(and what that really means)
Contesting is a great way to get your name around, meet people, and play at the peak of your ability. But what does it take to be a winner, how should you prepare, and why would you even bother to compete?
To find out, we asked a number of contest winners, judges, and competitors to chime in on their experiences from the mother of all contests — Winfield.
Some of the folks you’ll be hearing from are Hammered Dulcimer Champions Stephen Humphries (2007) and Joshua Messick (2003), Mountain Dulcimer Champions Joe Collins (2007), Jeff Hames (2006), Sue Carpenter (2005), and Gary Gallier (1987).
Quick Links
Steve Eulberg runs amok at Winfield
Top 10 “Perks” of Being a National Hammered Dulcimer Champion
How they ended up on stage
Sue Carpenter
My desire to compete in Winfield started in the mid-1980s, driven by a personal challenge, but also fueled by the fact that no woman had ever won first place in mountain dulcimer at Winfield until Linda Brockington’s win in 2001.
After years of my talking myself into and out of competing at Winfield, my husband decided it was time for push to come to shove. He called me at work in June of 2003 and told me to schedule vacation days in September. We were going to Winfield; he had entered me in the competition.
My initial reaction was excitement, but then trepidation reminded me that I had less than four months to prepare. All I could do was choose pieces that I had been playing for years and hope for the best. The best that I hoped for was to control the hyper-overdrive rush of adrenaline by keeping my fingers steady and brain focused. My goal was to be pleased with how I played; my placing second was icing on the cake.
Joe Collins
About eight or nine years ago I was progressing slowly as a player. I had been attending the Mountain Dulcimer Playing Workshop at Boone and then Cullowhee, learning from a lot of good instructors. However, my playing lacked an edge that would make it stand out. I had heard about competitions and decided that they might push me to the next level.
I’ll admit that before my first competition, I had high hopes of winning. After all, I was the best player in all of Shelby, NC (actually, one of a very few players). That first competition was a very humbling experience.
Steve Eulberg
I’ve competed in both National Mountain and National Hammered Dulcimer Contests at Winfield and have been disappointed in the prize category a great many times. True, I’ve also been blessed to return home with a trophy or plaque, some cash, and a new instrument on several occasions.
If at first you don’t succeed
Joshua Messick
I had a youthful, unhealthy approach during many of my competition years. I wanted to win for the sake of winning, with this attitude came grave devastation if I didn’t win, and dissatisfaction if I did win. I wasn’t happy with or without a trophy! Every person is different, and motives for competing can vary drastically.
Thankfully, I was not allowed to win the National Championship until I had learned that it was a privilege and responsibility that must be accepted humbly and is most joyously received whenever personal motives are correctly placed.
Sue Carpenter
My second Winfield competition in 2004 was not as rewarding as the first, but it definitely taught me the difference between hopefulness and hubris. I was sure I would win first place; I crashed and burned 20 seconds into my first piece.
Joe Collins
I turned that first competition into a winning situation by picking the brains of anyone who could give advice on competing. And there were many kind, gracious players who did. In very competition, I walked away with some prize of information that I could work on to improve my playing.
Steve Eulberg
My dulci-mentor Esther Kreek said, “For me the point isn’t winning a prize. I always try to play beautiful music for the people.” Truly, that advice completely reframed my focus, and then I began to have fun with the process.
Judge not, lest ye be judged
Gary Gallier
Like all contests, it can’t help but be somewhat subjective based on who the judges are, their tastes, even their own level of skill on the dulcimer, but Winfield does the best I think to make it fair.
Joe Collins
Although I played about as well as I could the first year, I realized that my playing could not stand up to the scrutiny of judges, as well as those who had placed. They were simply better than me, but I was not sure why.
Jeff Hames
At a national competition, I think the judges are judging you as a performer and your ability to perform. So show them what you’ve got.
Joshua Messick
When competing, you should be concerned about giving reasons for the judges to give high marks.
