Jamorama

The Jamorama guitar course has been around for quite a few years and has received great reviews. It is produced by Rock Star Recipes - the same company that produces Rocket Piano. It is computer based guitar lesson software and is an excellent entry level guitar course. Its training provides about a year's worth of guitar lessons that will advance you to an advanced or intermediate level, depending on the version. You basically sign up for a membership and are given unlimited lifetime access to the Jamorama website, where all of the goodies are available. Any future updates to the course will also be available to you as a member.

Jamorama offers a Standard and a Deluxe version. The Deluxe version contains everything in the Standard version plus a Lead Guitar course, a lead licks video series, and an advanced techniques ebook. Standard members are given the opportunity to upgrade to the Deluxe version at any time. It may be best to opt for the Standard membership first and then decide if the Deluxe membership suits you once you get a taste for playing the guitar, but this all depends on what you're looking for. In addition, as an introductory offer Jamorama offers 6 free lessons by email so that you can test the quality of the instruction (these are without the video files though).

About the instructor

Jamorama is taught by New Zealand guitarist Ben Edwards. His guitar background includes years of experience as the lead guitarist for the band Degrees K, an alterniative rock band well-known throughout Austalia and New Zealand. He holds a bachelor's degree in Education and has taught many students privately. His teaching style is patient and methodical and he comes across as a teacher who earnestly desires to impart everything he knows onto the student.

Course Content

Standard Version

The meat of the course is contained within 2 lesson books (one beginner and one intermediate) and 150 associated video lessons and 28 jam tracks. The first book contains 15 guitar lessons while the second contains 29 guitar lessons. Jamorama latest version is a significant improvement over their earlier one. Previously, members were given access to the user area where they downloaded all of the ebooks and files as needed.

Now Jamorama uses its own lesson manager software, which makes it much easier to make your way through the course. This software, included in the package, is called Maestro 2.03 and is used to download and present all of the lessons. The lesson files have the video demonstrations and jam tracks embedded at specific places to further elucidate the topics being covered. All you have to do is click on the icon and the file opens up - no need to rummage through a list of video or audio files. And of course the jam tracks are provided with and without the guitar tracks, allowing you to fill in the guitar part.

Once downloaded these lessons can be used whenever you want, there is no need to access their website again. They are also available to print for those times when you want to study away from the computer. The lessons are well-illustrated and contain plenty of diagrams, tablature guides, and images. The instruction is laid out in a clear and concise manner that slowly builds upon previous topics. There isn't a great deal of coverage on various guitar playing styles. Instead, Jamorama's guitar lessons focus on building a solid foundation of essentials and fundamentals, including reading music and tablature. These fundamentals are the key to learning guitar playing in any style. After finishing this guitar course the student will be well-placed to take their more advanced guitar playing in any direction they please. As such, Jamorama is probably the best introductory course available.

The videos are great quality and are presented in a multi-angle view. One is a live view of the fingers playing on the fretboard, one is a live view of the strumming hand, and another shows a still image of finger positioning on the fretboard.

Deluxe Version

Bonuses

• The free 30 day access to SongPond.com is probably the most noteworthy bonus of the Jamorama package (for deluxe members only). This website features music lessons for specific songs from professional teachers. They're not limited to guitar either, there are lessons for a wide array of instruments. So, if there's a specific song that you've been itching to play then find the song lesson at SongPond.com and learn it thoroughly.
• Bonus articles on choosing and buying a guitar, tips to improve your practice sessions, and a thorough guitar tuning guide.
• Guitar Tuner Pro software - A digital guitar tuner with step by step instructions on how to tune a guitar.
• Jamorama Metronome - Digital metronome software. A necessity for any musician - develop a sense of rhythm and timing from the start and you'll be thankful later on.
• Jayde Musica Pro - A software game that teaches you to read music in a fun and effective way. Many consider this a boring and tedious task - this software takes the monotony out of learning to read music.
• GuitEarIt - An ear training piece of software that develops your recognition of pitches and chords.
• Jamorama Chord Kit - An illustrated chord book with attendant tab diagrams and suggested chord progressions.

Pricing and Gaurantee

Jamorama sells for $49.95, which is probably the best value among all the guitar learning products on the market. They used to offer the same course in DVD and book format, but that option seems to have dissappeared from their website. However, this is of little consequence because the course was exactly the same as the downloaded version, but at a far greater price. Jamorama offers a full refund within 60 days of purchase for whatever reason. Even with a refund you get to keep the bonuses free of charge.

Support

Jamorama offers email product support as well as providing a thorough FAQ section in the members area. More importantly, the members area has a forum where members can get advice and help on particular learning difficulties. Jamorama also maintains a blog, which keeps you up to date on guitar news and improvements and features of the course. The Jamorama guitar software is available for both Mac and PC.

Final Analysis

Jamorama's focus in on giving beginners an easy and fun to use method of guitar instruction. The Standard Version focuses on fundamentals and doesn't bewilder the beginning student with a lot of technical topics or complex theory. With this approach, the student is able to begin playing some recognizable music very early on. For the price of one private guitar lesson, you'll get a competent guide that advances you into the realm of an intermediate guitarist. With the Deluxe Version you'll have the opportunity to progress into lead guitar playing and other advanced techniques, if you desire. This approach is definitely one of Jamorama's most important features - a decent amount of guitar training at an unbeatable price coupled with the ability to upgrade if you decide to progress further. At the very least sign up for their 6 free introductory lessons to get a taste of Jamorama's lessons.