The guitars should definitely follow the fiddle…and it must be a regional convention in terms of 12 bar vs 16 bar. The 16 bar arrangement is fairly standard in the Texas Style/contest fiddle world.
Did you have a link you can share to a 12 bar arrangement? I’d be interested in hearing that.
I can’t find a recording on YouTube of a 12-bar Beaumont. I heard one version from Andrew Wilson that is 12-bars and I have a recording of a house concert Daniel Carwile played of a mixed 12 and 16 bar version. I will email the recording if you’re interested.
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