I wouldn't dare enter into this discussion, since I tried to learn the instrument once and got a cramp in my arm that went all the way to my ankle. However, if anybody reading this thread is around Port Townsend, Washington in the summertime, try to get to the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes. You will see and hear hundreds of fiddlers (and a few violinists trying to pass) with assorted banjo players, guitarists, harmonica players, and lots more, along with performers from around the continent and the world of just about every traditional stripe that involves, uh, that instrument with four strings and a scroll. There's an emphasis on "old-time" music, that is, Southern U.S. mountain style tunes, but the breadth of music is astounding. The jamming and dancing and singing will knock you over. (If you notice some deja vu when you're there, it's where "An Officer and a Gentleman" was filmed.)

Aloha,
Mark