"It was not an easy task to be a judge. The panel was comprised mostly mostly of town officials. One of them remarked it was probably the most difficult challenge of their elected duties. Dutifully they listened and scribbled notes. As politicians, however, their choices seldom strayed far from the level of applause awarded by the crowd to favorite performers."
"First, as locals express it, a good fiddler must not only have music in him, he must in fact be just full of music. He's got to have excellent musical recall, be able to keep a large number of tunes in memory, and have the ability to bring those tunes to life on his instrument.
"Second, a good fiddler's got to play good and lively. Lively does not mean fast. Instead it means playing at comfortable dancing speed, with all the subtle rhythmic nuances of the local brand of square-and step dancing reflected in the bowing. This last quality is referred to as putting a good timing on the music.
"Third, a good fiddler's got to play true and avoid 'cutting up the tunes'. What this means is that-all individualistic twists aside-the major themes (strains) of each tune as locally know must be played intact.
"Fourth, a good fiddler should have a sweet, smooth sound. Good players are described as having a lovely sweet music, as being able to take 'a dandy sound out of the fiddle.'"
The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island: Celtic and Acadian Tunes in Living Tradition
Ken Perlman
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