Check out the Teach Me Bass Guitar webpage at www.teachmebassguitar.com

Finding good quality courses and online lessons for bass guitar has in the past been a battle as many courses or online lessons were more focused on guitar with a bass section sometimes included as an extra.  This has changed in recent times with a few companies creating online courses and lessons that cater specifically for students who wish to learn the bass guitar.  The Learning Dock is one of these companies that has brought out a comprehensive multimedia course for learning the bass guitar called Teach Me Bass Guitar.

Teach Me Bass Guitar is one of the most comprehensive bass courses on the market with over 16 hours of tuition through video lessons as well as 10 full length DVDs and a huge amount of resource materials.  The course is targeted at beginners as is covers the basics and knowledge required by someone who is new to the bass guitar but is also a great course for intermediate players who are looking to refine their skills and develop their playing.  The course has been created by Roy Vogt who has been playing bass guitar for over 40 years and has many other notable accolades such as masters degrees in music and performance as well as a teaching history of over 30 years.

The Teach Me Bass course is very comprehensive and is designed around the video lessons as well as the lesson book which is a PDF that can be downloaded and printed.  The lesson book is designed to be used as a guide while you watch the video lessons as it contains material such as music terminology, fret board diagrams and extra lesson information.  As well as the great video lessons the course also includes over 100 play along music videos that are incorporated into each of the lessons.  The great thing about these music videos is they are featured 4 times on the DVD so you can play with Vogt playing the bass or without Vogt playing and the track has also been recorded at a slow or fast tempo.  One other feature of the lessons that is worth noting is the real time fret board that shows exactly what notes are being played in the lesson.

There is little to fault with this bass guitar course as it is well put together and features more than enough support and information for the beginner bass guitarist.  If you are looking for an excellent bass guitar course then you have found it.

Check out the Piano System Review at www.pianosystem.com

Piano System is produced by Railroad Media, a company that has made a name for itself producing DVD  and online music courses that are of high quality.  The Piano system course is DVD based and features video lessons which take you through learning the basic skills required to play the piano and also play along tracks that let you use and practise these skills in a more interesting way than just playing scales and exercises.  The video quality and the teaching of this course is very good and the course is designed for beginners and intermediate piano players looking to improve their skills.

Piano System features Nate Bosch, a well known pianist who has experience teaching and playing with various bands in his native Canada.  Bosch features in the video lessons and his relaxed and friendly style conveys the content of lessons extremely well.

Most of the information in Piano System is contained on the three lesson DVDs that come in the package.  These DVDs are split into three sections, beginner, intermediate and advanced with each section following on as you develop and practise the skills.  The beginner DVD lessons are an excellent introduction to the piano with these lessons covering important piano skills as well as music theory which is important ground work for people who are beginners with the piano.  The intermediate DVD follows on from the beginner lessons and covers important scales and chord progressions required for a good grounding in piano playing.  Some of the exercises on the intermediate DVD can be a little repetitive but if you are able to stick to it these chord progressions and scales do give you a good base to work from and you will get more out of your piano playing if you are able to master these skills.  The Advanced lessons on the third DVD cover different types of piano styles and cover specific genre such as classical, jazz and blues.

The pack also features two play a long DVDs which take you step by step through 16 different songs.  Once you have learned these songs you can play along with or without Bosch playing the piano and with the backing band.  The 16 songs included on these DVDs are also contained in the work book which details chords and music for each.

The Piano System is a well presented learn to play piano program that would suit beginners who are looking for a course that focuses on important basic piano skills but also has interesting and challenging lessons which will hold interest and develop skills.

For more information check out the website www.pianosystem.com

Check out Drumming System at www.drumming-system.com

The Drumming System course is one of the most comprehensive learn to drum courses on the market.  Railroad Media have managed to put together an excellent package which features a huge 30 hours of video instruction as well as a large amount of extra material suited to a course that is targeted at beginners and intermediate levels of drumming.  One of the better elements of this course is that it provides all the basics for beginner drummers but there is still quite a lot of material in this course that will challenge most levels of drumming ability.

The Drumming System contains 20 training DVDs which cover skills and topics from beginner to advanced drumming, 15 play along CDs which you can drum along to and 5 work books which are designed to complement the video lessons on the DVDs.  The material is well presented in this course and even though there is a large amount of material contained on the DVDs and in the work books it is easy to work through and there are plenty of exercises to help beginners to very quickly learn new drumming skills.

The first part of the video lessons in the Drumming System course are focused on skills and techniques that are essential for people who are starting drumming as a beginner.  Most of the first 6 DVDs covers topics such as how to develop correct foot and hand technique, how to read drum notation, setting up your drum kit, learning how to get the most out of your practice time and learning different stick techniques.  Once you have progressed through these lessons the next video lessons move you through skills such as building speed, dynamics and also performing drum solos which are important for all drummers to master.  The last 3 DVDs in this course feature video lessons that cover learning the drum part for over 100 songs.  These DVDs have the tracks featuring the drum part and also featuring just the backing band which you can drum along to.

