Welcome To Guitar Hookup!

Jamorama Review: My Experience With Jamorama’s Guitar Lessons

This Jamorama review is based on my own experience of working through the entire course of online guitar lessons from Jamorama. I’m not a beginner guitarist (I’ve been playing for several years), but as Jamorama is among the most popular online guitar courses available, I wanted to check it out to see if it was worth recommending on my guitar site – and of course it never hurts to revisit the fundamentals too! My overall impression of the course is a positive one, but I don’t think that it’s the best choice for everyone, and this review explains why.

What Is Jamorama?

Jamorama is a course of downloadable guitar lessons which teach you to play rhythm guitar, as well as general musicianship – so you learn chords, progressions, reading tab and basic notation, basic music theory (including scales and chord construction), playing along with a band, various rhythmic patterns and strumming techniques, ear training and more. It doesn’t really cover lead guitar techniques; the follow up course, Jamorama Lead, is designed to build on this one and teach solo guitar playing. The materials are delivered in text, video and audio format, and there are several software bonuses which complement the main course. You get:

• Jamorama Maestro software – enables you to access all of the lessons in sequence, and plays the relevant audio and video tracks
• Jamorama Books 1 & 2 – in digital text format, with full colour photos and illustrations. Most of the music is notated in tab (basic traditional notation is introduced, but you don’t need it to play the material in the course). There are 15 lessons in Book 1, and 29 in Book 2
• Video lessons – video instruction for each new chord and exercise, showing the correct positions for both hands, the fretboard and other information
• Audio jam tracks – enable you to practice playing with others, in a variety of musical styles

Plus there are some bonuses too:

• GuitEarIt! – ear training software to improve your aural skills – vital if you want to be able to play by ear or improvise
• Jamorama Metronome – makes it easy to practice playing in time
• Jayde Musica – a software game to help you learn to read music quickly and easily
• Guitar Tuner Pro – simple software that helps you to tune your guitar accurately to a variety of tunings
• How To Tune Your Guitar – PDF guide to various tuning methods
• Advanced Learning Techniques For Guitar – PDF guide to learning more quickly and effectively
• Free access to SongPond – 30 days free membership to the SongPond website, which offers video tutorials showing you how to play a large range of popular songs on guitar or piano

There’s also a member’s only forum on the Jamorama site, and the course is fully guaranteed for eight weeks after purchase – so you can try it with confidence.

Is Jamorama A Good Quality Course?

So you get a lot of learning material, but is Jamorama actually any good? For the most part, I’m impressed with the quality of the Jamorama materials. The software all runs smoothly, the books are well written and clearly presented, the audio is professionally recorded, and the videos are just excellent. I also had no problems with downloading the course after making my payment, and the website is easy to navigate. It’s not perfect however; I didn’t really like reading off the screen especially when a jam track was more than one page long), so I ended up printing the text out. Also, I’ve noticed a few typos in the course text, which are potentially misleading, and it’s a shame to see these in such an otherwise good product. Still, anyone who’s paying attention to what they’re learning should easily spot them.

Reasons To Buy (And Not To Buy) Jamorama

Generally, I think Jamorama is very good. It’s not right for everyone though – here’s why you should (or shouldn’t) buy Jamorama:

• Buy if you’re a beginner, or you already play a bit of guitar, but want to improve your skills. Don’t buy if you’re an advanced guitarist who’s already mastered a wide variety of chords, progressions, strumming techniques etc.
• Buy if you want to learn to play popular styles on electric or acoustic guitar. Don’t buy if you want to play classical, flamenco or other non-pop styles – Jamorama doesn’t cater for these.
• Buy if you’re self-motivated and want to learn at home, at your own pace. Don’t buy if you’d prefer one to one instruction with a private teacher.
• Buy if you want to play rhythm guitar, or you want to play lead but are starting completely from scratch (in this case, you should do this course, then follow with Jamorama Lead). Don’t buy if you want to play lead guitar, but already have solid rhythm guitar skills.
• Buy if you want to learn the skills that you’ll need to play popular songs in most styles. Don’t buy if you only want to learn specific well known songs – Jamorama doesn’t cover these.
• Buy if you have a decent computer and internet connection, and are ok with learning from digital materials (or printing the material out). Don’t buy if you can’t download the course material, or you only want to learn from physical media (there is a physical version of Jamorama, but in my opinion it’s a bit overpriced).
• Buy if you want a great value complete course for the cost of a couple of lessons with a private teacher. Don’t buy if you need or prefer the personal attention that one on one instruction provides.

