Here we are. Hello everyone. I'm Paolo Caneva and you're listening to A Light-Hearted Journey Through Music Therapy — a podcast dedicated, of course, to music therapy. I'm thinking of you all AT HOME — but with smiles and happy thoughts, please!!! Today is Tuesday, March 31st, and in this thirteenth episode we'll talk about using the guitar in music therapy. Let me say upfront that everything I'm about to say is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth — but, obviously, only myyy truth, so, friends, stay light, because the truth passes too. So let's get started!
I'll tell you right away that this week, just like last week with the piano, I've chosen to tackle the topic with a list of 10 pros and 10 cons of using the guitar in music therapy — though I'll warn you now that I only found 7 cons, and even those with real effort!
Among the advantages and peculiarities of this wonderful instrument, in my opinion:
- extreme portability and lightness;
- I can move through the space while I play — hugely useful for me, so as not to forget that I'm not giving a concert: I'm there to interact with the person;
- as we saw for the piano, the guitar accompanies me harmonically while I use my voice to sing or vocalize;
- with good technique I can play a melody without using my voice and, at the same time, hold it up with a harmonic base;
- I can "prepare" it with open tunings — extremely useful in our craft;
- I can play with the glissando effect you get by plucking a string and, at the same time, tightening or loosening its tension;
- I can share it on the horizontal plane, placing it between me and the person I'm interacting with — but also on the vertical plane, doing the chords on the neck myself and leaving the strumming to the person I'm relating with;
- as with the piano, I'm not tied to a power supply or a socket — so I'm free of electrical cables, of recharging batteries, and of external amplification;
- tuning it doesn't cost money or require calling a professional, because I can do it myself as often as I like;
- I can work on fine motor skills, inviting the person I'm relating with to play it with a pick, or to pluck one string at a time, or to turn one of the six pegs one way or the other.
Now let's look at the seven — and only seven — cons (truth be told, I don't mind having found only seven, because that way, in the next "after-podcast", you'll help me find the others):
- intensity: if I play in large spaces and with big groups, and I'm not amplified, it may not be heard;
- when I play it, it's in contact with my body and, while it lets me move freely, it can limit me in some movements;
- fragility: it's a decidedly more delicate instrument than the piano. If it falls or is used improperly, it could get damaged;
- as a rule I need two hands to play it (I'm not counting techniques like hammer-on, or open tunings, here);
- I struggle to have it used in the "traditional" way by someone in a wheelchair, because the side rails get in the way of correct positioning;
- the central soundhole can be distracting, turning into an irresistible invitation to throw objects inside;
- in the far-from-remote event that one of the strings breaks during a music therapy session, the person I'm with may get frightened.