Welcome to Oregon Musician Mark Nelson’s Web Home!
“Every once in a while a musician comes along who can make an instrument speak in tongues.” – Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Mark Nelson’s mastery of the Appalachian dulcimer, `ukulele and guitar wows audiences from coast to coast. His numerous recordings, books and instructional videos have redefined what these instruments are capable of – in his hands, they become instruments of uncommon expressive power.
In the early 1970’s Mark was one of a handful of free-spirited musicians who created a whole new vocabulary for the Appalachian dulcimer. He created a driving flatpicking style, playing the dulcimer with a force and passion seldom heard before. This led to a first place win at the National Mountain Dulcimer Championships in Winfield, Kansas in 1979, appearances at festivals, colleges and coffeehouses across North America and Europe, and a recording career spanning over 35 years.
He’s equally adept at the Hawaiian slack key guitar and ukulele, and any number of other instruments and musical styles from old time music to swing and just about everything in between. And yes, he really did once work as a banjo playing gorilla in Dublin…
Welcome to the website. Here you’ll find Mark’s many CDs and books to help you master slack key guitar, ukulele and dulcimer, free video lessons, piles of biographical trivia and perhaps even some pathetic attempts at humor.
Above all, stay tuned!
