Our 2009 Winners Were ...

• 1st Place - Ewan Dobson - Toronto
• 2nd Place - Callum Graham - Calgary
• 3rd Place - Trevor Gordon Hall - Philadelphia

The skill level among the competitors was simply astounding. With an Olympic styled judging system, scores can be separated by a decimal place or two. It is a difficult task to judge art, and often the question is asked "Is our children learning?" - oops, I mean "Why do we do this?" .. And the answer is simple : We are all creatures who aim to achieve. Be it outward or inward, we are for some reason, pre-wired to do this. (At least that's my personal take on it.) Getting up on that stage is an achievement on its own. Congratulations to the winners and to all who took part. - Del

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While there is no entry fee for the guitar competition as such, only those who purchase either a weekend pass or a weekend pass with camping will be eligible to compete for the competition. Advanced ticket sales are required via PayPal or other means for eligibility verification. No exceptions.

To our confirmed competitors: practice, breath, practice, relax. The judges will be affected by that which 'moves' them. It could be a tear-jerker of a composition..or it could be a linear locomotive busting through the walls..but whatever it is they'll be hearing, make it yours. Own it.

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Please note the following important Rules for the Competition.

Competition General Rules

There is no entrance fee for the competition itself but only those who purchase either a weekend pass or a weekend pass with camping will be eligible to compete in the competition. Advanced ticket sales are required via PayPal or other means for eligibility verification. No exceptions.

The competition is open to anyone of any nationality. The title of the event is "The Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Championship"

The number of entrants is limited to 24. Each contestant will play two separate pieces for a total time of no more than twelve minutes. Contestants must pre-register and have had there registration confirmed by the organizers.

Five finalists will then be selected from the 1st round and will perform two additional songs each. The order of these performances will be determined by 'random draw', in keeping with the same manner as that which determined the order of the first round.

Three finalists will then be selected by the judges in order of first to third.

Hired main stage performers of the guitar festival are not eligible to compete at the fingerstyle competition that same weekend. The main stage performers, those willing and available, we be the judges. Like the wise folks in Winfield have discovered, the judges will be in a separate area away from the stage and will only know the contestants by their respective competitor identification numbers.

Each contestant will perform in a seated position into a condenser microphone as provided by the organizers.

Judging will be done on an Olympic model points system.

There will be four judges.

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Competition Q & A

We have put together your most commonly asked questions and provided the definitive answers. Please review this section thoroughly if you have a question about the Competition.

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Q: "I just had a quick question concerning the use of thumb picks. Can some parts of songs be played only with a thumb pick (ex. a fast melodic line being playing with cross-picking)? I play fingerstyle guitar, but my pieces are peppered with some cross-picking. I just wanted to make sure this is permitted."

A: - Thumb picks are a mainstay in the FS world...if their use occasionally crosses over then this is chalked up to added technique. I can see no negative connotations here.

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Q: I just read over the rules and would like more information about the requirement that:
"Each contestant will perform in a seated position into a condenser microphone as provided by the organizers."
My instrument of choice is the Gibson Chet Atkins solid body nylon string, requiring amplification such as direct in to the board. Also, I very much prefer a stool to a chair. Please advise.

A: You're the first one to raise this question about the solid body guitars. In short, the rules require that all contestants are amplified by the same condenser mic. This of course implies that the instrument should have some ability to project. What we can do is have you play into your own amp and we can pick this up with the mic. It's not really the optimal way for us to go, but if the alternative would negatively impact your performance, that would not do anyone any favors with respect to the spirit of the event.
Chair, stool...whatever you'd like, that's fine.
One note of advice on the amp: try to keep your sound as clean and honest as possible. ..ie no digital delay etc ;-)

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See you at the lake!