TrueFire Lessons Review: Key Features

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TrueFire is a video-based guitar lessons website that also offers limited lessons for bass, ukulele, and harmonica.

Started in 1991 and boasting contributions from 600+ instructors, TrueFire boasts that over 2 million students have learned through their system.

Many competitors brag about their wide selection and diversity of song lessons, but TrueFire specifically focuses on detailed technical instruction videos with learning paths guided by the genre of music you wish to play.

Furthermore, the site has many spectacular instructors including top session players and GRAMMY award winners as well as an awesome feature, “In the Jam”, which lets students play alongside pre-recorded rhythm sections.

For a full comparison of available the best online teaching services, check out our complete review of online guitar lessons providers here.

Let’s dig into the site for a thorough TrueFire review.

How Much Do TrueFire Lessons Cost?

TrueFire has multiple options to access their massive catalogue of lesson resources – from one-time downloads to traditional membership structures:

• Free Membership: Unlimited
• Full Access Membership: Free for 30 days
• One-time purchases and single courses between $10 and $60
• Monthly Plan: $29 per month
• Yearly Plan: $149 per year
• Lifetime Plan: $1,499 one-time fee

Who Is TrueFire For?

Some of you may be asking, what is TrueFire and what separates it from the other lesson sites?

Well, the true strength of the TrueFire guitar courses lies in its offerings for beginner and intermediate players.

With over 900 courses to offer and more being added constantly, TrueFire lessons thoroughly explain basic musical theory, or related terms alongside guitar fundamentals.

Also, the site has so many video lessons because many of them are short, only minutes long, opposed to some of the 10 or 20-minute lessons featured on other sites.

From the Creators: LEARN. PRACTICE. PLAY.

Shorter videos help keep the attention of new students who would otherwise get fatigued or frustrated should they struggled.

The video feature is further enforced by the lack of song lessons for newer music, a trait that usually helps engage more experienced players to access other established lesson sites.

While many non-students may turn to these sites for accurate tabs or advanced technique lessons, it would appear TrueFire guitar courses use song lessons as more of a teaching tool for beginners than a specific learning resource.

What’s Included With a TrueFire Subscription?

TrueFire is free to sign up for your first 30 days and when you do, you get plenty of coupons of future lesson downloads.

After that 30 days, you must begin paying to download lessons or features such as the “In the Jam” sessions.

If you’re looking for their All-Access package, similar to what other subscription sites offer, the regular price is $29 per month. But, when on sale at $19 per month, is more comparable to competitors like Guitar Tricks or JamPlay.

With the All Access pass you’re entitled to, like it says, access to all of the website’s lessons and features.

In addition to the lesson plans and song videos, the site boasts an impressive number of complementary lessons meant to add additional skills from top artists such as Jimi Hendrix or Bo Diddley.

Interested in a TrueFire subscription?

Use the code “PARTNER10” and get 10% Off Today! >>

Overview of Features

The TrueFire website itself is broken down into easy to navigate sections;

• Courses
• Learning Paths
• Jams
• Sales (Special Offers)
• Live
• Channels
• Educators
• More (Apps, Private Lessons etc.)

When comparing TrueFire vs Artistworks or TrueFire vs JamPlay, it is important to look at the distinct features of each site.

The Learning Paths section is designed to help you accelerate your playing through focused study plans – without the need to read music, and without “boring” exercises.

One of the coolest features we’ve seen on a lesson website is TrueFire’s “In The Jam” section which features 10 minute, multi-track video sessions, some featuring famous musicians, that allows players to play along with a pre-recorded band.

Featuring a large variety of options including jams like “Modern Groove” and “Soul Jazz”, this is truly a one of a kind option for students to begin practicing improvisation.

Inspiring creativity, songwriting, and improvisation is key, especially has students begin to progress out of the most basic level, to keeping them engaged with the instrument.

The song lessons that are included are on par in quality and useable tools with all other major sites.

Though they’re continually adding new material, generally the songs are limited to mostly older classic rock, jazz, and pop songs which may turn off some younger players.

“Big” Little Extras

TrueFire Channels is a rich community-centric section where you can engage with your favorite artists and educators.

Featuring exclusive self-produced video lessons, the TrueFire Channels section hosts performances, vlogs, video discussion threads, and even private and group instruction.

Lastly, the beginner lessons are built in a linear fashion based on what genre or style of music you want to play such as rock or blues.

