Want to play some lead guitar? The best play to do that is to have some backing tracks to play over.

We have spent countless hours reviewing, rating and comparing the best guitar courses that come with jam tracks and put them in an easy to read comparison table below. Check it out and see which course is right for you:


Guitar Lessons JamPlay Guitar Tricks Learn and
Master Guitar
Beginner
Guitar System
Jamorama
Logo JamPlay.com Review Guitar Tricks Review Learn & Master Guitar Review Guitar System Review Jamorama Review
Rating

Our custom rating considers all of the guitar lessons' features, tools, quality, support, and personal & user reviews to save you time!

Rating: 98.2%
Rating: 95.8%
Rating: 82.1%
Rating: 72.3%
Rating: 69.6%
Lesson Format

Since guitar lessons are offered in many different formats, we classify each one we review to distinguish between them quickly (online lessons are our favorite).

Online Videos
& Community
Online Videos
& Community
20 DVDs, 5 CDs,
Book & Forum
DVDs & Book
or Online
PDFs, Videos
& Software
Video Quality

If these lessons offer video instruction (and we hope they do), this gives an idea of how well-filmed the videos are.

Extremely High Very High Very High Very High High
Total Lessons

The number of lessons offered by this community/instructor (and the total lesson time if available).

3,106 Lessons
880 Hours
5,000+ Lessons 40 Lessons
20-30 Hours
42 Lessons
20+ Hours
148 Lessons
~32 Hours
Teachers

One benefit of Online and DVD lessons is the ability to learn from multiple instructors with different backgrounds, genres and skills.

48 Teachers 45 Teachers 1 Teacher 1 Teacher 7 Teachers
Full Review

This table compares the top 5 guitar lessons. Click Read Review to learn more about one option.

Read Review Read Review Read Review Read Review Read Review
Beginner

Does this product/service offer beginner guitar lessons? This is the most common level, crucial for getting started at any age.

Intermediate

Do they also have lessons beyond the beginner level? Once you've mastered the basics, you'll want intermediate lessons.

Advanced

Some teachers even have lessons designed for advanced players that have moved through beginner and intermediate lessons.

Song Lessons

Want to learn popular songs on the guitar? Some instructors work hard to get license deals to teach you specific songs step-by-step.

Live Lessons

The most efficient way to learn guitar is in-person live lessons. Some premium services offer live lessons through webcam & chat.

Tuner

Will buying these lessons give you access to a free guitar tuner?

Chord Library

Chords are the building blocks of all guitar playing. Having a chord library where you can easily look up specific chords is essential.

Scale Library

Scales are great exercises and can expand your soloing horizons. Scale libraries organize them by key and style to save you time.

Forum

Forums are a great resource to get answers to your questions from instructors and other students quickly and easily.

Private Q&A

Though getting public answers on a forum can be really helpful, sometimes asking a question privately is more helpful.

Delivery

Delivery refers to how you will receive your guitar lessons and how long it will take to get access and start learning guitar.

Instant (Online) Instant (Online) 3-14 Days 5-7 Days or
Instant
Instant
Download
Price

The current price of guitar lessons (not including any coupon codes, trials or discounts we find for you.)

$19.95/month $14.95/month $149 + S&H $97 + S&H $49.95 or $299
Cost/Lesson

Price divided by total lessons. Note: We assume 12 full months of membership for online lessons.

4.8¢ per lesson 4¢ per lesson $4.06 per lesson $2.31 per lesson 34¢ per lesson
Best Deal

To help you save money, we find deals and coupon codes for each of the guitar lessons we review.

Get 25% OFF
your 1st month!
14-Day
Free Trial
$149.00
+ S&H
$97.00
Digital Only
$49.95
Digital Only
Guarantee

The guarantee tells you how long you can try these guitar lessons and get a full refund of your money if it doesn't work out.

7-Day, 100%
Money Back
60-Day, 100%
Money Back
60-Day, 100%
Money Back
90-Day, 100%
Money Back
60-Day, 100%
Money Back
Visit Site

This button takes you to the official website to check out their guitar lessons and get started.


Jam Tracks

One of the most rewarding points in your musical journey is when you finally have enough skill and knowledge to play with other people. While some experts stress that it is never too early to begin playing with a band, most beginner guitarists are not confident enough or lack the connections to join a jam band.

In essence, jam tracks (or backing tracks) replace the need for jam bands, allowing everyone from beginners to advanced guitar players the opportunity to play or sing along with a pre-recorded track.

Jam tracks range from a solo recording of a drum beat in 4/4 time to a full instrumental recording in a particular genre. The basic concept of backing tracks is that the guitarist has access to a beat or instrumental, and is then able to introduce his or her own contributions on the guitar. It’s like being in a virtual jam band.

What is a jam track?

At first, learning the guitar will be all about mastering chords and scales, as well as techniques that are commonly used on the instrument. All of this may seem boring and pointless at first, but the knowledge you attain from the fundamentals is finally put to use with jam tracks.

Playing along with a metronome is vital, especially at first, but after a few months of strumming you are going to want a new challenge. Jam tracks, therefore, give you a beat (rhythm), and sometimes a harmony and melody. The three ingredients of music, then, allow you improvise and create your own music.

Why play with jam tracks?

Jam tracks grew with the Internet presenting yet another way to make learning the guitar easier. While the opportunity to play in actual jam band should not be understated, backing tracks are a really great way for beginners to have a little fun. You might not be comfortable playing with a bunch of seasoned musicians, but from the comfort of your own home, alone, there is no excuse for feeling intimidated.

Thus, jam tracks make a great supplement to being in a jam band. You may not know a lot of other musicians at this point in time, or it may be difficult to coordinate times to play, but jam tracks are always available.

Types of Jam Tracks

Jam tracks are available all over the Web, and almost all of them are free! Jam tracks range in type and production quality. The most basic jam tracks are simply a steady, repeated drum beat that is played on a loop. Meanwhile, more advanced backing tracks feature a drum beat, harmony, and/or melody. Some might have a rhythm guitar and drummer, while others feature a drummer and bassist.

Jam tracks are available in all different genres, and good backing tracks state what key the instrumental was produced in.

Purpose of Jam Tracks

Beginner guitarists spend months learning the fundamentals of the instrument, and presenting the fundamentals of playing guitar eventually gives you the knowledge to innovative. As a result, jam tracks are a forum where guitarists can take something prerecorded and expand on it.

What chord should you play during the chorus? Do you have a solo that would fit beautifully with this track? What scale are you going to play? All of these are likely scenarios with backing tracks.

Create and enjoy!




2 Comments

  1. John Canton
    May 10, 2012

    I’m interested in learning to play Jazz guitar in the style of Wes Montgomery
    and George Benson, to name a few. do you have courses in this style?
    also, what are some of the songs in Jazz you teach?

  2. Kyle
    May 11, 2012

    Hi John,

    Great choices man! Those are fantastic artists to emulate.

    We don’t teach any of the lessons personally, we just made this site to show other guitarists our findings since we bought tons of courses online.

    That said, most of the lessons we’ve seen don’t offer many specific Jazz songs, though some cover the genre quite well.

    More specifically, Guitar Tricks and JamPlay offer the most Jazz guitar lessons.

    Hope that helps!
    Kyle

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