Indian Territory Dulcimer Celebration E-Newsletter
"Competing, going to Winfield..."
September 2004 Volume 24, Number 9Sections:
| This Month | From the Prez | Competing |
| Last Month |
This Month
Meeting: Saturday September 25, 2004 5:30 PM.
NOTE this is the 4th Saturday in September, to make time for Winfield!
From the Prez....
Dennis hasn't gotten me his contribution before Winfield... imagine that! Maybe next month.. see you at the meeting!
Winning At Winfield: Or, The Science of Competing!
As someone who's been there and done that, I was asked to write something up about performing in competitions. I suppose one could call it the 'art' of competing, but I tend to be more scientific and less artisan in nature. Anyway, should you feel the urge to lose your hair, grow wrinkles, gain weight, and take up bad habits, then you would probably do well in dulcimer co mpetitions. So, I'll offer a few scientific methodologies that I developed during my more competitive years.
First of all, you will become very good at the songs you play, but your repertoire list will pretty much be limited to five songs. Secondly, the songs that won you the regionals may not do much for you at the nationals. It took me about four tries to find a winning set of songs after capturing two regional champs and one state championship while using the same set at each event. Some of the judges you play to at the regionals will also be judging the nationals, and you will be extra scrutinized for playing the same songs.
So, how do you come up with a winning set list? Choose songs you enjoy playing. Compile a list of songs that are not all the same kind: say, a waltz, a reel, a jig, and a hornpipe, and make sure they're not played at the same tempo. Work in songs that are strummed and some that are cross-picked. Even a song played in a different key will help to vary your set. Now, record your songs, then listen to them and judge for yourself: Do those pieces really sound like they're winners? Critical listening to your songs is the best way to improve them.
Also, most songs are played AABB twice. Make sure you played the second time through differently than you did the first. Forty percent of the judging is in how your arrange the song. 'Greensleaves' may be a pretty tune to play, but unless you can play it in a jazz style, it won't get you anywhere. And, it is guaranteed someone will play 'Whiskey Before Breakfast', so unless you can arrange it in a way no one else has played before, you probably won't get too far with it. The more variations in the arrangement of a song you play, the better chance you have of winning.
A warning: You can play fast songs, but don't play songs fast! That only invites mistakes. A song played too fast or too slow will not sound right, even if it's mistake free. Your natural tendency while under pressure is to pick up the pace, so by recording and practicing much before hand will help you to play at the right tempo. Another: if you make a mistake, the best thing you can do is to keep on playing - do not break your tempo, do not stop and restart. One song I played at the Nationals I completely blanked out on a certain phrase, so I just started plucking notes until I figured out where I was. The judges apparently thought that was how I arranged the song, and I made it into the finals, even though I blanked out twice at the same phrase.
Finally, you've got to impress the judges - if you can floor them, the better. How do you do that? Make your dulcimer sing! You've got to take it to the limits. They can sense you are playing to your full potential. Surprise them with your arrangements - change the volume, change the brightness, mute the strings, play like you're about to break the strings, then play like you're caressing the air. That's what they want to hear, not duh, da, da, duh, duh.
So, now that I've given out my secrets, I guess I'd better give up competing, and go into consulting.
Evan O'Bannon
Last Month
Good meeting with many fine tunes, thanks for all the support!
till next month-
Dana