Images of ancient kings and queens marching into castles comes to mind as Scott William's hammered dulcimer melodies rolls over the distant, foggy hillsides of green Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, and France.

15 MP3 Songs
WORLD: Celtic, NEW AGE: Celtic New Age



Details:
Born in Delaware and raised in Maryland, Scott Williams took up the hammered dulcimer in college after a spontaneous purchase of one at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. A few months later, he was playing Christmas carols for the family church Christmas Eve service, a tradition that has endured for sixteen years.

With Celtic, colonial, medieval, and Renaissance influences, Scott continues to develop a repertoire of songs on the hammered dulcimer which he now performs at Downtown Disney, corporate events, private parties, street festivals, Renaissance fairs, and shopping malls throughout the Orange County area. His medieval renditions of Metallica are always a head-turning event at festivals.

As a multi-instrumentalist, Scott plays and records the majority of what he calls his "backing tracks." These tracks are studio mixes of guitars, cello, bass, drums, mountain dulcimer, mandolins, and synthesizers to create the foundation of his music. He then performs live with the hammered dulcimer to combine the sounds for a presentation of what sounds like a full ensemble.

Scott has three studio albums, The Burning of the Piper's Hut (American folk / colonial - 1998), The Road to Lisdoonvarna (Celtic - 2001), and Home for the Holidays (Christmas - 2003). His fourth album will be a very mellow recording featuring duets of the hammered dulcimer and the Celtic harp.

Since the hammered dulcimer is such an unusual instrument, people are very drawn to it. Children, especially, find it mesmerizing. "It's perhaps the best part of this job," Scott says, "â¦watching the expressions on children's faces and talking to them. There is always at least one that leaves an impact on me whenever I play. It's very heartfelt and magical. It's medicinal music."