ChordBuddy: Easily Learn How to Play The Guitar
Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2016/05/25 - Updated: 2024/06/21
Publication Type: Product Release, Update
Topic: Assistive Technology - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: ChordBuddy helps you learn to play music on the guitar in minutes, helps with playing chords and strumming. The ChordBuddy makes playing the guitar easier and more accessible to children and adults who have physical challenges, cognitive disabilities, arthritis, etc.
Introduction
Have you always wanted to play the guitar? Have certain aspects of the guitar made it too difficult for you to play? ChordBuddy helps with playing chords AND strumming. You can play music on the guitar in minutes!
Main Item
ChordBuddy was made famous on the ABC show "Shark Tank." Since the show, the growth and expansion of the ChordBuddy line has been tremendous.
More importantly, we have seen phenomenal musical success by people of all abilities learn to play the guitar with this learning system. Travis Perry invented this tool to encourage his children to play the guitar, as well as to support his mother's playing later in her life. She had been an accomplished musician, but as time passed she lost the ability to play. With the ChordBuddy she was able to play again. We are excited to share this tool with you today.
The ChordBuddy makes playing the guitar easier and more accessible to children and adults who have physical challenges, cognitive disabilities, arthritis, etc.
The ChordBuddy has functioned as a rehabilitation tool for people recovering from a hand injury or those who may need occupational hand therapy. Playing guitar with a hand injury or with arthritis was simply unheard of until ChordBuddy. Using this system makes it easy to learn guitar chords and begin playing your favorite songs despite the difficulties that may come with physical challenges.
The ChordBuddy is a molded piece of plastic that attaches to the fretboard of the guitar and rests above the strings. The four color-coded buttons represent different chords- similar to the popular "Guitar Hero" video game that children and adults typically play on PlayStation or Xbox. The four chords learned initially are C, D, G, & E minor.
The ChordBuddy will have you removing the buttons as you learn, and progress through the teaching books. Your knowledge, along with the strength and dexterity improvement in your hands, may actually have you making chords without ChordBuddy within weeks. It simplifies guitar playing for students without any prior guitar experience, while providing additional growth for experienced learners.
It really is possible to play the songs you love without difficulty associated from traditional guitar playing. By pressing the chord buttons you are exercising core muscles and joints in the hands. People suffering from arthritis who began to play with the ChordBuddy appeared to improve the dexterity and strength in their fingers and other muscles almost immediately.
Another great instrument modification that the ChordBuddy affords, is the ability to play the guitar flat.
"Now, with ChordBuddy, children and adults who suffer from positioning issues can look down directly at the guitar as they play. For an example of this modification please watch the video below. Another option for those who may need additional assistance is having someone play the left hand buttons, while the player focus on the right hand strumming. As an example, we were able to teach a child who was born with a fused elbow to play the guitar. Traditional guitar was not accessible to her, because her elbow could not extend to get her in the right position to play chords. With ChordBuddy she was performing for her music class, and accomplishing the same curricular objectives as her classmates. The only difference between her style of playing and those of her classmates was that her guitar was lying flat in her lap as she played. This ChordBuddy device is here to help support the love of music and teach guitar to everyone!"
The ChordBuddy fits on most full-size acoustic or electric steel string and nylon string guitars. It comes with a learning book and DVD that instruct you how to play.
Related Information
- Robo-Tar: Play Guitar with One Hand: Robo-Tar is an adapted guitar that can be played using one hand and is especially suitable for persons with disabilities.
Author Credentials: Ian was born and grew up in Australia. Since then, he has traveled and lived in numerous locations and currently resides in Montreal, Canada. Ian is the founder, a writer, and editor in chief for Disabled World. Ian believes in the Social Model of Disability, a belief developed by disabled people in the 1970s. The social model changes the focus away from people's impairments and towards removing barriers that disabled people face daily. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and achievements, check out his bio.