Even better, the video lessons have awesome tools like speed up/slow down and discussion forums for the students to chat about the video.

New: Free Lessons Section

While a relatively small fraction of what the entire TrueFire site has to offer, the new Free Lessons feature packs a heck of a lot of value.

With over 6,000 lessons, the free lesson section serves as a great cross section of what could be available should you decide to dive into a complete course.

This means that you get bits and pieces of the same high quality content, but not the full picture.

Truefire Tutorials & How To Access

TrueFire’s extensive video lesson selection can be accessed at TrueFire.com where you will find easy direction to log in or create your own account to access your 30 day free trial.

They even have desktop application, plus a full suite of TrueFire apps for ios and Android so you can take your lessons on the go via your mobile phone or tablet.

For a great introduction to the site and how it works, hit the “About TrueFire” button option on the top right of the website.

TrueFire Lessons Review – Key Points

Top Lesson Site Alternatives

As you’ll find in our other reviews of GuitarTricks, FenderPlay, and JamPlay, there are many different options out there for guitar students looking to learn online.

TrueFire is another awesome choice with its diverse lesson options, streamlined website, and strong toolbox.

A Fan Favorite for Decades: Get GuitarTricks Today >>

A Fresh Approach for Newbies: Get Fender Play Here >>

If You Rock, This Is The Site: Try JamPlay Free Today >>

JamPlay has drawn raves reviews for the number of famous musicians who have recorded lessons on how to play their own songs or techniques, something Truefire has begun to compete with.

Furthermore, TrueFire has the history and student testimonials to go against any of those sites. Ultimately, the choice will come down to what instructors or lesson plans you are looking for.

In The End, Are TrueFire Lessons Worth It?

Ultimately, we believe TrueFire is the most technically impressive of all online offerings. The web page is easy to navigate, which is certainly valuable for attracting and maintaining a base of beginner students.

These two factors, in addition to the diverse toolbox that comes with each video lesson, make it an excellent option for students looking to dive right into the guitar head first.

The lack of present-day song demos and lessons makes the site feel somewhat dated and limited to pure skill learning, but the “In the Jam” feature helps make up for it by inspiring improvisation and creativity in students.

For the sale price of $29 a month, you get a lot of value with the sheer volume of lessons, especially after the first 30 days are free giving you a great introductory period to see if TrueFire is the lesson site for you.

Try TrueFire for Free Here >>

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JamPlay Key Features:

We certainly hope you benefit from the information we provide in this article! Just so you know, we may receive compensation if you use the links on this page. If you do, thank you so much!

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JamPlay Guitar Lessons Review: Do They Really Deliver Great Value?

JamPlay is home to one of the largest lists of guitar instructors on the web, including popular performing and studio musicians.

For a full understanding of some of the highest rated providers available to you, check out our complete guide to online guitar lessons.

JamPlay Overview

In addition to the impressive teaching array, JamPlay offers great features like live lessons, chat forums, and a wide variety of technique lessons as well.

A JamPlay membership will set you back about $19.99 per month, but with the huge selection of lessons, it should be easy of guitarists at any level to extract value from their membership.

Let’s take a more detailed look at the song options, lesson plans, and instructors you’re paying for with an extensive JamPlay review.

Who Is JamPlay For?

If you’re asking what is JamPlay?, or is JamPlay worth it?, the answer comes down to your familiarity with the guitar. With an incredibly extensive selection of lessons, JamPlay is a great way to continue your guitar education but has some flaws that make it not necessarily the best option for beginners.

As we’ll discuss in later sections, a limited song selection and busy lesson plan makes it more optimal for student guitarists who have already advanced passed the beginner stages.

Despite some of these shortcomings, the video lesson quality is still top notch, and if you can find the lessons you need, you’ll learn from some the best instructors online.

What’s Included?

For the JamPlay membership cost of $19.99/month, you are certainly getting a lot of value when you consider all that’s included.

Quality concerns aside, there are four phases of learning that includes beginner lessons, skill lessons, song demos, and songwriting help.

While each phase has a somewhat overwhelming number of paths to follow, some students may be grateful for all the options. The song selections are also limited in both number and genres when considering JamPlay vs Fender Play or other competitors.

Specifically, the hard rock and metal categories feature heavily with some lessons being instructed by the musicians and songwriters who made the songs famous.

Furthermore, there is a huge variety of instructors in playing style, musical genre, and instruments (acoustic, electric, bass lessons all included).

