Bonus #1: Guitar Tuner Pro

In order to learn to play the guitar effectively, one of the first skills you need to master is tuning the guitar. This is a simple process, but many beginners struggle with it, as it can take time for the ear to develop the sensitivity required, especially if you are tuning to a source that has a different timbre to that of your guitar strings (such as a piano, tuning fork or pitch pipes, for example).

With Jamorama’s Guitar Tuner Pro bonus, tuning is made very easy. This simple piece of software features recordings of a guitar, playing the appropriate notes. All you have to do is select which tuning you want, and then click on the relevant string, and tune your guitar to the note that is played. The tunings available within the software include the standard six string tuning EADGBE, plus six of the most commonly used alternate tunings for guitar, and bass tunings for four, five and six string bass guitars.

Although just about all guitarists master tuning to a variety of sources eventually, Guitar Tuner Pro is a real boon to beginners who are having trouble, and who just want to get going with the course rather than spending hours trying to get the guitar to sound halfway decent. And of course it’s a useful tool for everyone else too.

Bonus #2: GuitEarIt!

The next Jamorama bonus, GuitEarIt!, is a useful ear training program. Being able to correctly identify notes and chords by ear is a valuable skill to have a musician, and even if you’re not born with perfect pitch, you can greatly improve the accuracy of your ear with consistent practice.

With GuitEarIt!, you start off on level one, which involves identifying which of a sequence of chords is being played. There are four to choose from, and if you get the correct answer first time, you get 10 points, with six points for one mistake, three points for two and no points if you get the answer wrong three times. The exercises become progressively more difficult as you proceed, and you have to get to 240 points to advance to the next level.

All in all this is a fun game, and I know from past experience that exercises of this type really do help to improve the accuracy of pitch perception. My own aural skills are pretty good by this point, but there’s no harm in I’m still going to use this software until I can get through all the levels with a perfect score.

Bonus #3: Jamorama Metronome

Playing in time is a fundamental skill, and its importance can’t be stressed enough – particularly if you want to play with others. Poor timing is also one of the most common errors of amateur guitarists, and once you’ve got into the habit of playing out of time, it can be challenging to correct.

Perhaps the best way of developing good timing skills at an early stage in your career as a guitarist is to practice with a metronome. Traditional metronomes are large, somewhat clunky devices, but modern ones are much more compact, and of course they are now available in digital form too. Some electronic guitar tuners include a metronome function also, but if you don’t have one of those, or even if you do, you’ll find that Jamorama’s metronome software will help you to develop good timing habits from the start, or retrain yourself out of old bad habits, if need be.

This metronome software ranges from 40 to 208 beats per minute, and has an adjustable volume. The design is clean and appealing, and traditional Italian tempo terms are also included at the relevant points. It’s very easy to use, and the graphic metronome bar swings back and forth, so you have a visual cue as well as an auditory one. although there’s no denying that playing with a metronome can be somewhat dull, it really is essential, so if you don’t have a standalone metronome of your own, this software should be helpful to you.

Bonus #4: Jayde Musica

The next bonus is a piece of software that helps you to learn to read musical notation quickly and easily. Now of course you don’t need to be able to read a note in order to learn to play the guitar well, since you could get by with learning by ear and from TABs, as many guitarists have done in the past. But it is a good idea to learn to read notation anyway, as it not only helps to make you a more well-rounded musician, but it gives you access to a vast array of music that isn’t available in other forms. Plus if you want to learn classical guitar at any point, being able to read notation is a must.

Some people are intimidated by the thought of learning to read music, but it really isn’t difficult – and it’s easier still if you learn in conjuction with learning a new instrument, so if you’re just taking up the guitar now, this is the perfect time to learn to read music too. But whether you already have any guitar skills or not, you can learn to read music more easily with the aid of Jamorama’s Jayde Musica software.

This is a game which tests your ability to recognise notes on the staff. There is some tutorial material which explains the basics of how to actually read notation, and then you can test your knowledge with the software. Various notes scroll across the screen, and you have to select the correct note name from a choice of options at the bottom. You can test yourself on the treble, bass, alto and tenor clefs (although for playing the guitar you’ll normally only need to be able to read treble clef, or bass clef for bass guitar). There are three levels of difficulty, so the game becomes more challenging as your skills improve.

I think that this is a useful piece of software, and can certainly help people to practice their note recognition skills. I did find the note selection area a bit confusing the first time I tried it, as the notes are numbered (A1, B2, C3, etc.), and at first I thought that the numbers were referring to the octaves in which the notes in question were located, but that’s not the case – I was just over-complicating things! As it is, the software is cleanly laid out, and very easy to use.

Bonus #5: How To Tune Your Guitar (PDF Guide)

As mentioned earlier, many beginners struggle with tuning their guitar, and this handy guide should help if that’s the case. It consists of seven short chapters that together provide an in-depth explanation of how to tune both six- and twelve-string guitars with minimal fuss, covering methods such as using an electronic tuner, tuning the guitar to itself and using open harmonics. There are also some general tips on mindset and maximising your progress as a guitarist.

Bonus #6: Advanced Learning Techniques For Guitar (PDF Guide)

This is a PDF guide that provides useful advice that will complement the material in the main Jamorama course. Despite the ‘Advanced’ in the title, it is really aimed at those who are just beginning the course, and doesn’t assume that you have advanced guitar skills already.

The topics covered are based around helping you to make the most of your practice time, and to learn most efficiently and effectively. The book is split into two main sections which cover learning and expertise, and memory. Among other things, it stresses the importance of mastering each basic skill in turn, rather than being in such a hurry to play the music you like that you end up skipping vital aspects of your development as a guitarist. The book also suggests some specific practice techniques that you can adopt to ensure that you get a good grip on the basics, as well as providing information about memory and its role in the learning process, and how you can boost your memory to make the learning process more effective.

Although I’m now past the initial learning stage as a guitarist, there are still new techniques that I want to master, and I found much of the material in this book to be interesting and relevant to me – and I’d certainly like to have had it when I was first starting out!

Bonus #7: 30 Days Free Access To Songpond

The final bonus that was on offer when I signed up (and which is still available at the time of writing) is 30 days free access to the Songpond website. Songpond is a membership site which offers video-based lessons that show you how to play popular songs on the guitar or piano.

I haven’t actually activated my trial membership yet, so I can’t currently comment on what the videos are like. SongPond is operated by the same people who produced the Jamorama course, so I expect that the material will be of the same high quality that I’ve observed so far.

 
So, these are the seven bonuses that you get if you sign up for the Jamorama guitar course. All of the ones that I’ve tried so far are high quality, easy to use and very useful, and will complement any course of guitar lessons very well.