Winfield flatpick competition

[PaulKay]

I recently made friends with a guitar player here in AZ (turns out they have some) and he told me recently that he signed up to compete in the Winfield flatpick competition.

He asked me if I had any suggestions for what tunes he should consider playing for a competition like this. As a fingerstyle player I really had no clue, but thought maybe some of the austere guitar players on this forum might have some idea of what bluegrass or fiddle tunes are considered top tier for challenging flatpick solos?

Any suggestion I could pass along?

[Dub]

If one does a search in YouTube for "Winfield flatpick," a large number of ideas will present themselves.

I think it's important to choose crowd pleasing tunes. Too esoteric, no matter how well executed, might be a liability.

I think doing well in those contests is a skill that must be developed in addition to musicianship. Your friend should get into as many contests as possible this year in preparation for Winfield. And your friend needs to understand that contest playing is not the same as, you know, music.

[Deleted]

Check out Billy Strings.

[Greg B]

Feb 4, 2017 14:20:04 GMT -5 Dub said:

I think it's important to choose crowd pleasing tunes. Too esoteric, no matter how well executed, might be a liability.

I don't know if this is still the judging criteria but the crowd reaction wasn't used to judge the performance. At least the way it use to work was that you could have an accompanist playing rhythm for you and you would both be mic'd for the audience, but the judges are backstage where they can't see you and they can only hear the contestant's mic. There is absolutely no talking allowed on stage as they judges want to be completely blind as to who is playing. To them you are simply "contestant #24" and are being judged only on your performance.

Check out old issues of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. They have several interviews as well as CD recordings and transcriptions of previous Winfield winners.

[Dub]

Feb 4, 2017 14:26:01 GMT -5 Greg B said:

Feb 4, 2017 14:20:04 GMT -5 Dub said:

I think it's important to choose crowd pleasing tunes. Too esoteric, no matter how well executed, might be a liability.

I don't know if this is still the judging criteria but the crowd reaction wasn't used to judge the performance. At least the way it use to work was that you could have an accompanist playing rhythm for you and you would both be mic'd for the audience, but the judges are backstage where they can't see you and they can only hear the contestant's mic. There is absolutely no talking allowed on stage as they judges want to be completely blind as to who is playing. To them you are simply "contestant #24" and are being judged only on your performance.

Check out old issues of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. They have several interviews as well as CD recordings and transcriptions of previous Winfield winners.

Yes, I think that's right. I've never been to Winfield but I've met and talked with several players who played and won there. And I think I still have all my FGM issues and have read a lot of those stories.

From Paul's description, I got the idea that his friend isn't familiar with contests in general and Winfield in particular. I may be wrong.

[millring]

I'd guess that a number of contestants will pick one modal tune (Kitchen Girl, Cold Frosty Morn, Cattle in the Cane, June Apple. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k6kVSje8o4



The other tune could be one messes that around with the structure or chords -- for instance, Flop-eared mule and several others play their A part in D while their B part is in A, or something like Snowflake Reel that allows for a different rhythm along with a nice surprise in chord changes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdnFo_0bAMQ www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfg8pmUpRDY

Waltzes are also favorites with real players. Insiders seem to like ones made most famous by honored fiddlers but that aren't yet worn out. McHattie's Waltz is a nice one that can be played straight or with jazz chords. www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXptwClRktc

Depending on the judges, Celtic tunes can set a player apart. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpa0paq7FtY

From what I gather from talking to players who have tried, if you're going to play something that's been played to death, you'd better be able to bring something different to it.

[millring]

..oh, and I bet all the cool kids will be playing a rag.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSP9MY9oDJ0

[PaulKay]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'll pass them alng