Colin Beasley
Colin first picked up and taught himself the hammered dulcimer as a freshman percussion major in college. Though he eventually changed his major, Colin stuck around the music school and took everything he learned and applied it to hammered dulcimer. In this sense, he considers himself a musician first, percussionist second, with the hammered dulcimer his instrument of choice. His playing style mixes elements of many different genres of music including, but not limited to, classical, jazz, folk, Latin, Caribbean, African, and Irish. These influences allow him to bring a sound to the hammered dulcimer that’s free of musical boundaries with influences from across the world.
Colin’s growth as a musician was paralleled with growth as a dulcimer player, leading him to win various contests across the country with the most notable being the 2018 Hammered Dulcimer National Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival. He has since strived to teach people the information he has accumulated through his music study and hammered dulcimer development, leading him to become an instructor and performer at various dulcimer festivals. From dulcimer technique to chromatic chords, Colin teaches workshops for all levels of play.
As his career moves along, Colin has been working on developing instructional material, writing dulcimer arrangements, composing and recording music, and writing a dulcimer instruction book on “hand independence.” He looks to continue to push the boundaries of the hammered dulcimer and spread its music to as many people as possible, while also continuing to learn and grow as a musician, dulcimer player, and overall person.