Re: [Harp-L] History of Bluegrass Harmonica

[tacopescado@xxxxxxxxxxx]

I've attended the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, VA every year  
since 2000. Galax has been described as the beginnings of country  
music and began in 1935. One of the first exhibits in Nashville's  
Country Music Hall of Fame is a video of the history of country music  
starting at Galax. While non-string instruments are not allowed on the  
main stage they are allowed in the campground at Felts Park. I've been  
close friends with Roni Stoneman for nearly 15 years having met her in  
Nashville while she was playing banjo at a friend's party. Not only is  
she a very accomplished musician she is unbelievably vivacious and an  
attractive older woman. One of my dear friends 'till the end. She grew  
up in Galax and attended 'Fiddlers' as a child. She doesn't have that  
"it has to have strings to be an instrument" and has complimented me  
countless times.

At Galax, the Bluegrass and Old Timey contingents are very different  
groups. The Old Timey doesn't improvise and play their songs in AABB  
circles like "Over The Waterfall." The Bluegrass contingent  
improvises. I hang with a group of great musicians and we play  
anything from fiddle tunes to Led Zeppelin to Louis Jordan to Johnny  
Mercer to Pink Floyd to Green Day and Foo Fighters. There are no genre  
boundaries. It's bluegrass instrumentation - guitar, upright bass,  
fiddle, mandolin, banjo, harmonica. There are no rules. Like most  
music... there should be no rules.

The Baja fisherman are starting to arrive so I need to select my dinner.