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Rick Dempster writes:
Nice post David; I particularly like this: "chord rhythm is always the first thing I teach my
students" and do the same for my students. Harp players need to know about chords, no matter what sort of music they are playing.
I agree with both David and Rick about chord rhythms. In fact, Grant
Dermody once taught me that anyone who can/will contribute to the rhythm
will be welcomed into a group. This is especially true of acoustic music
and even more true of Bluegrass as there is no real "rhythm section" in
that genre. That's why one of the prime roles of the mandolin in
bluegrass is to keep that rhythm chord "chop" going on the off-beat
whenever not taking a break. And that's why an harmonica player who is
willing to take a supportive role (and ~listen~ to the other players)
and who can mimic the role of the mando will fit nicely into a bluegrass
circle.