I know I’m a little late in this post, but I wanted to let everyone know what a great time the Grand Master’s Fiddle Contest is. I also want to give a special thanks to Ed Carnes, Howard Harris, and the rest of the GMFC board who have worked so hard to bring this great event back to us.
The Grand Master’s takes place in Nashville during the IBMA Bluegrass festival, and is one of the most competitive and prestigious fiddling contests in the United States.
The Grand Master’s consists of an open preliminary round, where anyone can come and compete, a second round where the finalists from the preliminaries face 10-15 invited fiddlers, and the championship round where the top 10 contestants from the second round compete for buckets of cash.
If jamming is your thing, there is plenty of that as well. If Old-Time Fiddling is your thing, you will want to stay in the Downtown Nashville Hilton. It is just a couple of blocks from the contest, and is where the fiddle jamming is. Jamming happens on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, but Saturday is usually the biggest jam night, since everybody is done competing.
The thing that I like most about the Grand Master’s is the wide array of fiddlers that come out for the contest. I get to see fiddlers from all of the US, that I seldom get to hang out with. I know it will sound strange to those of you who aren’t fiddlers, but these are some of my closest friends, even though I see them at most 5-10 days a year.
I highly recommend coming to the Grand Master’s Fiddling Championship. I also highly recommend getting the Grand Master’s Championship round CD’s. I have been wearing out the 2006 CD. Hope to see you all there.
Here are some pictures from the 2008 Grand Master’s:
Vi Wickam (fiddle) warming up with Terry Ludiker (guitar)
Vi Wickam at the 2008 Grand Master's with Terry Ludiker and Anthony Mature
Vi Wickam at the 2008 GMFC with Anthony Mature and Al Mouledous
Warmup Room: Vi Wickam, Joel Whittinghill, Wes Westmoreland, Bill Jones and Doug Fleener
Young Person's Jam at the Downtown Nashville Hilton
The Murray Kentucky Fiddle Festival was a great time this year. The contestant turnout was decent, and the judging was excellent. And, I had a great time jamming with Tyler and Joel.
I ended up in third place in the Junior (17-49) category. Joel Whittinghill placed second, and Doug Fleener landed the win. Ed Carnes ended up in 4th after narrowly losing a 3rd place tiebreaker (1 point.) Much excitement was had by all. Wild Bill Jones made a brief appearance to perform accompanist services, but he missed out on the jamming fun.
Maddie Denton swept the Beginner (11-16) age group, and won the Grand Champion Fiddle off. Later at Los Portales Mexican Restaurant, Maddie was crowned the Western Kentucky Fiddle Queen.
Maddie Denton - Western Kentucky Fiddle Queen *Photo Credit and Sombrero Credit - Tyler Andal
Looking forward to the Western Kentucky Regional next year at Murray. I’m sure it won’t dissappoint.
WNIN Public Radio took a moment to interview my fiddle student, Cameron Vaughn, about his 2nd place finish in the Indiana State Picking and Fiddling Championships in the Jr. Jr. Age Division. Cameron also fiddles a little bit on air.
They also spent a little time talking with me about fiddling. Cameron did a great job at the contest, and I’m very proud of him.
present International Bluegrass Camp September 25-28, 2008Come join us in beautiful Ridgetop, TN for a long weekend retreat filled with formal classes, incredible jamming, and tons of surprises. Improve on your bluegrass instrument of choice (or more than one – learn ‘em all!) with some of the best in the business. Become a better singer, work on the craft of songwriting, and meet people from around the world. On-site lodging is first come first served but there are many local hotel options as well.
The 2008 Indiana State Picking and Fiddling Championship was held last weekend at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Petersburg, Indiana.
The event was well attended with 79 contestants in 17 divisions. Contestants came from Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri to compete.
Outstanding performances by Maddie Denton and Robert Bowlin made quite statement. Maddie brought home the Grand Championship, the Hot Fiddle Category, and the Accompanist Award, while Robert won the Flatpick Guitar, Thumbpick Guitar, and Mandolin Categories.
