Jamstik Blog

The jamstik’s bluetooth brother the, “puc+” recently had it’s biggest debut with Andy Grammer's band on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Zivix's product allowed the band to play wireless keytars making it possible for an amazingly choreographed performance on the popular late night show. Read on to hear about the experience and check out some more pictures!

I get lots of “how’d you do that” questions regarding the “Get Lucky” video we launched on YouTube in June of 2013. At some point in time I’ll cook up a video that covers this a little more in depth, but for now I’ll try to point you to some resources and explanations behind what’s happening in the video.

If you've read the previous entry, I used the analogy of MIDI keyboard controllers being similar to QWERTY keyboards. This is the most rudimentary idea of conceptualizing MIDI control. It leaves out a lot of details but helps frame the basic concept. In this entry I'm going to break down what really happens when you play a "C" on the jamstik or a keyboard controller, and hopefully bring some clarity to the whole concept.

 Why not just play an actual guitar? There's a time and a place for everything...

If you've seen or heard the statement "the jamstik is a MIDI controller" and thought "I have no clue what MIDI is," you're not alone. From it's introduction in the 1980's through to today, MIDI has left a lot of people scratching their heads. I'm going to do my best here to help bring some clarity to what MIDI is and how it functions, especially in connection to the jamstik and puc. 

From a parent's and home educator's point of view, time is short and it is incredibly difficult to fit everything in for every member of the family. jamstik provides families with guitar lessons on the go, no matter where you are. My youngest even practices with the JamTutor app at the Karate Dojo while her older sister does her Karate lessons.

I’m not a rock musician. I’m not part of the Gen X or Y or Millennials.  I’m an over 50 music educator, lifelong folk musician/guitar player, and classically trained singer/choral conductor who loves the Jamstik! The Jamstik is the guitar instruction tool I have been dreaming about and searching for.

"Apps We Got To Have” is a series dedicated to sharing info about the apps that we love to use with the jamstik. We’re not concerned with doing “deep dive” style reviews where we go over every detail of an app in exhaustive fashion, we’ll leave that to Dischord and Synthtopia. What we want to do is demonstrate the one or two things we love about an app, what makes it valuable for use with the jamstik.

We built the jamstik not only to be an amazing guitar learning tool, but also a high quality musical device capable of so much due to the portability and versatility.  We took it down to SXSW this year not only to show it off at the Music Gear Expo, trade shows, and meetings, but to bring it into real venues and onto the streets to get real people playing it. This is the story of our time in Austin, TX this March.

If you haven't heard, we decided to go to crowdfunding to launch our latest project, the jamstik+. We've seen an overwhelming amount of support so far, and are happy to have surpassed our goal by over 500% in just the first week.  

We've been privileged to receive a STAFF PICK by Kickstarter, so a big thanks to them for helping us increase the visibility of our project! Thanks so much to everyone who has pledged so far!  We wanted to provide a quick overview of the project, and tell why we're back utilizing crowdfunding to make it happen.

An awesome post from Guest author Troy Strand, Music instructor at MacPhail Center For Music in Minneapolis, MN. Troy shares his experience taking the jamstik into his classroom and reveals how every one of his beginning guitar students was able to play their first chord!   We love his use of a projector connected to his iPad to display JamTutor on the whiteboard!

Guest Author Destiny Henn, an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Music Therapy, has spent the last few months researching the viability of the Jamstik as a device used to benefit the field and people involved. Here she shares the story of her journey in the field, and the beginnings of her experiences with the Jamstik.  

The Jamstik is perfect for practicing while on the road. The fact that it has real guitar stings makes it ideal for working on technique exercises or warm-ups. The best part is that when it comes time to board the plane or bus, I can just shove it in my carry-on bag along with my other travel items and be on my way.

Sampling isn't about "hijacking nostalgia wholesale," says Mark Ronson. It's about inserting yourself into the narrative of a song while also pushing that story forward.

Today we have a guest post from a music educator that has been using the jamstik in his classroom, through the music education organization, "Little Kids Rock" He comes to us from across the country in New York City.  

We’re thrilled to announce that Jamstik has just been named as an honoree for the 2015 CES Innovation Awards under the “Tech for a Better World” category. We share the honor with several other great companies who have developed excellent products.

Needless to say, we’re absolutely thrilled and sincerely appreciative to be honored by CES.