Enriching lives through participation in music
Music Therapy Services of West Music
What’s a QChord?
09/08/23
Have you heard that cottage cheese is gaining popularity again? Well, in Lucy's music therapy sessions, the Suzuki Qchord is gaining popularity recently, too! In fact, two families she sees have purchased their own Qchord after interacting with one in a music therapy session! Read on as therapist Lucy describes this unique instrument and how she uses it in sessions:
I first heard about the Qchord in the early 2000s from a colleague at West Music, and I have used one in weekly music therapy sessions ever since! Do you remember June Carter strumming an autoharp? The QChord is an electronic version of the autoharp. The QChord combines the chord buttons of an accordion with the voicings of an electric keyboard, in a very user-friendly manner - all you have to do it use a button labeled “EZ play”! The QChord also features a variety of sound settings, so if, for example, music therapy clients request hymns and are used to hearing them played on an organ, the Qchord offers the sound of the organ in a portable fashion!
One can use either songbooks with chord symbols (like this songbook series) or chord progressions of songs found on a website like ultimateguitar.com. There are three rows of chord buttons. If the chord symbol in the music is a single capital letter, push that letter button on the top row. If the chord symbol has an “m" by the capital letter, play the second row button for a minor chord. If the chord symbol has a “7” next to the capital letter, play that letter on the third row.
After becoming more familiar with the QChord, additional chords can be played using different combinations of buttons, which are listed in the QChord’s User Manual.
To learn more about the QChord or find a dealer, visit this website:
Happy strumming!
