Entering a mandolin contest

[jim_n_virginia]

Hey all I am thinking about entering the mandolin contest in Galax this year. My buddy wants to enter the fiddler contest.

I am not too experienced in contests. I have only entered one contest (came in second place) up in Winchester, VA and it was so much fun I want to enter another.

I was reading the rules for the contest and it says this about the contest tune you play.

© Individual Contestant must play a verse and chorus of a recognizable song from the public domain before any refund, otherwise, contestant will be disqualified and will not be refunded. Judges' decisions are final.


So songs from the public domain. I understand that. Songs that have been out so long they no longer belong to anyone.

But what about fiddle tunes? The rules don't mention anything about that.

I was thinking of playing Jerusalem Ridge for a contest song. Is it in the public domain or does the estate of Bill Monroe still have a copyright on it?

The only songs I can think of that are in the public domain are Stephen Foster songs, but besides I am playing in the mandolin contest so I wouldn't be playing no song anyways but a fiddle tune.

So does that mean I am restrained to only playing Soldier's Joy, Whiskey Before Breakfast, St Anne's Reel etc.?

I was thinking a good contest tune would be Jerusalem Ridge, Rawhide, Brilliancy or some thing like that.

Anybody ever compete in Glalax (or any other contest)? Sure would love to hear about it.

[Daniel Wheeler]

I have done guitar contests and I have never heard of pretty much any fiddle tune not being allowed. But these societies get ridiculous with some of there rules. The easiest way to do a contest is with the standard winfield rules that practically every state and other contests abide by. I have no experience with galax so I don't really know what they do but like I said I would think any fiddle tune would be fine.
I've seen everything from Spanish point to brilliancy to black and white rag to somewhere over the rainbow win or place high in various mandolin contests (winfield and Texas state to be more specific)

[sunburst]

Frankly, Galax ain't a real contest, the rules only apply if they don't like you. The "recognizable verse and chorus" thing is just to keep people who can't play a lick from getting up there to get their entry and camping fee back. People play copyrighted material all the time, that rule is just to cover them for radio broadcast of the contest.

Galax is lots of fun, lots of jamming, some great music in the camping area, but don't take the contest too seriously.

[Daniel Wheeler]

Don't take any contest too seriously. The fun is WHO you find you are competing against and who you get to jam with. I've met and befriended some amazingly nice guys that previously I had only seen on videos and heard on cds. Contests are a lot of fun...until you have to go play 2 tunes...then you come off and its back to the fun. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[jim_n_virginia]

Frankly, Galax ain't a real contest, the rules only apply if they don't like you. The "recognizable verse and chorus" thing is just to keep people who can't play a lick from getting up there to get their entry and camping fee back. People play copyrighted material all the time, that rule is just to cover them for radio broadcast of the contest.

Galax is lots of fun, lots of jamming, some great music in the camping area, but don't take the contest too seriously.
Thanks John I won't, I'm just going up there for the first time this year, been meaning to go for years but something always comes up. But I'm going up with a bunch of people this year and me and my buddy just thought it would be fun to enter and a good photo op! LOL!

I have heard that the contests at Galax can be more of a popularity contest than an actual contest.

and Daniel thanks for the advice, I never take anything too serious!


http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[mandoboy07]

Hi Jim_in_virginia
Glad you are going to Galax this year me too. Not going to be playing in any contest just relly now at the point of playing in a jam but hope to git in on some fun ones and just meet some cool people may see you there. Hope you do well but most of all just have fun!

[sunburst]

Maybe I'll see you there, Jim.
If I make it this year it will be 25 in a row. I did the same thing for several years; meant to go but didn't, but once I went for the first time...

[bradeinhorn]

J ridge ain't public domain.

[sumibuilt]

Did they do the mandolin toss last year? I didn't hear anything about it.

[Michael Gowell]

Mandolin toss?

[sunburst]

They haven't had the mandolin toss the last few years, it was sort of getting out of hand.

Michael, that's a bit of "Galax history". Chuck Lee was trying to tune his cheap mandolin, and in a fit if frustration at not being able to tune it, he tossed it over the top of a van to the other side. (Rumor has it there was alcohol involved.) For several years after that there was an annual mandolin toss. People would bring mandolins of various descriptions to a designated place at a designated time and toss them.