Summary

I think that Jamorama is a solid course that does what it claims – so long as you commit yourself and practice diligently, you’ll go from beginner to intermediate level, and will be able to play some pretty impressive stuff by the end of it. The amount of time needed will obviously vary for different people, but there’s roughly about a year’s worth of lessons here. The course progresses in a very logical manner, so you’re always building on what you’ve learned already (one of the problems with the free guitar lessons available online is that they generally focus on just a few specialised areas, and don’t cover all of the necessary basic techniques, so you end up with a lot of gaps in your skill set – this isn’t an issue with Jamorama, which provides a very thorough grounding in the essentials that underpin many musical styles). Although Jamorama isn’t ideal for everyone, it’s a great choice for those who want a high quality, enjoyable course that provides the skills necessary for playing rhythm guitar in various genres.

Fingerstyle basics (Guitar Lesson DR1a)

Fender Presents: Getting Started on Electric Guitar — A Guide for Beginners $11.99 Over 3 hours long with 50 interactive guitar lessons on DVD. Covers tuning, essential chords and scales, practice tips, rhythm techniques, play-along tracks with a band, 3-D fretboard graphics, instrument care, and more. Includes 5 languages: English, French, Spanish, Japanese, and German. Hosted by Keith Wyatt of the Musicians Institute….

The Rock House Method: Learn Rock Guitar – Beginner Program $29.99 This program is designed for someone with little or no experience. It begins at the roots of Rock with an easy to follow look at basic Rock chords scales lead patterns and exercises. Learn key components of lead guitar the basics of Blues and the foundation of Rock. By the end of this program you’ll be playing complete rhythms leads and songs! This program comes with a free tablature lesson book i…

Beyond Basics: Solo Acoustic Blues Guitar $7.08 BEYOND BASICS SOLO ACOUSTIC BLUE – DVD Movie…

Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Complete Edition: Books & CD’s 1, 2 and 3 $12.00 The Hal Leonard Guitar Method is designed for anyone just starting to play acoustic or electric guitar. It is based on years of teaching guitar students of all ages, and reflects some of the best teaching ideas from around the world. This super-convenient Complete Edition features the new and improved method books 1, 2, and 3 spiral-bound together. CDs give blow-by-blow assistance from super-playe…

Kid’s Guitar Course, Book 1 (Book and Enhanced CD) (Kid’s Courses!) $8.89 Alfred’s Kids Guitar Course teaches one to play the guitar right away. The Complete Edition combines Levels 1 and 2 with activity pages. Each lesson is easy to understand and makes learning music fun with the help of three irresistible guitar experts – a clever classical dog, a cool jazz cat, and a friendly blues loving alligator…..

NEW VINTAGE QLTY CORT G SERIES G110-BKS ELECTRIC GUITAR $155.00

High quality A-Shaped Electric Guitar Bass Stand $9.99

NEW SILVER ASSASSIN ELECTRIC GUITAR+GIG BAG CASE+STRAP + AMP CORD + LESSONS $69.99

BC Rich ASM Standard Black Cherry Electric Guitar $429.00

CUSTOM TELE STYLE PREVAL ELECTRIC GUITAR- AMAZING GUITAR! VERY GREAT CONDITION! $300.00

Musician’s Gear Economy Molded Electric Guitar Case $69.99

100 Multicolor Acoustic Electric Guitar Plectrums Picks $6.99

5 Multiple Guitar Rack Stand hold electric acoustic guitar bass $36.96

Metal Black Key Capo Clamp for Acoustic Electric Guitar $1.00

NEW PRO QUALITY FLAME TOP SILVER SATIN ELECTRIC GUITAR $249.99

DR Black Beauty Extra-Life Electric Guitar Strings 10-52 BKE10/52 $12.58

Stedman Pro Electric Children’s Guitar And Amp $59.99

Crescent WHITE Electric Guitar+15w AMPLIFIER+Strap+Cord+Gigbag ACC NEW $99.99

Guitar Microphone Amplifier Toys Kids Karaoke Electric Rock Band Boy Girl Music $27.15

