard. Thankfully, many of you have shared your experiences & knowledge with me personally or via the
internet so that bolstered my resolve to learn and I ordered a flute from Monty. Every day now I am
enjoying the beginner's dizziness and ...ahem ... "unique" sounds I am capable of producing :o)
That said - I have been encouraged to and feel a need to find a teacher. I have a break in my work
schedule at the end of June and again at the end of July and have been considering a trip to NY as it
seems my nearest Shak Mecca. I would appreciate any information and/or advice!
Already feeling I'm among friends,
Deana
Deana L. Dearry
Accounting Manager / Synchronics Systems Administrator
Mac / PC / Unix
Eastern Computer, Inc.
6711 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37919
(423) 588-6491
ddearry@easterncomputer.com
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