As well as providing you with excellent course material Drumming System also includes some great bonuses such as phone and email support, access to a members forum, a DVD on buying a drum kit and also a DVD on hand / stick techniques.

Drumming System is one of the more expensive learn to drum courses available however this course provides you with everything a beginner or intermediate drummer requires.  Anyone who is looking at purchasing a drumming course should definitely consider Drumming System as this course is one of the best available.

For more information on Drumming System check the website www.drumming-system.com

Learn and Master Drums website www.learnandmaster.com/drums/

People looking for a reasonably priced learn how to drum course that is targeted at beginners and intermediate drumming skills should consider the Learn and Master Drums course.  The relaxed teaching of this course makes it suitable for people who like to work at their own pace and the course only moves you to the next lesson or skill once you have mastered the level that you are at.  Much of the course content is provided through the various video lessons contained on the DVDs.  These lessons are targeted at beginners and intermediate drum players with excellent material in each of these video lessons including answers to drum related questions that are asked by people who are just starting out, music theory and how to read drum music and learning different skills and techniques when playing the drums.

The Learn and Master Drums course is targeted at the total beginner and covers all the initial questions that many people have before they start anything new.  The first section of video lessons cover various topics such as the elements of the drum kit, how to hold the sticks and setting up your drum kit for ease of use.  These lessons can also be suitable for intermediate drum students to make sure that their technique is correct or as a refresher of this information.  The course encourages you not to skip these sections as good technique is key to your playing success.

Apart from the DVDs that contain the bulk of the Learn and Master Drums course there is also a collection of play along CDs that feature over 70 songs which you can play along to with or without the drumming on the track.  These tracks correspond to the tracks used in the video lessons so once you have mastered the skills in the lessons you should be able to play these tracks.

The course also features a work book which contains all the theory, exercises and techniques that are covered in the video lessons.  The work book is designed to be used while watching the DVDs as they give you extra information especially when it comes to reading drum music and following exercises used in the lessons.  A bonus DVD is also included with Learn and Master Drums which covers topics such as the history of drums, tuning your drums, what sticks to I need as well as useful stretching and warming up exercises and what you need to know before purchasing your own drum kit.

Learn and Master Drums is one of the better courses available to beginner drummers.  The video lessons are well presented and the information is great in that it is easy for a complete beginner to pick up and use this course.  If you are looking for a great drumming course then this one is defiantly worth a look.

Click here for more information about Learn and Master Drums.

Begin Drumming website www.begindrumming.com

Begin Drumming is the brain child of professional drummer Jim McCarthy and is targeted at people who are complete beginners when it comes to playing the drums.  McCarthy has over 20 years experience teaching drums and percussion with this experience evident in the quality video lessons contained in this course.  As with many of these courses Begin Drumming is presented through video lessons with extra information available in a referenced work book.  McCarthy is relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera and the video lessons are easy to follow even for a beginner who has no prior experience playing the drums.

The Begin Drumming course is available as a download once you have paid your money and gained access to the members area.    The video lessons are able to be streamed or you can download all of the lessons in several different formats.  This site also provides PDFs of the work book and also sheet and drum music so that you can play the drum solos and exercises.  The course is designed so that the student follows the lesson while referring to the examples and exercises in the work book.

As the name suggests this course is targeted at beginners to the world of drumming.  McCarthy does a great job in the video lessons, he is engaging and the material that is taught is good even for those who do not have a music back ground.  The only improvement that should be made to the video lessons in Begin Drumming is some of the exercises and skills would be much better explained if the video zoomed in on different parts of the drum kit and if multiple cameras where used to capture McCarthy’s movement around the drum kit.  Apart from these improvements in the way the video lessons are produced this course provides the student with a solid drumming course that is defiantly value for money.

Begin Drumming is one of the best online drum courses when it comes to teaching and materials available to the student.  The video lessons could do with a few improvements but this course is still great value at under $50.  One thing to note about this course is that it is only available online which may turn off some potential customers.  The Begin Drumming website uses a secure third party to process payments for the course and we experienced no problems with access or downloads.

For more information on Begin Drumming, click Here!

Rock Drumming System website www.rockdrummingsystem.com

The Rock Drumming System is a comprehensive drumming course which uses a combination of DVD video lessons, printed work books and CDs to teach the skills and knowledge required to play the drums.  This course has been designed by and features drummer Jared Falk who has vast experience teaching drums and also performing with bands.  Falk teamed up with Railroad Media and spent 12 months developing and filming the Rock Drumming System which was released in 2006.  Railroad Media has a good reputation for producing excellent music based courses which are available both online or through major retailers.  Rock Drumming System is one of the best drumming courses available through Railroad Media.

One of the great things about Rock Drumming System is that it caters for all levels of drumming ability from total beginners to people with an intermediate level of skills playing the drums and reading music.  This course is divided into four parts which includes the beginner section, intermediate lessons, advanced level drumming and the last part of the course includes play along tracks and exercises to further your drumming ability.

