IMPORTANCE: The estimated overall prevalence of PD in the world is 315 per 100,000 individuals overall, and about 2 per 100 individuals 60 years of age or older, with higher estimates for older individuals living in North America, Europe and Australia (Pringsheim, Jette, Frolkis, & Steeves, 2014). PD prevalence in the United States is projected to rise by 77% between 2010 and 2030 (Dorsey et. al., 2013). Music and rhythm-based interventions are noninvasive, patient-oriented techniques that lack side effects. The guitar is the most popular played instrument in the U.S (Richard K Miller and Associates, 2012), and it is the principal instrument of choice for music therapists (Krout, 2007). It is affordable and portable, with easy access to commercial instruction. Non-traditional engagement in finger-style music making on the guitar may have a broad impact on PD by improving the quality of functional upper extremity movements, decreasing the amplitude of involuntary movements, increasing social and cognitive participation in activities of daily living, and improving quality of life.