As most of you know, there are two kinds of guitarists in the world: average, everyday, run-of-the mill guitarists, and LEAD guitarists. The only people allowed into this second group are those who can create a killer intro, interlude or solo for a song that can wow the rest of the band and bring an audience to its feet. They are the folks that the Jamorama Lead Guitar course was created for. Ben Edwards is the author and instructor of the series and is the same person who created the original Jamorama system. He has a degree in education as well as years of experience as a professional guitar man, so he is uniquely qualified to teach his instrument.

Course Components:
Jamorama Lead Guitar is designed for people who are already playing at an intermediate level or above. I recommend that you know quite a few chords and understand how to read Tabs before you start these lessons. There are 43 video tutorials in the set that show you how to develop the skills you need to play lead guitar. The subject matter is well organized, but I thought some of the theory was a little thin. In my opinion, a soloist really needs to understand scales and other aspects of music composition to be great. This course could have explained things more clearly.

In addition to the instructional videos, the set comes with 29 jam tracks so that you can play along with a band in a wide variety of styles. It doesn’t matter if your idol is Eric Clapton, or Chet Atkins, or Jimi Hendrix. All of their styles are represented, as well as many more. The jam tracks are fully integrated into the lessons, so that you are prepared for each song by learning the skills needed to make it work.

Bonus Features:
The Jamorama Lead Guitar course comes with several bonus features that are included with the original material from this company as well. So, if you already own Jamorama, you will have all the software products I am about to describe, and it may not be worth it to you to buy this new series and pay for them again. If you don’t own them, however, you will probably find them to be useful, and a nice change from routine practicing.

The first add-on is a computer game called GuitEar It. It uses an entertaining format to help you train your musical ear. Its purpose is to aid you in identifying the chords and progressions you hear on the radio so you can reproduce the sounds you love.

Another piece of software is called Jayde Musica. This computer game helps you with note value and recognition so that reading traditional music notation becomes second nature.

The Jamorama Metronome is included too, and it is valuable for learning to play at a steady rhythm. It can be set to play at any tempo between 40 and 208 Beats Per Minute, so it will help you with any song you are working on. Because playing in tune can be a big problem for guitarists, the Jamorama Lead Guitar set comes with a piece software and a book that help in this area. The Guitar Tuner Pro explains the process and aids you in making your guitar sound its best.

Ben Edwards offers a good money back guarantee with his program. When you order the lessons, you get all the bonus materials I just described. If you are unhappy with your purchase for any reason, you can return the course, get a refund of your money, and keep all of the extras. You have eight weeks to make this decision, which should be enough time to find out if you can benefit from the lessons or not. I think it’s always a good sign when a company is willing to stand behind a product like this, and it should make it easier for you to take the leap and try the system.

Since it is less expensive for the Jamorama folks to produce a downloadable version of their lessons, they encourage you to purchase the product in this form. As an added incentive to their Internet customers, they are offering an ebook entitled ‘Advanced Learning Techniques for Guitar.’ It explains how you can use visualization to help you progress in your learning even when you are not actually playing the guitar. It sounds a little sketchy to me, but who knows, it just might help some people.

On the whole I think Jamorama Lead Guitar contains some good information, but if you want a comprehensive course that will help you with the basics and take you right on through the skills you need to be a soloist, you should try a DVD course called Learn and Master Guitar by Steve Krenz. It is the most thorough product I know of for developing into a great guitarist. For more information on this program, look HERE.

To your success,

Crazy Dave

 

...I'm off to the Guitar Licks!