[Daniel Wheeler]

They can toss em t
Right into the back of my car.

[Flowerpot]

Oh, man, the mandolin toss. I miss those days.

Sunburst is right, the contest at Galax is not really a real one, and even if somebody get up there and plays like Sam Bush, he may or may not place in the top 10. Don't get me wrong, the guys who place are usually really good, but fair and unbiased it is not, and there are usually an overwhelming number of winners who happen to live in close proximity.

But the "public domain" thing is not enforced at all, so don't worry about that, that rule (as Sunburst said) is just to cover the Moose's rear ends.

You may want to try the Maury River contest in Beuana Vista, VA in June... it's still not a "real" contest (I consider one "real" that has qualifying rounds, more than one tune, and where contestant name/hometown is concealed from the judges) but it's a lot less hassle than Galax and you won't have to wait in line until 2:00 AM to perform. Plus, it's another picker's paradise.

[Daniel Wheeler]

Ha did you say they don't have qualifying rounds?or that they are only one song?

Either way that's kind of a joke.

[Daniel Wheeler]

Ha did you say they don't have qualifying rounds?or that they are only one song?

Either way that's kind of a joke.

And if its one round one song that is especially laughable.

[gonzograss]

Having sat through about 15 mando contestants last Galax I have to say that it was enormously entertaining, not to mention inspiring. Heard some garbage, heard some good competent picking, and heard 3 or 4 monsters.
Some high percentage of Galax contest entrants will tell you they are only doing it to "get their money back." What a person's true motives are for getting involved in contests is arguable.
Good points: It gives you focus to work on perfecting a particular tune or 2 and an audience to listen. It gives some experience (of dubious value) of being onstage w/ a sound system & all its delights. It gives you a certain amount of satisfaction & sense of accomplishment to have performed well.
Not-so-good points: You wait in line sometimes hours, taking away precious jam time. You put yourself up for comparison w/ other players, and that's one of the least attractive reasons to play music. The essence of string music is collaborative, shared joy in the music. Competition breeds negative feelings like inadequacy, jealousy, pre-performance anxiety, etc. Unless you're at worldclass venues like Winfield, you're dealing w/ various degrees of "home cookin'" (i.e. regional favoritism, lack of objectivity, questionable credentials of the judges, and more).
So, for my money, I'll gladly NOT get my (Galax) entrance $ back and avoid all the negatives. I just enjoy hearing other musicians offerings and efforts when I find myself sitting in the audience of a contest.
Galax is a special experience, one I've returned to over 40 years of being a string music lover. It's a unique spectacle and a wonderful opportunity to pick w/ old friends and make new ones.
See you guys there in August!!!! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[kudzugypsy]

the mando contest at galax is one everyone should enter - just to say 40 years from now that you were there. you get a nice ribbon (they use to give medals!) and your camping fee back - which can be like $60! so EVERYONE who can play a verse/chorus goes up to "compete" .
this is a REAL contest, and the winners are all super top level pickers, but you will only find 2-3 out of the top 10 that are not from a 30 mile radius of galax, and most of them have been competing there for 10+ years, so they are well known. some take it serious (like the newbies to galax) while the rest just enjoy the 2 mins of fame and your money back.

as for the infamous Mandolin Toss (brainchild of Chuck Lee & Ralph McGee) - the last year was maybe 3-4 years ago - someone has video of it - it REALLY needs to be on youtube - i was one of the judges, it got out of hand when someone set a mando on fire and tossed it, to which it landed on some senior citizens camper awning (anyone who has been to galax can imagine if one camper caught fire, as close as they are packed in, the WHOLE place would go up in 30 mins) - luckily it did no damage (probably due to the CONSTANT rain that year) - but never-the-less, that was the end of a long tradition of mid-week galax festivities - the final image i remember of that episode is a smoldering mandolin lying in the fire lane and an old guy with a clawhammer banjo going up to it and smashing it - seemed a fitting end.

- oh yeah, i cant remember all the rules for entry, but one of them (the main rule) was the mandolin had to be able to be tuned and you had to play something on it before hand (usually Rawhide). these were usually not far from dumpster filler even before they were tossed.