Steve Eulberg
I’ve heard some hot players dealing out a David Schnaufer arrangement, very cleanly played, who were dumbfounded to discover they didn’t advance in the contest. On the flip side, I’ve heard some original arrangements that were not played cleanly, which also did not net an award.
Meet your peers
Stephen Humphries
Make sure you take time to meet people. There are so many great musicians at the festival and participating in the competition. Lots of times there are people from all over the country that you have already heard of before, but now get the chance to meet for the first time.
Steve Eulberg
The addition of a Contestant’s Tent, has helped to create a community feeling among the players that wasn’t present back when each contestant was looking for a quiet nook or cranny to prepare to compete.
Joe Collins
[From talking to others] I learned about arranging, playing cleaner, getting a variety of timbres out of the instrument, balancing the sound, using dynamics effectively, and other skills that made my playing more competitive.
Jeff Hames
I often ask other people to sit and listen to me play and have them give me constructive criticism. I listen to what they are saying because they hear things that I don’t.
Stephen Humphries
It really is to your benefit to be able to talk to the people you are competing with. The camaraderie back stage is awesome, so enjoy it.
Joshua Messick
If somebody is better than you, don’t be jealous; be excited that your common goal of improving your instrument has been increased!
Know the rules
Jeff Hames
Read the rules of the competition. Find out what is required and what is allowed.
Steve Eulberg
The rules which guide the judging are important to consider when choosing what to play. 40% of the points are for arrangement, in which difficulty and originality are considered.
Gary Gallier
Regardless of tastes, however, there are some fundamentals that I feel have to be met, the most important of which are: play one you know, play clean, and don’t wander tempo (unless it is on purpose, of course).
Joshua Messick
While skill level is important, playing many notes does not impress the judges. Instead of playing many notes, give reason for the judges to actually remember the notes that you’ve played.
Joe Collins
Some sage pieces of advice I’ve heard over the years include choosing songs that you know you can play very well. Playing a simple piece well goes further with judges than playing a difficult piece poorly.
Tips for winning
Joshua Messick
One thing that many people may not consider is that the judges are listening over a microphone, and it sounds different to them than it does to you! Record yourself.
Joe Collins
Work on the songs until the arrangement is uniquely yours. Never stop working on the song between competitions, working on the arrangement, the rhythm, the cleanness of your playing, etc. Play all your songs as often as you can in front of live audiences.
Jeff Hames
Is there a perfect competition song? Well, I asked David Schnaufer and he told me, “Pick a song that you can play in your sleep with your toes.”
Joshua Messick
Play solo. The judges are only scoring your instrument. You also don’t want to risk getting points docked for your support musician making a note error or timing mistake, and don’t use a support musician as a timing crutch.
Stephen Humphries
Remember why you are there, and why you love to play music. If you can show why you love music by how you play, you will leave an impression that’s not easy to forget.
In addition to being a regular finalist in both the hammered and mountain dulcimer competitions, Steve Eulberg has been single handedly raising the profile of the mountain dulcimer at Winfield.
Steve Eulberg runs amok at Winfield
Second Set Concert – “The disappointment of having two orphaned tunes when one does not advance to the second round, led to the Second Set Concert hosted with my campmates at JimJim and the FatBoys on Friday night. Each mountain dulcimer contestant is invited to share the second two tunes of the four they prepared. Then all are invited to join in a marvelous jam.”
The Flash Mountain Dulcimer Brigade – “This was in response to a lack of mountain dulcimer workshops and performers. I put out a call for mountain dulcimer players to appear at successive posted times and locations throughout the festival grounds to play a few tunes and then melt into the crowd. The goal of this is to help raise the profile of mountain dulcimers and help players recognize and find each other throughout the festival.”
Some theories on practice
Joe Collins
Practice as if you were competing (songs in the same sequence, you in the same posture, with the same instrument, etc).
