3:2
4:3
WESTERN OPEN JUDGES
CONTACT US: Mailing Address: PO Box 101, Red Bluff CA 96080 Phone: (530) 527-6127 Fax: (530) 528-0431 MAP to the Red Bluff Elks Lodge
I have been attending fiddle contests for over 60 years. Initially, I began playing the guitar, and by the age of 9, 1 won my first national accompanist division title against adults. I won the national accompanist division for the next decade in the 1960's and 70's. I played guitar for thousands of fiddlers over the years, including many of the old fiddle masters, and national champions, like Benny Thomasson, Dick Barrett, and Herman Johnson. As a child, I would spend a large portion of my summers staying, and traveling, with Dick Barrett, and his family. In fact, you can see me playing with Benny and Dick while we were on tour on YouTube in a series from the mid - 1970's titled, "Texas Fiddle Legends." I also played for 5 time undefeated National Champion, Herman Johnson, at the National Oldtime Fiddling Contest (NOTFC), and on his album titled, "Simply Perfect." I also video-recorded Herman playing all of his songs in his kitchen which can be found on Vi Wickam's fiddling website. As my musical journey continued, I also learned how to play the fiddle. I have judged countless fiddle contests. I Aaron Lowe have judged the NOTFC several times. The first time I judged the NOTFC, in the mid- 1970's, I was youngest judge at that time to have ever judge this national contest. More recently, I am the former NW Regional Open Champion, Texas State Sr. Champion, NW Regional Sr. Champion (multiple times), and National Sr. Champion (multiple times). My hobbies in cluding working on, building, fiddles and guitars. I have also made several unique fiddle, and guitar, cases. I have related several stories about fiddling in the old days in my blog on Facebook titled, "Musings from the Fiddling Road." I have also written a number of articles, and transcribed a number of tunes, that have been published in Fiddler Magazine. My philosophy of judging is fairly straight forward. What I try to do when I judge a fiddle contest is first determine how difficult of a tune the contestant is playing, and next I determine how well is the contestant playing their songs. Based upon those primary factors, that is how I determine an overall score for each song. I try to give extra points for those contestants who make a song their own by adding additional appropriate phrases, harmonies, or parts, to their songs. At the contests that I have attended this year, I won the Senior division of the NW Regional Contest again, I judged the Texas state contest, and I also judged at the NOTFC again. I am a retired attorney.
Aaron Lowe, Spokane WA
Katy Bridges, Sebastopol CA
Dan Touchstone, San Diego CA
Ranelle Dietrich, Casa Grande AZ
Starr McMullen, Corvallis OR
WESTERN OPEN JUDGES
CONTACT US: Mailing Address: PO Box 101, Red Bluff CA 96080 Phone: (530) 527-6127 Fax: (530) 528-0431 MAP to the Red Bluff Elks Lodge
Katy Bridges, Sebastopol CA
Dan Touchstone, San Diego CA
Ranelle Dietrich, Casa Grande AZ
I have been attending fiddle contests for over 60 years. Initially, I began playing the guitar, and by the age of 9, 1 won my first national accompanist division title against adults. I won the national accompanist division for the next decade in the 1960's and 70's. I played guitar for thousands of fiddlers over the years, including many of the old fiddle masters, and national champions, like Benny Thomasson, Dick Barrett, and Herman Johnson. As a child, I would spend a large portion of my summers staying, and traveling, with Dick Barrett, and his family. In fact, you can see me playing with Benny and Dick while we were on tour on YouTube in a series from the mid - 1970's titled, "Texas Fiddle Legends." I also played for 5 time undefeated National Champion, Herman Johnson, at the National Oldtime Fiddling Contest (NOTFC), and on his album titled, "Simply Perfect." I also video-recorded Herman playing all of his songs in his kitchen which can be found on Vi Wickam's fiddling website. As my musical journey continued, I also learned how to play the fiddle. I have judged countless fiddle contests. I Aaron Lowe have judged the NOTFC several times. The first time I judged the NOTFC, in the mid- 1970's, I was youngest judge at that time to have ever judge this national contest. More recently, I am the former NW Regional Open Champion, Texas State Sr. Champion, NW Regional Sr. Champion (multiple times), and National Sr. Champion (multiple times). My hobbies in cluding working on, building, fiddles and guitars. I have also made several unique fiddle, and guitar, cases. I have related several stories about fiddling in the old days in my blog on Facebook titled, "Musings from the Fiddling Road." I have also written a number of articles, and transcribed a number of tunes, that have been published in Fiddler Magazine. My philosophy of judging is fairly straight forward. What I try to do when I judge a fiddle contest is first determine how difficult of a tune the contestant is playing, and next I determine how well is the contestant playing their songs. Based upon those primary factors, that is how I determine an overall score for each song. I try to give extra points for those contestants who make a song their own by adding additional appropriate phrases, harmonies, or parts, to their songs. At the contests that I have attended this year, I won the Senior division of the NW Regional Contest again, I judged the Texas state contest, and I also judged at the NOTFC again. I am a retired attorney.
Aaron Lowe, Spokane WA
Starr McMullen, Corvallis OR