Kevin -







Do you play "chop" style rhythm or chugging?







I find that you can make a loud "chop" on the draw chord that sounds

very much like a mandolin chop. The blow chord not so much...sounds kind

of wimpy. I sometimes play harmonica chops for a verse or so... of

course I'm just chopping on the I chord so it could get monotonous if

you did it too long. Playing chops on multiple harps is a possibility.







Bill in DC







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

bill sounds good.?? I have been there. Joyce





-----Original Message-----

From: THOMPSON, BILL <bthompson@...>

To: bluegrassharp@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Mon, Jul 13, 2009 9:35 am

Subject: [BluegrassHarp] playing rhythm harp

















Kevin -



Do you play "chop" style rhythm or chugging?



I find that you can make a loud "chop" on the draw chord that sounds

very much like a mandolin chop. The blow chord not so much...sounds kind

of wimpy. I sometimes play harmonica chops for a verse or so... of

course I'm just chopping on the I chord so it could get monotonous if

you did it too long. Playing chops on multiple harps is a possibility.



Bill in DC



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

















[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: THOMPSON, BILL <bthompson@... <bthompson%40asla.org>>

> To: bluegrassharp@yahoogroups.com <bluegrassharp%40yahoogroups.com>

> Sent: Mon, Jul 13, 2009 9:35 am

> Subject: [BluegrassHarp] playing rhythm harp

>

>

> I find that you can make a loud "chop" on the draw chord that sounds

> very much like a mandolin chop. The blow chord not so much...sounds kind

> of wimpy. I sometimes play harmonica chops for a verse or so... of

> course I'm just chopping on the I chord so it could get monotonous if

> you did it too long. Playing chops on multiple harps is a possibility.

>

> Bill in DC

>

> [

>







































yep, I have been doing that for years.. holding  2 or  3 harps,, so I can do

3 or more draw chords'



I do it in bluegrass of course,, but also in Reggae,,



I use the 2 3 4 draw for a major chord,, the 2 3 4 5 for a 7th and the 456

for a minor..

sometimes I use a minor tuned harp



or a country tuned harp ,

on a country tuned harp , or a Melody Maker, you can use the 2 3 4 for the I

chord and the 4 5 6 for a true V chord

or use the 4 5 6 for a I chord and the 2 3 4 for the IV chord.. depending on

the key of the harp vs the key of the song



it is remarkable that the mandolin chop in bluegrass from an Appalachian

Mountain culture , primarily an indigenous local  origin   music primarily

played by a European origin race  is nearly identical to the "skank" guitar

rhythm of Reggae, a sea island indigenous local  origin  music primarily

played by members of an African origin race



yet another proof that mankind in general has more essence in common than in

difference.





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

what would you suggest if you play with a mandolin player?  duplicate the

chops... or more resonant lines like a fiddle might do?



>>> "THOMPSON, BILL" <bthompson@...> 7/13/2009 9:35 AM >>>

Kevin -







Do you play "chop" style rhythm or chugging?







I find that you can make a loud "chop" on the draw chord that sounds

very much like a mandolin chop. The blow chord not so much...sounds kind

of wimpy. I sometimes play harmonica chops for a verse or so... of

course I'm just chopping on the I chord so it could get monotonous if

you did it too long. Playing chops on multiple harps is a possibility.







Bill in DC







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I say, all of the above...sometimes I imitate a fiddle, other times I

chop..whatever feels right.





--- In bluegrassharp@yahoogroups.com, "James Sterett" <jsterett@...> wrote:

>

> what would you suggest if you play with a mandolin player?  duplicate the

chops... or more resonant lines like a fiddle might do?

>

> >>> "THOMPSON, BILL" <bthompson@...> 7/13/2009 9:35 AM >>>

> Kevin -

>

>

>

> Do you play "chop" style rhythm or chugging?

>

>

>

> I find that you can make a loud "chop" on the draw chord that sounds

> very much like a mandolin chop. The blow chord not so much...sounds kind

> of wimpy. I sometimes play harmonica chops for a verse or so... of

> course I'm just chopping on the I chord so it could get monotonous if

> you did it too long. Playing chops on multiple harps is a possibility.

>

>

>

> Bill in DC

>

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>

that's kind of the approach I take now... sometimes I catch myself thinking

about it too much though.



>>> "Kevin McNamara" <harmonicakev@...> 7/17/2009 2:45 AM >>>

I say, all of the above...sometimes I imitate a fiddle, other times I

chop..whatever feels right.





--- In bluegrassharp@yahoogroups.com, "James Sterett" <jsterett@...> wrote:

>

> what would you suggest if you play with a mandolin player?  duplicate the

chops... or more resonant lines like a fiddle might do?

>

> >>> "THOMPSON, BILL" <bthompson@...> 7/13/2009 9:35 AM >>>

> Kevin -

>

>

>

> Do you play "chop" style rhythm or chugging?

>

>

>

> I find that you can make a loud "chop" on the draw chord that sounds

> very much like a mandolin chop. The blow chord not so much...sounds kind

> of wimpy. I sometimes play harmonica chops for a verse or so... of

> course I'm just chopping on the I chord so it could get monotonous if

> you did it too long. Playing chops on multiple harps is a possibility.

>

>

>

> Bill in DC

>

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>