If that’s not enough there are free live lessons available with your subscription and an IOS app available so you can take your lessons with you, however the app doesn’t have great JamPlay user ratings on the app store.

Jamplay Features

One of the best features on the JamPlay website is the video lesson portals. With the biggest toolbox of all lesson sites featuring tabs, supplemental notes about the lessons, speed controls, and “ask a teacher” help functions, you can truly find everything you need once you start each video.

Lessons like “classical guitar for the modern guitarist” and “modern grooves and retro rhythms” show off the strength of the site, diverse and educational options spanning multiple styles, but only somewhat covers up for the more lacking features.

As stated before, I hand counted somewhere between 300 and 400 song options, much less than some competitors which can influence song-hungry students when picking to subscribe to JamPlay or Guitartricks.

While modern rock and metal are certainly popular, many of today’s guitarists and music fans play and listen to a wide variety of genres and styles, many of which aren’t featured in JamPlay’s song selections.

Online Tutorials & How To Access

JamPlay is easily accessible via their website, www.jamplay.com, or by searching for JamPlay in your web browser. As stated before, there is also an IOS app which is great for guitarists who want to practice at work, school, or while travelling away from their computer.

All the videos I watched and followed along with, also featured great introductory or beginner sections that introduced the instructor, lesson material, and tools featured along with the video.

JamPlay Lessons Review – Key Points

Alternative Lessons Programs

As you’ll find in our other reviews of GuitarTricks, TrueFire, and ArtistWorks, there are many different options out there for guitar students looking to learn online.

JamPlay is one of many great choices with its diverse lesson options, quality instructors and great lesson toolbox to help you get the most out of each video.

JamPlay has drawn raves reviews for the number of famous musicians who have recorded lessons on how to play their own songs or techniques, something other sites have begun to compete with.

Furthermore, JamPlay has the history and student testimonials to go against any of those sites. Ultimately, the choice will come down to what instructors or lesson plans you are looking for and how easily you feel you can navigate the website.

Conclusion: Is JamPlay the Right Guitar Lessons Program for You?

As we researched this JamPlay lessons review, there’s a lot to like about the service, but in comparison to some of its competitors, it just doesn’t stack up.

One of the most engaging features of these sites is their song lessons and tabs, which can engage even more experienced players.

This helps keep subscribers after they have learned the instrument, or attracting players who aren’t strictly beginners or amateurs.

Compared to other services like TrueFire, the low quantity and limited genre options really hold JamPlay back, as does the difficult to navigate beginner lesson plan.

Personally, we just don’t think it is smart to let the beginner students choose for themselves which path to follow out of a handful of similarly labeled options.

The more traditional, linear options on other sites may be more limited in variability but help give students a quick and easy intro before allowing them to branch out.

You certainly can’t go wrong with JamPlay and its high quality video lessons, but be sure to make sure it is the one for you by taking advantage of a free trial when possible.

Check Out JamPlay Here >>

The post JamPlay Lessons Review (Are They Still Good Value?) first appeared on GuitarNiche.

Key features at a glance:

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ArtistWorks Guitar Lessons in Review: Is The Service Worth It?

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ArtistWorks Overview

Boasting lessons for over 15 different instruments besides the electric and acoustic guitar, ArtistWorks has thousands of published video lessons.

Featuring famous musicians who teach each genre or style of guitar playing that made them famous, ArtistWorks also has one of the most interactive student bodies of any online music lesson site.

Started in 2008 after the founder couldn’t find any suitable Jazz guitar teachers in their area, ArtistWorks does have one of the longer histories of successful online guitar lessons. Let’s take a look at all the site has to offer in this GuitarNiche ArtistWorks review.

Who Is ArtistWorks For?

If you’re looking for the best guitar course, ArtistWorks is certainly worth considering. ArtistWorks is best suited for beginner students who are looking to learn specific genres or styles from the basics to advanced levels.

Guitar fans may rejoice when they see that each step by step set of lessons is taught by a genre specific professional musician.

Rock guitar is taught by Paul Gilbert, country by Guthrie Trapp, and Keith Wyatt handles blues guitar.

However, with no designated metal or hard rock teachers, players hoping to learn jazz, rock, blues, or acoustic should make up the primary student group here.

Additionally, each genre-based course selection features the lesson’s page, a Video Exchange Learning® platform, study materials, and links to forums where you can discuss music topics with other students.

