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Playing in nursing homes

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Home Forums Repertoire Playing in nursing homes

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  • #186684
    Andelin
    Participant

    For those of you who play in nursing homes, what is your favorite book to play from? I’m looking for something suitable for lever harp. I haven’t played in a nursing home very many times (and it was a long time ago), but when I have, I enjoyed it, and I have more opportunity to do so now.

    #186707
    Sylvia
    Participant

    I don’t know about lever or books, but hymns and oldies are good rep for such places.
    If you are not a memorizer, and you can improvise left hand, a fake book would be a good investment.

    #186743

    Andelin,
    I echo Sylvia’s good suggestion about using a fake book. Lyon and Healy published Easy Fake Book for Lever Harp, by Louise Trotter. 52 pages, spiral bound. Familiar melodies with helpful suggestions for left hand, chord symbols printed above the treble melody; lyrics at the back of the book. There are categories such as Broadway, Hymns, Wedding, and so on.
    Another choice is The Classical Fake Book of 413 pages published by the Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation. Most selections might have too many accidentals for lever players, but a good many can be adapted quite easily. There are three indexes: One by category such as Hymns or Piano music or Waltzes; one alphabetically by composer; and one alphabetically by title such as Surprise Symphony or Lullaby.Over 600 classical themes and melodies. When you have chosen perhaps 25 selections, it can be helpful to print the title with the key on a sheet of paper; then print the list out again, in large print that you can easily see on your music stand, revised in performing order with either groups like a few Irish, or Patriotic, etc., or by varying the key so you don’t have three or four in the same key right after each other. Then connect them smoothly with a seventh chord arpeggio or with a cadence leading the ear to expect the next piece in a different key. Play your list for someone before you visit a senior facility, so that you have that experience of someone else hearing you before strangers are your audience; you will gain confidence from this “rehearsal”.

    #186748
    Biagio
    Participant

    Another good fake book: “Tunes to Go” by Cynthia Shelhart, 400 favorite tunes with suggested chords, only a few tunes require accidentals. Indexed by genre, cross indexed by title key and name.
    Biagio

    #191848
    janetskidmore
    Participant

    Nursing homes nowadays growing very rapidly in all aspects of life.They are providing best medical facilities along with the different play activities which really keeps patients healthy,happy and alive.One of such agency where they also provide all these nursing home like facilities is Royal care home health care center.They are very specialized in elderly care and all nursing home facilities.

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