UPDATE: I found a JamPlay coupon code for 25% OFF! Enter 86C6CC to save $5 on your 1st month at JamPlay.com!
JamPlay is a huge online community made for guitarists to hang out and learn how to become better guitar players.
Members get unlimited access to 1,000's of high-quality guitar lesson videos from professional guitarists, community support, chord and scale libraries, and live lessons, all for the cost of about one 1/2 hour lesson.
There are 34 awesome instructors at JamPlay, spanning genres from classical and country, to jazz and blues, to rock and heavy metal. Each teacher has been formally trained and has extensive experience with their specific style of guitar.
If you're interested in watching HD-quality video guitar lessons anytime you want from home, for about the price of a single 30-minute lesson from a private instructor, all with killer resources and support, JamPlay is my #1 choice:
Not sure if this is your best option? Watch my video JamPlay review (and see Pros & Cons) below to learn more...
Video Tour of JamPlay.com
Want a sneak peek inside the members' area, without having to pay?
Click the play button below to take a quick tour through my account to see if JamPlay is right for you:
JamPlay Review
OVERALL RATING:
Lesson Quality:
Value for Price:
Support:
Teaching Style:
Lesson Variety:
Ease of Use:
Entertainment:
Product
Community: 1,000+ Videos
Price:
$19.95/month
Delivery:
Instant
Guarantee:
7-Day, 100%
JamPlay is my #1 Choice for Guitar Lessons
JamPlay.com is an awesome community for aspiring guitarists to boost their skills from home. In fact, after trying & reviewing over 10 courses and communities, it is my #1 pick!
Alright, so here's what you get when you join JamPlay:
Built-in backing tracks for perfecting your soloing skills
Amazing Chord, Scale & Riff Libraries
While some people believe that private lessons are the best way to go, that can be insanely expensive! An average 30-minute lesson costs about $16 (and can go up to over $50 or more), meaning just 2 lessons/week will cost you $128/month, which is $1,536/year!
A monthly membership to JamPlay.com only costs $19.95, and you get access to 34 instructors instead of one. Plus, if you click the link and enter the coupon code below, you'll save 25% instantly...
Click above and enter the code to save 25% ($4.99)!
Also, it's important to say that even if you don't think it's worth $14.95 to get unlimited access to over 1,000 HD-quality video guitar lessons for 30 days straight, you can get your money back if you just send them an email within the first 7 days.
So go ahead, check it out:
JamPlay Pros
Here are some of my favorite things about JamPlay:
Incredible price! You'll save over $1,000/year compared to private lessons
34 cool guitar instructors, with a wide range of genre expertise
Lots of guitarists (1,000's) to chat with and learn from on the forums
Amazing website! I love their site design, which makes it more fun to be a member
The libraries (chords, scales, riffs, solos & backing tracks) are amazing!
The Tuner & Metronome have come in handy quite a few times...
Structure: No random videos here! Each lesson is part of a series focusing on one topic/skill
Song Lessons: Jamplay has licenses to teach us how to play over 150 popular songs
JamPlay Cons
Though it's my favorite way to learn guitar, there are some things I do NOT like about JamPlay too:
It's $19.95/month (Though this is insanely cheap compared to lessons!)
You won't get as much 1-on-1 time as with a private teacher (Your questions will get answered on the forum, through direct messages or chats, or even on live video web chats with instructors, so no worries...)
Information overload: Jamplay has so much content, so many tools, and so many people to talk to, that it can be overwhelming, or even distracting. However, they do have everything organized really well.
In the end, JamPlay is a great way to improve your skills with guitar, and it's what I recommend as my #1 pick. I hope my review has helped, but I'm sure you'd like to hear what other Jam Play members have to say, too...
Screenshots of JamPlay.com
Click the images below to see exclusive screenshots of the JamPlay.com members area, lessons, games and more:
Other Customer JamPlay.com Reviews
"Here's a nice one I found today: JamPlay.com"
By "JBL" on December 18, 2008. Found on Whirlpool Forums.
"There seems to be dozens of online guitar tutorials, however some seem to make more of an impression than others. Here's a nice one I just found today: http://www.jamplay.com
Even the free samples demonstrate a lot of detail without making it too complex."
"JamPlay.com has 6 free lessons"
By "chessmaster1018". Found on Yahoo! Answers.
"I'm not crazy about the free sites, there not very complete, but one site has six free lessons, it's http://www.jamplay.com...what can it hurt to check it out? Well, I wish you luck."
"I subscribed to JamPlay and...it's helped me quite a bit"
By "Phil" from March 24, 2009. Found on HomeRecording.com.
"Q: I have been playing guitar for 10+ years....I don't consider myself a great guitar player by any means, but I can get the job done....My wife wants me to give her lessons...since I am self taught, I really have no clue how to give lessons....any suggestions on where I should start?
A: You might try subscribing to one of the online guitar instruction sites, that way you can go step by step with your wife over the fundamentals without domestic friction. Besides, you'll learn a thing or two as well.