GHS Electric Guitar Strings Nickel Rockers 10-46 R+RL $9.78

Ibanez AEB10E Cutaway Black Short Scale Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar $369.00

Epiphone Les Paul PlusTop Pro/FX Floyd Rose Electric Guitar $629.00

Epiphone El Capitan-4C Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar $389.00

Ibanez Artcore Custom AF125 Hollowbody Amber Burst Electric Guitar + Case $899.00

Yamaha APX700II VS Thinline Acoustic Electric Guitar $419.00

Folk Acoustic Electric Tune Quick Change Trigger Guitar Capo Key Clamp Black Cap $0.86

NEW ADULT Crescent RED Electric Acoustic Guitar+Accessories $99.69

Gibson electric guitar gig bag $35.00

Brand New Silver Electric Guitar Tremolo Bar/Arm for Fender Stra $2.98

New BLUEBURST Electric Guitar+AMP Cord & Whammy Bar $69.99

Ibanez Xiphos XPT700FX Electric Guitar $450.00

Fender Accesories 099-2131-000 Electric Guitar Part $81.67

Fender Mini Electric Guitar Stand $19.87

2012 Schecter Blackjack SLS C-7 String Electric Guitar Duncan Blackouts & case $1,099.00

Set of Professional Electric Guitar Steel 6 Strings 1M $1.00

NEW Crescent ZEBRA Electric Guitar+15w Amplifier+ WARRANTY COMBO $99.99

NEW KORN SIGNATURE DEAN MARKLEY ELECTRIC GUITAR 7 STRING SET PACK 10 – 60 $21.00

OnStage GS7462DB Double Electric and Acoustic Guitar Stand $35.54

Elixir Strings Electric Guitar Strings, 6-String, Medium NANOWEB Coating $18.82

Stagg STB-10UE Electric Guitar Bag $33.31

NEW SILVER ASSASSIN ELECTRIC GUITAR+ 5W AMP + GIG BAG CASE + STRAP + LESSONS $89.95

NEW PINK ASSASSIN ELECTRIC GUITAR+ GIG BAG CASE + STRAP + AMP CORD + LESSONS $69.99

Starcaster by Fender Strat Electric Guitar – Black (Open Box) $101.15

Fender CD-60CE Dreadnought Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar – Black (Open Box) $229.49

Yamaha SLG110S Steel String Silent Electric Guitar – Natural (Open Box) $475.99

Fender ESC-105E Classical Acoustic-Electric Guitar w/Passive Pickup-Open Box $118.99

NEW 6 STRING GLEN BURTON BOSS ELECTRIC GUITAR RED $99.95

NEW CORT LUCE SERIES L100F-NS ACOUSTIC ELECTRIC GUITAR $299.00

NEW 3/4 SIZE CORT G SERIES G110-JR-BKS ELECTRIC GUITAR $165.00

NEW PRO AXL MARQUEE SRO SOLID FAT STRAT ELECTRIC GUITAR $179.99

Acoustic Electric Bass Guitar Stand Holder – Black New $13.69

Silvertone Electric Guitar Cool Surf-ey Green Very Neat-o $350.00

New Crescent BLACK Electric Guitar+ACC FREE Digital Tuner $74.99

Black Trigger Capo Clamp For Acoustic Electric Guitar $3.39

1975 Vintage FENDER STRATOCASTER Black ORIGINAL Electric Guitar 1970’s STRAT! $3,270.00

Electric Acoustic Guitar Bass Chrome Plated Strap Lock 1 set high quality guitar $0.01

Black SNAPLOCK Capo for Acoustic/Electric Guitar M001 $0.01

Electric Acoustic Guitar Bass Chrome Plated Strap Lock 1 set high quality guitar $0.01

Jackson COW 7 String Electric Guitar Japan EMG 81-7/ 60-7 combo $775.00

Guitar Microphone Amplifier Toys Kids Karaoke Electric Rock Band Boy Girl Music $27.15

DR Black Beauty Extra-Life Electric Guitar Strings 11-50 BKE-11 $12.58

ESP LTD EC-330 Black Electric Guitar –Nearly New! (2006) $329.95

VINTAGE WORKING OAHU MOTHER OF PEARL ELECTRIC LAP GUITAR HAWAIIAN, ORIGINAL CASE $319.93

Crescent NEW SUNBURST Electric Guitar+15w Amplifier+ACC+ Electric Digital Tuner $109.99

