Lesson 5 of the first Jamorama book introduces two more common chords in the first position, as well as notes on the fourth string. The jam track for this lesson is in a dance music style which surprised me a bit – this isn’t the kind of music I’d have thought of playing on the guitar before, but it works well here. This is actually one thing that I’m liking about the jam tracks – they’re never boring, since the styles are so varied. I’m certainly glad to find they’re not all traditional generic ‘rock’ stuff, which isn’t especially inspiring to me. I also like how some of the tracks involve playing chords, and others feature melodies that you pick out a note at a time – this provides a good foundation for practicing both rhythm and lead guitar.
Lesson 6 introduces minor chords, which makes a nice contrast to the major chords covered so far. To digress a bit, I do take issue with Ben’s assertion (that nearly all music books/sites I’ve read make) that major chords sound ‘happy’, whereas minor chords sound ’sad’. I think this is a totally subjective, culturally-influenced viewpoint, and I know that while in western music most people associate minor chords with a melncholy feel, I personally find minor key music to be very joyful and uplifting. I know I might be in the minority there though!
This lesson also introduces notes on the fifth string, and there’s a catchy jam track based on a simple turnaround chord progression, as well as a second one with a lead melody. Also, there’s a discussion about the nature of musical talent, and what it takes to become a great guitarist. I agree that constant, disciplined practice accounts for most of it, although I do think that some people have an inborn extra ‘gift’ that can make the whole learning process easier. But no matter how naturally playing the guitar comes to you, you’ll never reach your full potential without plenty of work at it!