Paul Gilbert ArtistWorks Review

If you’re a serious fan of electric guitar. particularly from the 80′ and 90’s, you’ll have heard of Paul Gilbert.

Paul Gilbert is simply a monster rock guitarist world-renowned for his intense shredding ability and musicality.

Not only is he rated by Guitar World as one of 50 fastest guitarists of all time. He’s also an accomplished and very experienced guitar teacher.

Early on in his career Paul graduated from the Guitar Institute of Technology, which is enough to give any guitar player serious credibility.

Throughout his career, both in collective efforts and as a solo artist, Paul has been known as a player that can shred guitar like no one else.

His incredible skill combined with a very personable presence and guitar teaching ability made him a natural fit for ArtistWorks.

From ArtistWorks:

He’s known for his enthusiastic and approachable guitar lessons, which are founded on decades of experience.

Gilbert has been the guitar teacher of an impressive list of players including Buckethead, Joey Tafolla, “Satchel” from Steel Panther (Russ Parrish) and Nicole Couch of Phantom Blue among many others.

Other notable accomplishments include writing articles for the prestigious Premier Guitar magazine.

In May, 2012 he launched the Online Rock Guitar School with Paul Gilbert as a part ArtistWorks’ offerings and has since been sharing his extraordinary talents under the category of “Rock Lessons with Paul Gilbert“.

Paul Gilbert Jamming with Online Students

In terms of what ArtistWorks has to offer for edgier guitar lessons, Paul Gilbert is a pleasant surprise. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or highly advanced guitar player, he has something to bring to the table.

Paul Gilbert’s video lesson lengths run from roughly five minutes to a half hour with the built-in option to play them at slower speeds or in a loop.

As mentioned, the Video Exchange feature allows students to submit their own videos of themselves rocking out, or just asking Paul a question.

Consequently, Paul goes through each student’s video and in exchange, as the name implies, records a video offering support and answers in response to the questions.

Although this could seem intimidating for some, students in Paul’s community are nothing short of supportive and respective. The channel is held accountable as a judgment-free zone and in turn, is friendly, collaborative and highly interactive.

Alternatively, if you want to observe more than interact, you can still draw inspiration from the hundreds of archived exchange videos. You’ll find tons of useful hints you can interpret and then apply to improve your own technique.

ArtistWorks Rock Guitar Lessons with Paul Gilbert: Highlights

• Students get a music theory workshop from an A-List pro
• Access the Video Exchange Library at any time
• Subscribed students get up to 5 submissions
• Affordable guitar lessons from a world recognized personality
• Communication through a mini chatroom.
• Community spirit fostered by the video exchange platform
• Easy navigation

Check out Paul Gilbert’s Rock Guitar Course here >>

For those who prefer a less intense style of playing, Paul Gilbert may be a bit much. And for you we have other choices mentioned in this article.

But if you gravitate to online lessons with Paul Gilbert, your guitar abilities are sure to improve. With regular practice and instruction, your guitar technique, repertoire, and confidence will all reach new levels.

As mentioned, the real value here is in the the video exchanges. This is what sets Paul Gilbert’s ArtistWorks lessons apart from all the others. If you take advantage of it, you’ll realize the true value of the service and can’t go wrong.

ArtistWorks Adult Beginner Acoustic Guitar Lessons

In answering the call for more diversity, and the demand for those who are looking for a creative pastime during a pandemic, ArtistWorks has added a full Beginner Acoustic Guitar Lessons course to their platform.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the course is its instructor: David Butler who is the Chairman and Cofounder of ArtistWorks.

As a lifelong acoustic guitarist and one of the original engineers at AOL, he developing an industry-unique approach to online music instruction only available at ArtistWorks. Moreover, he has been awarded three US patents in the process.

Geared more towards adult beginners, the course features familiar songs and focuses on developing core skills.

With a focus on comprehensive, step by step instruction, the online guitar course is designed to help first time players avoid getting frustrated.

Access the ArtistWorks Beginner Guitar Lessons Course Here >>

ArtistWorks Beginner Acoustic Guitar Lessons Highlights:

• introductory monthly price of $35 (discounts available)
• Beginner Guitar Chords
• Guitar Tab
• Basic Music Concepts
• 100s of guitar lessons at your own pace
• Specifically geared to adult beginners
• Easy Guitar Lessons & Tunes

What’s Included with the Service?

