I've turned mine around, tabletop, to pull the strum toward me, for various chronic tendonitis problems. However what is easier to strum thus strums very loud, making a very firm pressure on chord bars necessary to fully damp the unwanted strings.

Woud she consider the electronic version of the autoharp, which acts like a synthesizer but is set up like an autoharp? It's wonderful to be acoustic if you can, but if you can't... there can still be music.

What about harmonica? Keyboard? My husband got me one for the worst sore days. Also the plucked psaltery is not too rough, but then I don't have her exact problem.

Lap steel guitar or dobro, to slide instead of finger?

I waited YEARS to find what I could play and then adapt it and me to get started. Please help her avoid that if you can!!

~S~