| General Contest Rules |
| 1. Entry blank must be completed and entry fee paid before participation. A
division is closed when the first contestant in that division goes on stage.
Extenuating circumstances may be presented to the Contest Chairman for
consideration. |
| 2. Fiddle Committee officials will randomly select numbers for all
contestants for order of appearance. Contestant order will be posted one half
hour before the division begins and the contestant must be ready to play when
called. |
| 3. During each contest round, contestants must first play a hoedown, then a
waltz, then a tune of choice, other than a hoedown or a waltz. All three tunes
will be judged. Any danceable folk tune played in old time fiddle style is
acceptable. No tune shall be played more than once during all appearances of a
contestant. The same tune played in different keys will not be considered two
separate tunes. The top five contestants in each fiddle category will play in
the finals. Total playing time for three tunes is four minutes; for two tunes
is three minutes and for one tune is two minutes. There is no grace period.
Two points will be deducted for every ten seconds or portion thereof over four
minutes, three minutes and two minutes respectively. |
| 4. If there is a tie for 5th place after the preliminary round, the contestants
in the top four positions and the contestants in the tie will all compete in the
final round. In the event of a tie involving prize money, the tied contestants
shall play a hoedown. If there is a tie and a tied contestant is not
immediately available for a playoff, the contestant ready to play shall be
declared the winner of the tie. Only ties which involve prize money shall be
played off. |
| 5. Contestants may play without accompaniment or with a maximum of three
accompanists, no more than two of which may be standard guitars. If an
accompanist is not listed on the tune sheet, the time on stage will not be
counted toward the Accompanist’s award. |
| 6. Contact microphones and amplified instruments are not permitted on
stage. |
| 7. No trick or fancy fiddling is allowed during regular contest appearances.
There may be no cross-tuned instruments on stage. |
| 8. If a string breaks, the contestant will have the option to continue or to
stop at that point. If the tune is completed, it will be judged as played. If
a contestant stops playing, he/she will be allowed to begin with that tune and
complete his/her round. |
| 9. Contestant must play without assistance other than accompaniment. |
| 10. No sheet music may be displayed while competing. |
| 11. Any contestant winning three consecutive years in the Open Division may not
compete in any regular fiddle division at the Western Open for one year. |
| 12. Any contestant winning three consecutive years in the Senior Senior,
Senior, Adult, Young Adult or Junior Divisions automatically moves into the Open
Division the following year. Any Junior Junior or Peewee winning three
consecutive years will move into the next higher age division or may choose to
enter the Open division the next year. |
| 13. Judging will be based on the following, for a total of 100 points possible
for each tune: Danceability and Rhythm - 25 points Production of tone - 25 points Intonation of notes - 25 points Difficulty - 25 points |
| 14. All scores are cumulative from the preliminary round into the finals.
Points will be deducted or disqualification may occur for violation of the
contest rules. |
| 15. Any contestant appearing intoxicated on stage may be disqualified from
competition. |
| 16. Any protest must be submitted in writing to the Contest Chairman and be
signed by not less than three contestants involved within three hours of the
incident being protested. |
| 17. Contestants may only enter one regular fiddle division. |
| 18. All decisions of the Contest Chairman are final. |
| In addition to the General Contest Rules, the following rules apply
specifically to the Specialty Picking Division |
| 1. A contestant may enter only one of the following divisions: - JUNIOR– age 17 and under - OPEN– any age |
| 2. The contestant may compete with only one instrument. |
| 3. Guitars and mandolins must use flatpick style only. Finger picking is allowed
for banjo. |
| 4. Each contestant must play two tunes in the preliminary round, a fast tune and
a slow tune, and play one tune of the contestant’s choice in the final
round. |
| 5. In the preliminary round, three minute playing time will be strictly adhered
to, and in the final round, two minute playing time will be strictly adhered
to. Two points will be deducted from the total score for each ten second
interval or portion thereof over the time limit. |
| 6. Contestants may play with or without accompaniment. Not more than three
accompanists may be used, and no more than two of those may be standard
guitars. Accompanists may not play the melody of the tune(s). |
| 7. After the preliminary round, scores will be tabulated. The top three scores
will move into the finals, regardless of the instrument played. |
| 8. In the event of a tie, each contestant will play one tune of his/her
selection that he/she has not played in any picking contest round. (See
General Contest Rules #4). |
| 9. Scores will be cumulative from the preliminary rounds into the finals. |
| 10. Judging will be remote by three judges. There will be a maximum of 60 points
possible for each tune from each judge. Judging will be based on the
following: - Intonation and clarity of tone 20 points - Rhythm and timing 20 points - Style and difficulty 20 points |
| 11. The decision of the judges is final. |
| A California non-profit and U.S. IRS 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, formed to educate and perpetuate the art and cultural heritage of Fiddle Music |