Fighting dementia by revisting music.

[Raynine]

I played in bands as a lead guitarist for years but gradually got a haircut and real jobs. Now, as I get close to 80, I am concerned about mental decline. My son came over and dug my Strat out of the closet and put some new strings on it. I last played it in 1975. That was about six months ago when he came. When I picked it up it was like holding a piece of wood. I could not do anything physically though mentally I still had it. It was a sad reality check. I just let my hands go and in about a week I could play a simple chord.

Then, slow magic happened. I could play more chords and then reasonably complex notes. I got good enough to buy a used Fender Twin Reverb tube amp which is what I used to use. The amp does not sound like the one I had in the mid sixties and I wonder why but it is ok.

I decided to learn a song and I picked one from long ago. It is "City of New Orleans" by Steve Goodman and made famous by Arlo Guthrie. It is a hard song with technical changes and lots of words. I nearly have it.

I play it a little more up tempo.

This is good for my brain. city of new orleans song - Search Videos

 

[jbrownson0831]

I played in bands as a lead guitarist for years but gradually got a haircut and real jobs. Now, as I get close to 80, I am concerned about mental decline. My son came over and dug my Strat out of the closet and put some new strings on it. I last played it in 1975. That was about six months ago when he came. When I picked it up it was like holding a piece of wood. I could not do anything physically though mentally I still had it. It was a sad reality check. I just let my hands go and in about a week I could play a simple chord.

Then, slow magic happened. I could play more chords and then reasonably complex notes. I got good enough to buy a used Fender Twin Reverb tube amp which is what I used to use. The amp does not sound like the one I had in the mid sixties and I wonder why but it is ok.

I decided to learn a song and I picked one from long ago. It is "City of New Orleans" by Steve Goodman and made famous by Arlo Guthrie. It is a hard song with technical changes and lots of words. I nearly have it.

I play it a little more up tempo.

This is good for my brain. city of new orleans song - Search Videos

I am 70 and took up guitar 6 years ago, doing it because I always wanted to learn. My instructor urged me to get in front of people and play and sing, which I do now. And I find it occupies my brain quite effectively. I plan on continuing to do this as long as I can, hopefully well into my 80s like you are now doing. Congratulations on finding your passion again.

 

[wamose]

I played in bands as a lead guitarist for years but gradually got a haircut and real jobs. Now, as I get close to 80, I am concerned about mental decline. My son came over and dug my Strat out of the closet and put some new strings on it. I last played it in 1975. That was about six months ago when he came. When I picked it up it was like holding a piece of wood. I could not do anything physically though mentally I still had it. It was a sad reality check. I just let my hands go and in about a week I could play a simple chord.

Then, slow magic happened. I could play more chords and then reasonably complex notes. I got good enough to buy a used Fender Twin Reverb tube amp which is what I used to use. The amp does not sound like the one I had in the mid sixties and I wonder why but it is ok.

I decided to learn a song and I picked one from long ago. It is "City of New Orleans" by Steve Goodman and made famous by Arlo Guthrie. It is a hard song with technical changes and lots of words. I nearly have it.

I play it a little more up tempo.

This is good for my brain. city of new orleans song - Search Videos

Music definitely has some healing powers. My grandfather and his daughter, my aunt, both suffered from dementia in their later years. Both had a lot of trouble staying focused at the end. But when we sang some old songs, they would light right up and sing along as if there was nothing wrong with them. I'm pretty sure my 94 year old mom is going to be the same way. There's something magic about music

 

[1srelluc]

Makes sense to me. Use it or lose it.

Without constant practice I doubt if your fingers have the dexterity at 80 as they did in '75 either.

An 83-year-old friend of mine plays music a couple times a week and he still plays well.

LOL....Trouble is he thinks he can sing....He sounds more like Blind Melon Chitlin'.

 

[jbrownson0831]

Music definitely has some healing powers. My grandfather and his daughter, my aunt, both suffered from dementia in their later years. Both had a lot of trouble staying focused at the end. But when we sang some old songs, they would light right up and sing along as if there was nothing wrong with them. I'm pretty sure my 94 year old mom is going to be the same way. There's something magic about music

I play at a couple of nursing homes each month, for general population and then separately for thee Memory Care units.....you better believe the music picks them right up, and on the older songs they know all the words and verses and sing right along.

 

[Mr Natural]

I’ve been playing since 1962 and the thing I’ve noticed over the years is that playing music requires 100% of your attention.

 

[Raynine]

I’ve been playing since 1962 and the thing I’ve noticed over the years is that playing music requires 100% of your attention.

Oddly, it's not the music or the arranging, it is the words in that song that tell a story clearly from the perpective of a young man on a train ride. The song is genius like a lot of Steven Foster songs from long ago. But of course, Arlo could not have adopted that song today because it would have been labeled as racist. (freight yards full of old black men) even though that is what he saw.

Stephen Foster - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jbrownson0831]

Oddly, it's not the music or the arranging, it is the words in that song that tell a story clearly from the perpective of a young man on a train ride. The song is genius like a lot of Steven Foster songs from long ago. But of course, Arlo could not have adopted that song today because it would have been labeled as racist. (freight yards full of old black men) even though that is what he saw.

Stephen Foster - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Its a great song.
And yes, wokeness has ruined many of Stephen Foster's lyrics.