When figuring out if ArtistWorks lessons are the best option for you, it ‘s important to consider all that’s included in your subscription.

It seems, at the moment at least, there are no ArtistWorks free trial options, making some people hesitant to purchase a subscription without a test run.

Still, there is quite a bit included in your subscription fee, which can be anywhere from $23 a month for 12 months or $35 a month for 3 months.

Most notably, the huge diversity in lessons is a huge plus, you can learn multiple guitar styles, both electric and acoustic, as well as multiple electric bass styles.

If your musical thirst still isn’t quenched, you can peruse the piano, mandolin, voice, or woodwind instrument options.

That’s a lot of musical opportunities laid out in front of you if you so choose. If diversity is of value to you, ArtistWorks may be the best guitar course for you.

While the lessons are engaging and feature quality content, one of the most endearing inclusions has to be Video Exchange which allows students to upload videos of themselves playing.

Having the ability to learn from other students while also getting or giving constructive feedback, can improve your playing, musicianship, and music communication in no time.

Features

No review of ArtistWorks online would be complete without a detailed look into what makes these included features so great. The backbone of ArtistWorks learning experience is the instructors.

Each course, aka the series of lessons for each genre, features the same instructor throughout, giving you the chance to build familiarity with the learning experience.

The lessons are typically short, ranging from a few minutes to tens of minutes, allowing even the shortest of attention spans to follow along lesson by lesson.

One thing that struck us about the lessons was the lack of follow along tablature, We don’t see any option to have it pop up while you watch a video.

Easy to follow tabs or musical notation can be a huge help for young musicians looking to follow along at their own pace and learn where the notes and frets are up and down the neck.

Access, Tutorials & How To

ArtistWorks can easily be accessed via its webpage, artistworks.com, or by googling “ArtistWorks”. Unfortunately, there is no app currently available so that you can take ArtistWorks on the go with your guitar.

Between having no app and no ArtistWorks free trial, it makes the site’s lessons somewhat inaccessible. If someone asked “what is ArtistWorks?”

I’d happily reply that it is a great online community of teachers and students but is strictly computer based, and one of the more expensive online guitar lesson options when compared to alternatives.

Overall, any type of expansion into the IOS world would likely draw in a few more users as the world moves towards more and more mobile entertainment and learning.

Alternative Sites to ArtistWorks

As you’ll find in our other reviews of TrueFire, JamPlay, Guitar Tricks, and Fender Play, there are many different options out there for guitar students looking to learn online.

For your convenience, we’ve put together a complete review of the best online guitar lessons for beginners.

JamPlay is one of many great choices with its diverse lesson options, quality instructors and great lesson toolbox to help you get the most out of each video.

JamPlay has drawn rave reviews for the number of famous musicians who have recorded lessons on how to play their own songs or techniques, something other sites, like Truefire, have begun to compete with.

Furthermore, JamPlay has the history and student testimonials to go against any of those sites. Ultimately, the choice will come down to what instructors or lesson plans you are looking for and how easily you feel you can navigate the website.

If you’re debating Fender Play or Guitar Tricks, or any of the other sites, try a 14 day Guitar Tricks free trial before investing. For those significantly worried about their budget,

Justin Guitar is one of the only completely free guitar lesson sites and should be given careful review as well.

It’s important to remember that for $23 a month, you need to make sure you are getting that much more than you do with free/cheaper sites like Justin Guitar or Fender Play.

ArtistWorks Lessons – Key Points

In Closing, Are ArtistWorks Guitar Lessons A Good Choice?

While doing the research for this ArtistWorks lessons review, we found the service to definitely be one of the most diverse and in-depth musical lesson sites we’ve discussed to date.

But in our opinion, you may have better choices depending on your preferences.

For the price, we feel you are missing too many features like follow along tablature, dedicated song lesson databases, or live lessons.

If you are or are aspiring to be a multi-instrumentalist, then this is no doubt the lesson site for you.

With many guitar, bass, woodwind, and piano lessons available, even mandolin options, you can learn a wide variety of styles and instruments that could further inspire your aspiring music career.

Without the free trial, it may make more sense for some comparison shoppers to take advantage of other sites free trials and then circle back to ArtistWorks if they don’t have what you’re looking for.

Overall, it’s still a great option, just like all the others we’ve reviewed, and especially if you want to become proficient on more than one instrument.

View the Latest ArtistWorks Deal Here! >>

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