About fretjam.comWelcome Hi, I'm Mike. Welcome to fretjam.com! If you didn't already know, this is a guitar lessons site (just making sure!). On this site you can learn guitar chords, scales, techniques, theory and all the essentials you need to lay those all important foundations. The idea is to then build on those foundations independently, developing your own unique playing style. Don't just rely on tabs/songsheets to tell you what to play all the time. If there's one ultimate piece of advice I would repeat like a broken mp3, it's: Be inspired by your guitar heroes, don't parrot them! See, anyone can learn "x solo from x song" given enough time and practise. But it could just be that your most rewarding and satisfying accomplishment is the ability to create your own music, to truly express yourself on guitar. That takes a very different kind of learning, and I aim to nurture your creativity through the way I teach on this site. Is fretjam free? Yes. All my lessons and their content are 100% free. However, I often promote more comprehensive or specialist guitar learning packages that I believe will help you with that all important "next step". I personally review all the products I promote on this site and make sure each one has a money back guarantee for if you're not satisfied with it. I do not promote crap on this site! You'll also see ads on this site - this helps me pay the site maintenance bills. This should not stop you from enjoying the quality free lessons! Is there any video on fretjam.com? Yes! Where I feel a video might be useful, I include it. For example, I didn't feel the strumming series would be complete without video demonstrating the strumming action. However, I won't just upload video for the sake of it, just because it "looks good". When it comes to studying theory, chord fingerings and scales, for example, video isn't always the most effective medium to learn through. That's why, in most cases, I opt for clear diagrams (sometimes animated) over video. I've seen a lot of videos out there that zip over the important detail, meaning you have to constantly pause, rewind and repeat to fully get your bearings. Sometimes, the old fashioned printable text and diagrams does the job far better. Move at your pace, not the tutor's! Does fretjam.com include backing tracks and audio? Yes! Very important. I aim to include backing tracks wherever necessary (e.g. in the scales and rhythm sections). All audio is free to download and the files are in mp3 format, so they'll play in your computer's default media player. I suggest you put the backing tracks on "loop" in your computer's media player so you can sit with your guitar uninterrupted. Even better, burn them to CD or your mp3 player so you can play them away from your computer. How often is fretjam.com updated? As often as I can! Subscribe to the RSS feed further up this page to keep updated. I have a huge "to do" list of lesson ideas. This site is still growing and it will keep growing for as long as I, and the internet, live. And finally... I hope you enjoy using this site. Contact me here with feedback about the site. Ask your guitar related questions here and get the answers you need to overcome your learning obstacles. fretjam.com is a no frills, no bullshit guitar learning resource. You will learn a lot and you will surprise yourself! Mike Beatham
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