So glad you mentioned Autoharp and Dulcimer, Night Owl. I've had a number of students who admitted that they were "unteachable". HaHaaa! I whisper quietly to myself. That's where I become Svengali in a T shirt. NOBODY is unteachable! I just feel that the vast majority of teachers aren't willing to put in the time or the imagination to find a way to get these folks playing. (on the other hand, the vast majority of teachers probably know how to run a business properly and relate to the bottom line - something that seems to continually elude me.)
Some folks are so visually oriented that they can't relate to guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, or concertina, cause they simply can't see up close what their fingers are doing. I just bring out the old Dulcimer or Autoharp. I've even done a conversion on one of my harps so it can be played on the lap with plenty of space for the right hand to strum, and can be started with just one bar in the cartridge. The person can just strum along while I sing a one chord song. (Pretty Polly, Nottamun Town etc.) Without any other bars to distract them, they get the hang of it pretty quickly. Then I add a second bar (usually a 5(7th) chord, and start singin' "Skip to my Lou". Eventually they get used to the idea that they're actually MAKING MUSIC, and as far as I'm concerned, the battle's half won. Play an autoharp for a few weeks and a banjo doesn't seem so fearful anymore.
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