Fiddling
championships...
Some 200 years ago, in
the Blue Ridge and Ozark
Mountains of the deep
south, people; first began
drawing a horsehair bow
across the strings of a fid
dle, dancing and singing
into the wee hours to the
sprite, cheerful music of
the old-time fiddler.
Old-time fiddling music,
once the folk music of
America, occupies a much
smaller niche in today’s
musical culture, yet it
remains vicariously alive in
the fiddles, guitars, pianos,
banjos and string basses
of both young and old,
county and city dweller
throughout America.
L3st Saturday at the
College, the young and old
of old-time “fiddlin’ ”
music gathered to spend a
day swapping tales and
sharing their music with all
who came to the Oregon
State Old Time Fiddling
Championship. The 700
people who came to the
event saw fiddlers ranging
in age from 9 to 84
displaying a form of music
that has passed through
generations of family,
being taught by playing
and listening because
most of the songs were
never written down.
The purpose of this
meeting was to decide the
Oregon old-time fiddling
finalist, who would go to
the National Fiddling Con
test in Wiezer, Idaho, in
pressions reminiscent of B.B. King.
June. Actually, it was more
of a chance, according to
Barney Alexander, a senior
fiddler, “to get together
with old friends, make
some new ones, and play
and listen to some good
fiddling music.’’
Perhaps the best per
formances were not in the
gym, but outside Randall
Hall, where groups of fid
dlers and guitar players
would gather together and
plav a few tunes. “How
about Sweet Adeline in the
key of C?” one would ask,
and off they’d go.
One of the most in
teresting parts of the show
was the wide range of
people who came to play,
not only the wide range of
age, but the wide range in
lifestyles. There were far-,
mers, loggers, people
dressed in work jeans and
people dressed in suits and
ties. One woman fiddler
was a second grade
teacher in Portland.
From 11 a.m. until very
late, the fiddlers played.
Those who won their com
petitions will go on to
Idaho to compete in the
nationals. Those who did
not win will probably go
anyway, packing up their
families and fiddles to join
again with old friends, new
ones, and play and listen to
some good fiddlin’ music,
carrying
on
one
of
America’s oldest cultural
traditions.
YOUNG-N-Old-George Rowe—left—a newcomer to fiddling, is accompanied by Mar
shall Jackson an old favorite among fiddle players. ,
really jus t
another chance
to play
HARMONY—Bronnie Griffen —left — and Tiffany Wheeler
played along with fiddlers during a group number before
the finals.
Story and photos by Duffy Coffman
Wednesday, May 14,1980
RELIEF—Fiddle player grimaces
happily at the end of his
preliminary performance.
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