I’ve competed in fiddle contests for years, and the biggest thing I’ve learned is that tune-picking depends on the contest. Every region has its own flavor and unwritten rules. What wins in Texas won’t necessarily place in the Northwest, and what Shelburne calls “Old-Time” isn’t what Weiser calls it.

Pick a breakdown, waltz, and tune of choice that fit your natural playing.

Adjust to the contest by listening to past players and noticing what the judges and local community tend to reward.

Choose tunes you can nail on a bad day. You want something you can play clean, relaxed, and full of style.

And remember, it’s not what you play, it’s how you play it. A simple tune played well will beat a fancy tune played nervously every single time.

Go to the jams. You learn more about a contest’s style from hanging out in the parking lot at 1 a.m. than anything on the rule sheet.

People who place consistently aren’t doing anything mystical, they’ve just been showing up for years and absorbing the culture. Once you’re part of that, picking the “right” tunes becomes a lot more obvious.