"In 1997, I served at Clifftop (The Appalachian String Band Music Festival, at Camp Washington-Carver in West Virginia) as a contest judge. I had often wondered what contests were like from the judge's perspective, and now I would have my chance to find out.
My buddy, Casey. That's his all original circa 1939 (script 'G') Gibson L-50 .
"However, after the contest was over, I realized that all judges come from different musical and regional backgrounds, that they all have different experiences of and beliefs about contests, and that therefore there is no "judge's perspective."
"I decided to do a little bit of informal research, and collect the comments of as many Clifftop judges as I could in order to see if by studying them all I could come up with whatever the truth may be about contests. I think the results show that a contest is just as amazing and silly, as varied and complex, as old-time music itself. But you may draw your own conclusions."
Notes From The Judges' Booth - Molly Tenenbaum - Fiddler Magazine
"No point to sound just like the other man. Don't even try, 'cause you can't. You've got to sound like yourself, have your own style. That's the way it's suppose to be. Like the old man said, it's all creamed 'taters, just fixed a little different."
Benton Flippen - Old time, New times - quoted by Paul Brown