I subscribe to JamPlay and I got to say it's helped me quite a bit simply by watching several other instructor's methods. My ability to assess and take a student to the next step has really improved and since I'm dealing with classes of middle school kids with vastly different abilities and skill sets, it's a great tool."
Comparison of the Most Popular Ways to Learn Guitar:
Want to see how JamPlay stacks up against other common ways to learn guitar like taking lessons from a private teacher, or buying home study courses with books or DVD's? Check this out to help you decide if a JamPlay membership is the best way for you to learn guitar:
Cost: While it's awesome to take lessons with a private 1-on-1 instructor, you get what you pay for: the average cost of a single half-hour guitar lesson ranges from $12 - $28+ (depending on your location), meaning you will have to spend $96-$224/month this way! Books and DVD's can work well at a much lower price, ranging from $20-$60, with some packages selling for $300 or $400. Having a JamPlay.com membership, you'll get access to 1,000's of high-quality video lessons, with more being added every day by their 34 instructors, for $19.95/month.
Lessons: I'm a big believer that quality is a lot more important than quantity when it comes to lessons, it's still nice to know how far along you'll get when investing money into your guitar education. If you buy a book or DVD, you'll be lucky to get more than a few hours worth of lessons out of it. With private instructors, it's technically unlimited, but you pay for every single one, whether you learn anything or not (no rewind button when you're paying $40+ per hour). JamPlay has literally over 1,000 lessons (300+ hours, which works out to almost 3 years worth of two 30-minute sessions per week!
Teachers: When I took Alto Saxophone lessons, I found myself getting a little tired of the style my teacher enjoyed playing, and even though he was a really nice guy, he just couldn't seem to get away from it in the way he was teaching me. This is one of the many downfalls to having only one instructor, which is typically the case, even with books and DVD's. That's precisely why JamPlay.com employs 34 professional guitar teachers, which was a big factor in my review.
Interaction: When's the last time you bought a book or DVD, had a question, and emailed or called the creator for an answer? Taking lessons means you can get feedback and answers, which is sweet, but belonging to an online guitar community means you can ask 100's of guitarists, and get really quick responses.
Updated Lessons: While I do like one DVD guitar course, I've found that most of them aren't worth the money because they're geared toward beginners, and I find myself blazing through the majority of the lessons. Then, I realize that there are no new lessons added, so the money I've invested is gone. With private lessons or an online membership, there is never a shortage of new stuff to work on to improve your skills.
Money-Back Guarantee:
"Joe, I'd like to thank you for the last 2 lessons you gave me, but I just don't think they were worth my $42. Can I have my money back?" Yeah right! No instructor in the World is going to do this...This is an advantage to buying a course or subscription with a money-back guarantee for sure.
Time Commitment: Speaking of scheduling your lessons, do you have a ton of free time? Is it easy for you to drive or get a ride to a couple lessons every week? I'm guessing not. But, if you could learn guitar as little or as much as you wanted, whether it's 7:41pm or 2:27am, would that make things a little easier on your schedule? It did for me...
Styles:
Taking private lessons (or learning from books and DVD's), you'll quickly realize that the teacher or author is going to have a style they're most comfortable with, which you might not like at all. Being able to choose from a diverse group of 34 instructors (ranging from classical to heavy metal) makes sure you can learn the style you like most.
Pace:
Alright, this one is huge: No matter how good an instructor is at helping you understand the concepts, he/she is going to go at a pace you'll have to adjust to (or you'll end up paying WAY more than you expected to learn the basics). So, wouldn't it be nice to hit the rewind button if something happens too fast? Until someone invents a human remote, we'll just have to stick with video guitar lessons, I guess. =)
Convenience:
Would you rather schedule a time you have to be somewhere, pack up your guitar, and drive to a lesson (all for just 25-30 minutes of actual learning time), or be able to watch video lessons at home, whenever you feel like it? As for convenience, you can't beat video guitar lessons!
JamPlay Review Summary
In the end, it all comes down to how much help you can get learning guitar, and how much it's going to cost you. While I believe it's great to have 1-on-1 time with a private guitar instructor, I personally don't like the idea of spending over $1,500/year when I can get access to more than enough support online, without having to schedule it in or drive anywhere.
Another common strategy is to try to learn guitar by watching random guitar videos. Yes, it's true that this is free, unless you consider your time valuable. I tried getting by watching free videos, but to be honest: you never know who you're watching, and the majority of the time they are NOT professional teachers with well-organized guitar courses.
I hope my review of JamPlay has saved you time, and maybe even money. If you've decided to sign up, don't forget to enter the coupon code 86C6CC to save 25% on your first month!:
Not positive about JamPlay? Here's how it stacks up to 3 other popular courses:
Click the link above and enter '86C6CC' to save 25% ($4.99) on your first month at JamPlay!
Disclosure: The review above is based on my personal in-depth evaluation of JamPlay.com. If you signup for a membership through a link on this page, I will receive a commission for referring a friend, which helps fund this website (and my music collection). This does NOT affect my opinion of the website in any way, or the price you pay. In fact, you'll save $4.99 with the above JamPlay coupon code.