In another thread the estimable Peter T. wondered how Django adapted to chords after his terrible accident (at the age of 18). The immediate answer is "with great difficulty!"...but it ain't true! There are recordings of Django playing 6 string banjo before the fire in his caravan, and they are fascinating in that he had already developed a strong mainstream style. He took a break from playing for a couple of months, but it became obvious that the burned fingers were never going to heal (they didn't. All his life, they were open sores. yuk!) Because of his great ability, he was rarely called on to play rhythm chords, and developed a "cross finger" style to play his lightning fast leads. I've come across many pictures however showing that after he met Grapelly he would definitely play rhythm. Grapelly INSISTED on it. Whoops, Catter Tony Burns is here for his lesson, gotta run! Be back later.
Rick