The DVDs included in this course are designed to be worked through while following in the provided work books.  It is important to have the work books in front of you while you are going through the video lessons as parts of the work book are referenced in the lessons and the books give you the notation of the exercises that are featured.  One of the great elements of the DVD video lessons is that when filming they have used different camera angles which makes it easier to clearly see how the exercises are to be played.  During the video lessons Falk also plays the examples and exercises both fast and slow which is great for people who are beginners at playing the drums.

The lesson work books that complement the video lessons are divided into three sections Beginner, intermediate and advanced.  These books are well put together and are easy to follow as you progress through the video lessons.

Rock Drumming System also contains a jam CD which features 10 tracks each with the choice of playing with the drums or without.  This is a great option as it is common for drummers, particularly beginners to have limited opportunity to jam with other people.  This course also has a few bonus features such as a One handed Drum Roll DVD, several PDF eBooks as well as access to a members website which has drum information and forums.

Rock Drumming System is excellent value for money as it is one of the cheaper options on the market but is a quality production especially when it comes to the video lessons.  This course is also good for people who wish to learn to play the drums in their own time as the relaxed nature of the lessons allow for this.

For more information on Rock Drumming System check the website www.rockdrummingsystem.com

Guitar and Bass website www.guitarandbass.com.au

Guitar and Bass is an Australian based course which is available for people who wish to learn both guitar and bass guitar without having to buy two separate guitar courses.  This course teaches the basics of both guitar and bass guitar with much of the content and lessons designed and taught by Brian Piggott who has vast experience when it comes to teaching and playing both the guitar and bass guitar.

The course Guitar and Bass is designed as a introduction to both of the instruments as well as teaching important skills such as reading music, tab and other important skills needed to become a competent guitar player.  This course is not as polished or as detailed as other online courses however it is a great alternative if you are looking to save some money by just purchasing this course to learn both guitar and bass guitar.

Once you have registered with the Guitar and Bass website you will have access to the multimedia online lessons which form the bulk of this course.  The website has over 50 of these multimedia lessons and to make the website easy to navigate these lessons have been organised into groups.  The groups are also organised into guitar and bass lessons to make it easier to find the right lessons during practice time.  Both the guitar and the bass lessons are suited to beginners as many of the lessons cover basic skills which are essential for people new to music and new to playing the guitar.

The multimedia lessons have some great user friendly features such as a virtual Fretboard which follows the exercises and shows the fingering used, a built in guitar tuner and also a drum machine which is great for keeping you in time while you are practicing.  One thing to note however with the embedded video links in the lessons is that some of these clips are not the best quality but they get the job done.  Guitar and Bass does make up for the average quality video clips with great audio and some high quality jam tracks that are featured with a full band and can also be played without the guitar as a solo accompaniment.

Guitar and Bass is not the best course on the market for learning the guitar and bass however the low price makes this course appealing to those who want to get a feel for playing the guitar and or bass before investing a large amount on lessons.

For more information check the website at www.guitarandbass.com.au

Music Master Pro website www.musicmasterpro.com

Music Master Pro was started by Jay Dynasty and Greg Evens as a web resource for people who are looking for a course that provides learning material that covers more than one instrument.  This website has information and lessons for guitar, bass guitar, drums and violin which can be accessed once a membership fee has been paid.  A website that features access to learning material for more than one instrument is a great idea as many people who play an instrument will eventually look at playing something else in the future.

Once you have purchased Music Master Pro and logged in it is necessary to download the individual files to your computer before you can view any of the material.  The content is quite large and took some time to download each individual file.  To use the files it is necessary to have Adobe Reader or QuickTime installed.

The guitar section of Music Master Pro contains 17 very short video lessons which cover skills and techniques for playing guitar in no logical order.  The video lessons are of a very poor quality with audio that is terrible and in some cases difficult to hear.  This course is also missing many of the great features of other online how to play guitar video lessons such as using dual cameras, displaying the fingering on a fret board and having a work book which follows the lessons.

In the guitar section of Music Master Pro there was also 4 pdf files to download which covered some basic music theory such as chords, intervals, pitch and rhythm and not much else.  The guitar section also had 17 audio files which contained the audio only of the video lessons.  These files are a waste of time to download as you can’t understand anything that is being taught without the video part of the lesson.

Unfortunately the poor quality video lessons and content extends to all the other instruments covered in the Music Master Pro package.  The advertising for Music Master Pro says that the members area of the site is updated with new lessons every month however we found this to be untrue.  One other thing that was a surprise with Music Master Pro is the amount of advertising that clutters up the members area.

Music Master Pro promises much in it advertising but delivers little.  Buyer beware as many of the sites that advertise Music Master Pro as a great course are being paid to advertise this and receive money from the sale.  With so many other great courses on the market give Music Master Pro a miss.

For more information check the website www.musicmasterpro.com or click here to check a good review for your guitar lessons.