Don...not sure that this will help....I place the autoharp on a wooden dining room table..(because it seems to amplify the sound and was too difficult to hold on a lap); this "student" sits on a pillow placed on the chair (the increased height means she doesn't have to bend her elbow more than a right angle); I wrote the chord bar keys on the opposite side of each bar (so that she could see them with the autoharp placed with bass notes closest to her) and myself or someone else presses the bars as she directs us or we hear the change coming.( with some "cheating" ;o). The only strain this setup places on her physically is hanging on to the flatpick she uses....a common problem to a lot of us!! (She didn't like using a finger/thumb pick). As far as repetitive motion, the old "Music Therapy" thread has some songs (I'm sure you know more!!!!)that are easily strummed once and the notes sustain on the autoharp for a few measures. IMHO it really sounds nice and more importantly...she thinks so too.