CARVIN BN BOLT 6 STRING ELECTRIC GUITAR NECK MAPLE 22 FRET NEW $159.00

Rickenbacker 360 75th Anniversary Plum 2006 Mint Limited Edition Electric Guitar $3,000.00

BC Rich Warlock Vortex 5 String Electric Bass Guitar – ICS Signature Autograph $475.00

Harmony Rocket H53 Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitar $799.99

NEW Crescent GREENBURST Electric Bass Guitar Combo+Strap+Gigbag+15w AMP! $134.99

Heavy Duty PU Leather Electric Acoustic Bass Guitar Strap NEW High Quality Black $0.99

NEW ADULT Crescent SUNBURST Electric Acoustic Guitar+Accessories $99.69

Old Schecter Oblong Electric Wood Hardshell Guitar Case Fits Tele Strat NoRes#11 $60.00

New Crescent NATURAL Electric Guitar + Accessories & FREE Guitar Stand! $74.99

Antique Brass Guitar Pick, for mandoline, acoustic,electric,custom $9.99

WAH-WAH Electric Guitar Effect FX Pedal Music Black $18.99

Antique Silver Ship or Boat Guitar Pick,Hand Cut, For Acoustic, Electric ,Bass $29.95

NEW SUNBURST ASSASSIN ELECTRIC GUITAR+GIG BAG CASE+STRAP+ AMP CORD + LESSONS $69.99

HARMONY Small Childs Candy Apple Red Electric Guitar Maple Neck & Gig Bag NR#11 $50.00

60s TEISCO KAWAI PRESTIGE ZIM GAR JAPAN ELECTRIC GUITAR BODY MIJ $0.99

Gretsch Electromatic Jr. Jet 5215 Black Electric Guitar $230.00

Longhorn Electric Guitar Body Dan Electro Coral Electric Bass Lyre Baritone $179.01

Quick Change Acoustic Electric Guitar Capo $3.98

VIntage HOHNER SG LION Professional Electric Guitar w. hard case & other equip $550.00

Ibanez FR Prestige FR1620 Black Electric Guitar + Hardshell Case. FREE SHIPPING! $815.00

G&L Climax XL Electric Guitar, USA, Locking Trem,Custom Color,rare,no reserve $379.00

1969 COIN PICK+ Gretsch Hollowbody Archtop Acoustic Electric Guitar Bass Case Ad $0.99

Crescent NEW RED METALLIC Electric Guitar+15w AMPLIFIER+ACC+ Guitar STAND $109.99

Epiphone Series 10 Electric Guitar $0.99

CHAMBERED BODY ELECTRIC GUITAR wCASE + 10yr WARRANTY! $295.95

1992 GIBSON Flying V Electric Guitar Limited Edition Jimi Hendrix Signature $1,999.99

NEW! 4-String Electric Bass Guitar (Black) $69.99

90yr OLD PICK + Gretsch Hollowbody Archtop Acoustic Electric Guitar Bass Case Ad $0.99

Ibanez GiO Series GRX40 Electric Guitar in Pearl White Finish $129.00

NEW PINK ASSASSIN ELECTRIC GUITAR + 5W AMP + GIG BAG CASE + STRAP + LESSONS $89.95

NEW WASHBURN CLASSICAL SERIES NYLON WC760SWCE ACOUSTIC ELECTRIC GUITAR SALE! $599.00

Ibanez GRGA42QA Quilt Top RG Hardtail Electric Guitar w/ Ibanez Hardshell RG550 $249.99

Brand New 8 feet Electric Guitar Amp Cable $3.79

Takamine EG523CDX12-HB 12-String Jumbo Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar-Hny Brst $899.00

Ovation Celebrity Series CC48 Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar – Black $449.00

Takamine EG128SC Classical Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar – Natural Classic $449.00

Takamine EG340C Dreadnought Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar – Gloss Natural $349.00

Ovation Celebrity CC245 12-String Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar – Honey Burst $469.00

AUSTIN Black Rock L P Electric Guitar AU766BK & Alvarez Hard Shell Case NR#10 $195.00

3 Pack D’Addario EXL120 Electric Guitar Strings 09-42 Super Light Strings $9.97

1969 PICK + Fender Stratocaster Telecaster Tele Strat Electric Guitar Bass Ad $0.99