With a growing number of retirees worldwide, the number of individuals with elder care, assisted living, and nursing homes is at an all-time high. Activity coordinators searching for interesting entertainment for their clients have traditionally focused on arts and crafts, but now have a new, exciting option: electric guitar and electric bass! Perfect for the dilettante elderly interested in the arts, electric guitar and electric bass can be practiced discretely with a headset, and enjoyed in group with a speaker sound system. Even better, the use of a capo can simplify playing essential notes, allowing newcomers to enjoy playing one-note basses in unison, with the slightly more advanced plucking out a simple folk tune melody.
The options for learning electric guitar and bass are simple and enjoyable with The Big Print Music Method. Method Boosters, available from MusicaNeo for only $4 each as printable e-files, provide simple one-note fingering instructions in bold color, coordinated with keyboards and extra-large music staves. Three-Note Exercises and Interval Studies, available as e-files or in traditional printed books from online retailers, offer similar practice opportunities for increasing basic skills.
Using the above tools, elders can participate in individual or group lessons on electric guitar and bass. After learning basic skills, the possibility of small group ensemble becomes available. Conveniently, Big Print Ensemble and The Big Print Conducting Method provide easy options for group activities, focusing on popular folk tunes and classical themes.
Additional information on The Big Print Music Method is available on The Big Print Music Method blog and the Schottenbauer Publishing website. Free samples are available on MusicaNeo.
Additional Information
Online Catalog from Schottenbauer Publishing
YouTube Videos
Lesson Plans & Free Samples
Vendors
Books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million
CreateSpace, & CreateSpace Direct Wholesale!
Links to Amazon Worldwide Affiliates
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India,
Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain,
United Kingdom, & United States!
Elementary music students can learn fingerings faster with The Big Print Music Method by M. Schottenbauer, Ph.D.! With extra-large, color-coded fingering charts and keyboards on every page, the following books teach fingerings the fastest way possible:
- Learning Alternate Fingerings
- Interval Exercises with Alternate Fingerings
- Learning String Crossing and Double Stops
The series is available for the following instruments:
- Recorder
- Band
- Orchestral Strings
- Guitar
- Keyboard
A sample page from "Interval Studies" for recorder is shown to the left. Notice the extra-large print, color-coded diagrams, and keyboards, which are available on every page of the exercise books listed above. Covering the entire range for most instruments (excluding guitar), these books provide extended learning experiences. By systematically introducing students to all intervals and note combinations, these exercise books promote rapid development of muscle memory for note combinations, as well as a solid comprehension of relationships between pitches.
The Big Print Music Method is growing, with the full set of publications, including a piano method, expected in 2015. With over 300 publications thus far, it already offers students of all band and orchestral instruments a quick and easy start to success. The full method will include all books through Intermediate level for most instruments, complete with video recordings and computer programs for support.
Students may also be interested in the following big-print publications from M. Schottenbauer, Ph.D.:
- The Big Print Theory Method (Scales, Chords, & Arpeggios)
- The Big Print Conducting Method Introductory Package (Books 1 & 2), with Follow-Along Videos
Additional Information
Vendors
The options for learning electric guitar and bass are simple and enjoyable with The Big Print Music Method. Method Boosters, available from MusicaNeo for only $4 each as printable e-files, provide simple one-note fingering instructions in bold color, coordinated with keyboards and extra-large music staves. Three-Note Exercises and Interval Studies, available as e-files or in traditional printed books from online retailers, offer similar practice opportunities for increasing basic skills. 
