From Tony Burgera: Celebrating 10 Years Online!
RE: Testing The Most Popular Online Guitar Lesson Sites.

Voted #1

Testimonial...

"Tony just wanted to shoot out a quick thanks for all your advice on picking the right Guitar Lesson Website. I haven't quite managed to get the level that I have always dreamed of, but since starting these personalized lessons as well as the live teacher support from Sam Ash Music Institute I am making huge strides in my playing!"

Robert Quincy,
NY, USA
Learn How To Play Guitar Online!

Hey Everyone,Tony here. If you're not one of my regular subscribers, let me quickly tell you a little about myself ...and then I'll explain why and how the Sam Ash Music Institute dominates over all the competition.

Ok... I've been playing guitar for over 20 years and when broadband really started to become available I started in search of online guitar lessons.

Eventually, and after a lot of searching, I did find an incredible online service and never looked back... and in the next few moments, I can hopefully advise you on how to do the same!

Here's The Problem...

See, anyone with a webcam and website can claim to be the authority in teaching guitar. I spent years joining and trying these sites out only to find out that their claims were false and the material they offered was either 100% incorrect and or lacked in quality!

What Happened...

One day last year I walked into my local Sam Ash Music store to do some browsing... I saw a banner for Online Guitar Lessons at The Sam Ash Music Institute for all levels and all styles along with a 3 day FREE Trial.

I asked one of the guitar sales staff for more info and he explained this was a new service Sam Ash was offering and that lessons are personalized and were created by "Professional Teachers" from the Berklee College Of Music. The other interesting service offered from this site was the ability to chat live with a real guitar teacher if I need help or have questions.

Here's real comparison of 2 sites... and make sure you read my conclusion at the end...

Sam Ash Music Institute
5 StarsRating

Let's begin with the new and exciting Sam Ash Music Institute Powered By: Learn Music Inc est. 1999 The feel of this site and service feels more realistic as it offers personalized lesson plans and access to live teachers that created the lessons.

After initially checking out the site, it was immediately apparent that this is for real. Just click the chat live button and if you are a member you can be connected immediately to a teacher! I thought I would give the 3 day FREE trial a shot. I logged in and filled out the new students evaluation form, and within hours I received a complete evaluation of my level and styles along with a personalized routine made just for me.

The amount of material (all in streaming video format) was amazing I believe it equals out to something live 400 hours of videos plus constant updates. There are printouts for every lesson. The student community features are great as well i.e. create your profile, upload video and audio, live video chat, private messenger, interactive message board and more...

The lessons are organized in an easy to follow way they are levels 1 - 8 and are categorized:

  1. Core Curriculum
  2. Artist Styles
  3. Lead Techniques
  4. Rhythm Techniques
  5. Video Clinics

So I thought I would test out the live teacher chat and bang I was connected to Jarrod one of the teachers and he helped me with some scale theory... I was Amazed! The material is created for both Acoustic and Electric Guitar. If you are a complete newbie they have tons of material geared just for you along with the live chat your guaranteed to succeed. The "Core Curriculum" section is a complete blueprint to become the guitar player that you never thought possible. The other section will let you apply what you are learning in a real life situation.

Some of the online practice tools include a video chord book, scale generator, tuner, metronome, backing track Jam Box. There is just too much to list out here check the site out here.

...and you can see my conclusions below...

Jamorama
5 StarsRating

jamWhen I first saw the Jamorama website, I must confess I thought 'here we go..., yet another so-called "Guitar Guru" promising unrealistic results' ...and usually I would've avoided this kinda' thing like the plague.
Click Here To Visit

However, because the whole point of my research was to end all speculation and to find the best Guitar Lessons on the net, I just went ahead and bought it. The site is set up in chapters with 15 for beginners and around 20 for intermediate. The site does claim to turn you into an amazing guitar player and although I thought the site has a nice look and feel it seemed to lack the meet and potatoes of The Sam Ash Music Institute.

What I mean by that is the chapters are set up systematically, except they are not really that long and lack the material I feel should be in them. If you follow these lessons you will learn how to play the guitar However, the question is...how much?

Well, I tried this one out at the same time as the "Sam Ash Music Institute", but because I have been playing for so long I quickly went through all the material.

There is some good material for the beginner but this system leaves a lot to be desired if you have been playing for a while. Like The Sam Ash Music Institute The lessons are setup both electric and acoustic. Jamorama offers some tools and learning games like a tuner and metronome for you to use as well.

I have joined and tested out many of the other guitar lesson sites out there and there was definitely more quality with Jamorama than I have found in other courses. What I like about The Sam Ash Music Institute is the interaction with the teachers and fellow students along with a video lesson database that is constantly being updated with new material.

Jamorama is more of an "out of the box" packaged type system where as The Sam Ash Music Institute has more a "Live School Feel" and inspires you to keep plugging along. So in my opinion Jamorama is definitely worth checking out but in no way rivals The Sam Ash Music Institute! You Can Check Them Out Here

The Conclusion...?
The Winner!

Well, after some deliberation, my conclusion is this: If you want to just get some basics down and don't feel you need the help and guidance of having access to a real guitar teacher then Jamorama might be a good choice for you. But if you feel (as I did) that a personalized lesson plan along with support of a real teacher and access to TONS of ever growing material then Sam Ash Music Institute is the way to go. As I've said I have tested many of these sites over the years and to have the option to speak with a live teacher online was just amazing to me!

So Have Fun And Good Luck... Tony