One of the biggie competitionsis Winfield, KS.
Get out of Rust Belt, Richard, and come down to the Sunshine State. We'll start that Old Fogies Dulcimer Championship and Grouper Eatin' Competition. Should be real successful, as most of the northeatern US and Canada migrates here between Thanksgiving and Easter. Literally 10% of the population of Canada comes to Florida annually....
One of the biggie competitionsis Winfield, KS.
Get out of Rust Belt, Richard, and come down to the Sunshine State. We'll start that Old Fogies Dulcimer Championship and Grouper Eatin' Competition. Should be real successful, as most of the northeatern US and Canada migrates here between Thanksgiving and Easter. Literally 10% of the population of Canada comes to Florida annually....
Looks perfect, Robin .. thanks.
Thanks Dusty. Sounds like someone needs to set up something for us seniors. You know, the first annual "over-the-hill mountain dulcimer and wheelchair shuffleboard jamboree."
Although I'm not in Hong Kong any more, I'm still in pretty isolated circumstances, at least when it comes to the dulcimer. No open mikes around here, just closed coal mines and factories mostly.
There are an enticing number of dulcimer festivals out there, and so far I've only been to one. But I haven't dug up much on competitions.
Richard, I have no experience with competitions personally, so I can't give you the specific advice you seem to be after. I can tell you that there are no age limits, but the dulcimer national champions of the last several years seem to all be pretty young. I think that is probably due to a couple of factors. One might be that some young folks out there are playing pretty darn good dulcimer. Another might be that once you win you lose the drive to do so again, so many of the best dulcimer players simply aren't interested in competing or no longer feel the need for such accolades. Another might be that judges like to pretend the demographic data for dulcimer players does not skew pretty old, so they are consciously or unconsciously biased towards young folks.
If you are serious about the competitions, you should look into the specific rules and prepare yourself to work for a year or so gearing up for one. Some might mandate that you play a traditional song, for example, or there might be specific categories in which you can compete. I personally enjoy your playing a lot, but you have a very unique style of play. I seem to remember what feels like a lot of original material (and a lot of bending on the middle string!) in your playing. That might work for some competitions and not others.
But if your reason for seeking a competition is only to give your playing a little kick in the pants, I might ask why it has to be a competition. Do you ever play open mics? It might be that preparing for a performance is all you need to get back in the proverbial saddle. Additionally, although initially developing material for a competition might involve some creative playing, you will also spend a lot of time just playing over and over the same arrangements. Even if those arrangements are really good, you are likely to feel bored by them after the second or third month of playing them ad infinitum.
Lots of FOTMD members have been national dulcimer champions: Linda Brockinton, Sarah Morgan, Aaron O'Rourke, Erin Rogers, Nina Zanetti, Larry Conger, and some others whom I am forgetting right now. You might consider contacting them directly and asking for advice.
Now that I'm back in the US for awhile, I find myself growing complacent with my dulcimer playing. Maybe its just because I'm getting older, but I haven't felt like I've made any progress in awhile, and I'm often disinclined to play.
The idea of participating in a dulcimer competition is appealing, not because I could possibly win anything, but I think it would sharpen up my focus and improve my playing.
Any suggestions on where I might throw my hat into the ring? I'm in Pa. Also, are there age limits? Are the contests only intended for young people?