 

[mudwhistle]

I played in bands as a lead guitarist for years but gradually got a haircut and real jobs. Now, as I get close to 80, I am concerned about mental decline. My son came over and dug my Strat out of the closet and put some new strings on it. I last played it in 1975. That was about six months ago when he came. When I picked it up it was like holding a piece of wood. I could not do anything physically though mentally I still had it. It was a sad reality check. I just let my hands go and in about a week I could play a simple chord.

Then, slow magic happened. I could play more chords and then reasonably complex notes. I got good enough to buy a used Fender Twin Reverb tube amp which is what I used to use. The amp does not sound like the one I had in the mid sixties and I wonder why but it is ok.

I decided to learn a song and I picked one from long ago. It is "City of New Orleans" by Steve Goodman and made famous by Arlo Guthrie. It is a hard song with technical changes and lots of words. I nearly have it.

I play it a little more up tempo.

This is good for my brain. city of new orleans song - Search Videos

I've been playing a guitar for just over 2 weeks now.
I bought a new $300 Yamaha and have been strumming cords to America tunes, Eagles tunes, and Pink Floyd tunes.
I'm just getting to the point where I can practice for over a half hour before my fingers hurt too much to keep going.

I used to play a trombone since I was 7 yrs old, so I have plenty of experience in music. I've played and sung in plenty of concerts. Marched in halftimes of football games.

But now I'm playing one of the instruments I wanted to learn when I was a kid. My parents didn't want me playing a guitar.

 

[jbrownson0831]

I've been playing a guitar for just over 2 weeks now.
I bought a new $300 Yamaha and have been strumming cords to America tunes, Eagles tunes, and Pink Floyd tunes.
I'm just getting to the point where I can practice for over a half hour before my fingers hurt too much to keep going.

I used to play a trombone since I was 7 yrs old, so I have plenty of experience in music. I've played and sang in plenty of concerts. Marched in halftimes of football games.

But now I'm playing one of the instruments I wanted to learn when I was a kid. My parents didn't want me playing a guitar.

Sounds the same as me a few years ago. Once you build up some calluses on your fingers you will be able to play longer. My first guitar was a $300 Fender Acoustic, I still play it sometimes.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Music definitely has some healing powers. My grandfather and his daughter, my aunt, both suffered from dementia in their later years. Both had a lot of trouble staying focused at the end. But when we sang some old songs, they would light right up and sing along as if there was nothing wrong with them. I'm pretty sure my 94 year old mom is going to be the same way. There's something magic about music

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Right up to the end, my husband's dementia stepped aside when it was time to sing. He sang in church and opera chorus, at weddings and funerals, and for recreation, his whole life, and he always became happier and more focused when it was time to sing the most significant songs of his life. That was when I got him back for a little while.


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[mudwhistle]

Sounds the same as me a few years ago. Once you build up some calluses on your fingers you will be able to play longer. My first guitar was a $300 Fender Acoustic, I still play it sometimes.

This one sounds really good. Course I'm going to have to have it worked on to get it to sound even better. But right now, it does the job. If I keep going I'm going to get a 12 string maybe next year, and maybe an electric once I get so I know what I'm doing.

 

[jbrownson0831]

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Right up to the end, my husband's dementia stepped aside when it was time to sing. He sang in church and opera chorus, at weddings and funerals, and for recreation, his whole life, and he always became happier and more focused when it was time to sing the most significant songs of his life. That was when I got him back for a little while.


.

I can't tell you how good it feels to play for a group of residents and watch them light up, smile and sing along. Sometimes in the general nursing home population there is a musician or two who will play along on the piano or another guitar...but Memory Care is my favorite, they enjoy the music so much its beyond description.

 

[whoisit]

I play at a couple of nursing homes each month, for general population and then separately for thee Memory Care units.....you better believe the music picks them right up, and on the older songs they know all the words and verses and sing right along.

I saw a video of this on YT. They would be sitting there just staring off, then they put earphones on them, they smiled and started singing.

 

[g5000]

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Right up to the end, my husband's dementia stepped aside when it was time to sing. He sang in church and opera chorus, at weddings and funerals, and for recreation, his whole life, and he always became happier and more focused when it was time to sing the most significant songs of his life. That was when I got him back for a little while.


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The musical part of the brain is the last to go. When my father was in his last days and in a coma, I put a headset on him with his favorite music, and he snapped wide awake and began singing.

My wife and daughter work in hospice. Some people with dementia and Alzheimer's become very violent. They often come home with scratches and bruises.

I ask what age the particular troublesome patient is and buy an MP3 player and fill it with the hits from their era.

Works every time.

There is one very aggressive patient which my daughter discovered calms right down if she sings Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

The musical part of the brain is the last to go. When my father was in his last days and in a coma, I put a headset on him with his favorite music, and he snapped wide awake and began singing.

My wife and daughter work in hospice. Some people with dementia and Alzheimer's become very violent. They often come home with scratches and bruises.

I ask what age the particular troublesome patient is and buy an MP3 player and fill it with the hits from their era.

Works every time.

There is one very aggressive patient which my daughter discovered calms right down if she sings Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

.

One resident in the facility my husband was in was non-verbal, never reacted with facial expression, and occasionally violent, for whatever reason in her mind, but music brought smiles to her face and she'd sing! The facility did amazing things with their music program!

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