Stephen Humphries
Know what pieces you will play, and practice them. Music isn’t something that you can cram. It takes muscle memory as well as actual memory of the pieces.
Jeff Hames
I choose my instrument that I will use in the competition and use that instrument to practice my songs.
Gary Gallier
Even though you may be a seasoned performer, contests are a different bird. It can be distracting to be preoccupied with the fact that someone is listening for mistakes and judging how well you play.
Stephen Humphries
Practice like you are going to perform. One of my teachers in high school told me something that has stuck with me ever since: “Practice makes permanent.”
Joe Collins
About 4 to 6 weeks before the competition, settle on the arrangement you are going to play in competition, and play it until you can do it with your eyes closed.
Jeff Hames
About a month before the competition I send my instrument to the Dulcimer Shoppe for a complete check-up. I have the frets checked and/or replaced, strings changed, etc. I can not stress the importance of fresh strings and good frets!
Make it your own
Jeff Hames
Express yourself in your music. Your feelings come out in your music.
Joshua Messick
Passionate playing must come from within. In my best performances, I’ve noticed that I’m smiling, laughing, or crying. This is not an acting performance – I feel the music I’m playing.
Gary Gallier
Be you. Do what you do that makes you unique. After all, what satisfaction would it be to win because you sounded like someone else?
Jeff Hames
Make the songs yours. It does not matter if someone else is known for playing a song, you can still make it yours by changing it up and changing the mood of the song.
Steve Eulberg
The real temptation is to try and substitute what one is prepared to play after hearing the other contestants warm up. A cloud of self-doubt can hover above one’s head like in a Peanuts cartoon. To banish it, I have to keep repeating to myself, “I’m not here to play like him or her, I’m here to play like me.”
Gary Gallier
I played for the audience’s enjoyment and tried to forget I was in a contest.
Stephen Humphries
It doesn’t matter what anyone else has already played, or will play later, you are the person that the audience and judges are hearing at the moment. So play like you are the one everybody came to hear.
Why compete?
Joshua Messick
Competition is a great tool to improve your skills, expand your experience, and progress your instrument. These are the best and most fruitful reasons for competing.
Joe Collins
Competitions are not for everyone. They can, however, be very beneficial to players who actively seek critique and are not upset easily. If you can walk away from a competition with something to make you a better player, you will win every time!
Sue Carpenter
Competing provided me the opportunity to perform under pressure and to challenge myself to play as close to perfectly as possible. Although my goal was to win, my motivation was for improvement, confidence building, and personal validation of my musical abilities.
Steve Eulberg
I see music competitions as an opportunity to prepare some music to share with appreciative listeners. The process of preparing tunes for this kind of presentation is an intensive artistic endeavor!
Joshua Messick
Make sure that you genuinely love your instrument, love playing, and want to use it to bring joy and happiness to your life, and to all who hear you play.
Final thoughts
Stephen Humphries
Have fun while you do it, and try to make it fun for everyone else as well.
Joshua Messick
Have fun! Win or no win, this is guaranteed to bring satisfaction.
Jeff Hames
Have fun while you are playing your music.
Gary Gallier
I have always had a blast.
Joe Collins
The secret to winning at Winfield, or any competition, is going after the right prize.
Top 10 “Perks” of Being a National Hammered Dulcimer Champion
Mark Alan Wade
1. No trouble with the paparazzi.
2. Lots of free time between gigs.
3. Don’t have to leave that wonderful day-job.
4. No goggles needed on stage to protect your eyes from hurling articles of clothing from the wild audience.
5. The “Do Not Call” List apparently extends to social calls.
6. Title 1997 Walnut Valley Festival National Hammered Dulcimer Champion fits easily onto business cards.
7. The trophy makes a nice hood ornament (with a little epoxy).
8. It makes a good excuse to raise your fees.
9. The Wheaties commercial endorsements.
10. The self-funded trip to Disney World!
This article originally appeared in Vol. 34 No. 3 (Summer 2008). It has been edited for publication online.