Hey there. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Lots of things going on in the guitar world, lately…

We've commemorated two of rock music's most iconic and celebrated musicians over the past few months: John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix. John's birthday anniversary was October 9. He would have been celebrating his 70th birthday. Jimi passed away September 18, 1970. This was the 40th anniversary of his passing.

These guys are responsible for influencing so many people. Not only have musicians around the world dedicated their lives to learning and mastering the music of these two great men, but countless millions of people's lives have been touched by their music.

Their spirit lives on in their music and in people's hearts.

Contests

In case you aren't subscribed to the news feed, I highlight contests I come across. There have been some great ones lately, and there are new ones popping up all the time.

One weekly contest I particularly like it from Music Connection Magazine. They call it Friday Freebie, they give away some cool stuff.

For example, you could win studio time, vocal lessons, guitar amps or microphones. They keep it pretty mixed up, which is cool. I was even fortunate enough to win one week.

You can check it out at Music Connection. Just look in the upper right-hand corner for the Friday Freebie Giveaway.

And don't forget all the other great contests available on a monthly basis here.

New Articles

I've begun writing articles to share what I know about guitars with folks outside of the guitar world. If you have a chance, check some of them out and let me know what you think. Thanks!

• Five Critical Rock Guitar Chords for Songs
• How To Play Rock Power Chords
• Play Most Rock Songs With Basic Guitar Chords
• Guitar Chords - The Foundation for Rock Music
• Twelve Easy Songs for Guitar Beginners

Jamorama Course Review

It's true, you can learn a lot from searching the internet and YouTube for videos to teach guitar skills and techniques. But most people can only get so far with short videos, not to mention finding videos that have quality instruction.

Would you like to accelerate the learning of those guitar skills? Well, the odds against you are pretty high if you don't get some help in the beginning. There are those rare individuals that can stick to it and become great, but most people get discouraged easily.

That's why I'd like to suggest a more direct approach to your learning. You should invest in another method of guitar training.

Most people will take lessons at a local music store or with a private tutor, but this can become costly over time. Private lessons can run you $15 to $30 per half hour or more. This can be worth the cost, but you have to take a few lessons to make sure the instructor teaches in a way that works for you. At $15 per lesson per week, this can get expensive.

You can achieve the same level of learning by investing in a download-able guitar lesson course for a fraction of the cost of private lessons. There are many courses to choose from, but one of the most comprehensive and affordable is Jamorama.

Jamorama takes you step-by-step through the fundamentals of guitar playing using an easy-to-follow format. The course includes printable instruction guides, videos and software. Check out this list:

• Tuning Guide
• Chord Kit - 76 page book and software
• Beginner Lessons - 95 page book, 54 videos
• Advanced Lessons - 149 page book, 94 videos
• Lead Guitar Lessons - 100 page book, 43 videos
• Acoustic Guitar Focused Lessons - 77 page book
• Jam Tracks - All lessons have Jam Tracks
• Guitar Games and Tools - Includes a metronome

I invested in the Jamorama course about two years ago when I was getting reacquainted with guitar. While I've been playing guitar for over thirty years, it had been a long time since I picked it up and played seriously. I wanted a course that would walk me through the basics of guitar to get my skills back.

The Beginner Course was a little too easy for me with my background. I already knew the basic guitar chords, notes and strumming patterns, but the Beginner Course reinforced some techniques and helped me stop some bad habits, such as playing without a metronome (using the metronome helps you learning rhythm and timing).

The Advanced Course offers up more guitar chords and intermediate techniques. One you complete these lessons, you'll be able to play solid rhythm guitar for most rock songs.

To take guitar playing to the next level, the Lead Guitar Lessons build on the Advance Lessons and add the CAGED system and Pentatonic scales to the mix. You'll learn about different scale shapes, transposing keys and chord progressions, plus lead guitar techniques to enhance your playing.

All-in-all, Jamorama is a solid program with plenty of material to keep you busy. By following the carefully crafted lessons, you'll be able to learn many techniques within a few months that might take years of traditional lessons to learn. This course is a great place to start when beginning to play guitar.

To sample a free email course and other resources, be sure to visit http://www.guitar-chords-for-songs.info.

That's all for now. Check back here for updates to the website.

Peace out~

Dave