Instruments

I play a number of instruments, but most regularly:

piano,

accordion,

keyboard,

melodica,

viola,

guitar

I regularly play in care settings, and through this have started to identify the usefulness characteristics of different instruments and place them in a chart.

The key for this chart

‘Benefits of Different Instrument use In Care Settings’ chart – is as follows:

is a feature of that instrument for me

either of those two options are possible but not both at the same time,

it is likely there will be issues to do with placement of instrument e.g. sight-lines/wiring/position in the room etc

not possible

As you can see the accordion scores 5/5, whereas all the others have at least one ‘disadvantage’. Of course this chart does not take account of the music that is possible to be played on those instruments (so for me I have far more harmonic and genre flexibility on the piano/keyboard than I do on the accordion) and the chart also does not take into account various other issues like music-stands or the fact that while you can move while playing the guitar or viola it is difficult to simultaneously dance with someone else which is possible with the accordion. It might be that adding some extra categories could be interesting.

The Accordion

I play a 48-bass hohner accordion and take it with me in a back pack. (I used to play a 120-bass but it is just too heavy!) This has advantages of being not too heavy, but disadvantages of a limited number of chords available on the left hand. It is unique in having five characteristics that make it the ideal instrument for many social and care settings:

It has buttons on the left hand for playing an accompaniment

It has keys on the right hand side for playing melodies and further chords

It is possible to sing while playing

It is possible to move while playing – and even possible to dance with someone (while playing accompaniment in the left hand, singing and holding hands with the right hand).

It is easy to set up and place within the room as it can be played sitting down or standing up and you can sit on a bed with someone and play to them/with them and easily carry the instrument by public transport, or bike.

As a piano player, I have taken in a keyboard to care homes in the past, and while there are some advantages over the accordion there are many disadvantages; a keyboard requires a stand (for putting it on), sometimes a separate amplifier, you are fixed in position and it usually needs a car to transport it.

Instruments

The key for this chart

The Accordion

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