TrailJams Tune Camp

TrailJams Tune Camp - Learning & Community - Online - Subscribe Learn Play (image of fiddle)

Boost your tune learning with TrailJams Tune Camp

TrailJams Tune Camp is an online learning resource that extends the content available on the TrailJams website. TrailJams Tune Camp tutorials use Soundslice to bring your tune learning to life in a new way. The TrailJams Tune Camp library of tutorials is available through your subscription to the TrailJams Patreon channel.

Musical instruments (decorative)

As good as the TrailJams website is for tune learning, TrailJams Tune Camp takes your learning to a new level. The key new ingredient is Soundslice. With Soundslice’s ingenious learning system, you can really dig into a tune and learn efficiently. Soundslice synchronizes audio to a “living” sheet music score, letting you see and hear note-by-note where you are in the music. It lets you set the tempo, loop on any section of the music, and use “speed training” to accelerate your playing speed. With TrailJams tutorials in Soundslice, you’ll also be able to download the sheet music and an audio track for the tune.

In TrailJams Tune Camp you can…
Use Soundslice for tune learning
Chat with other members
Download audio files & sheet music

TrailJams Tune Camp Gift Membership - Online Tune Learning (Illustration of a gift card and a decorative ribbon)

A gift of tune learning with TrailJams Tune Camp might be just what you are looking for. You can give up to 12 months of membership. Learn More

Try it! Explore Soundslice

Here are some tune tutorials you can explore in Soundslice. Go ahead, give them a spin, and discover what makes learning with Soundslice so good. Click on a tune name to open the tutorial “slice” in your web browser, then explore!

The Lilting Banshee (image: sketch of a woman's face and head, eyes closed)
Try it in Soundslice!
The Lilting Banshee (Jig)
Drowsy Maggie (image of sleeping child). Illustration copyright 2021 Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org
Try it in Soundslice!
Drowsy Maggie (Reel)
The Road to Lisdoonvarna, Traditional Irish Slide. Old image of the town of Lisdoonvarna. Illustration copyright 2024 Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org
Try it in Soundslice!
The Road to Lisdoonvarna (Slide)
Explore Soundslice (Illustration shows a screenshot from Soundslice, with controls labeled.

Things to Try in Soundslice

  • Looping – Try looping on the whole tune. Try looping on just parts of the tune. (Learn more)
  • Tempo – Try setting different tempos, and try the “Speed Training” feature to gradually increase your practice tempo. (Learn more: Tempo | Speed Training)
  • Audio – You can select among three recordings to play along with: Melody & backing; Melody (only); Backing & Click. (Learn more)
  • Tablature – Display or hide tab for mandolin and tenor banjo. (Use the “More Settings” menu in the lower right-hand corner. Learn more.)
  • Fingerboard, fretboard, keyboard visualizers – turn on a visualizer for violin, mandolin / tenor banjo, or keyboard and watch the display of finger placement as the tune plays. (Learn more: violin | mandolin & tenor banjo | keyboard)

Help is available if you need it

The design of Soundslice makes it easy to use. But if you get stuck or want to learn how to make the best use of the Soundslice features, there are detailed instructions available, with video examples, in the Soundslice Help page.

Soundslice Tips & Tricks

Cartoon image of a hand holding a smartphone. The smartphone display shows Soundslice sheet music.

Soundslice “app” for iOS or Android devices – you can make Soundslice look just like a native app on your mobile device. Adding Soundslice to your devices home screen gives you an icon on your device’s display, and lets Soundslice fill the whole screen. Learn more and set it up

Getting Started – TrailJams Music Tutorials

To get started with the TrailJams Tune Camp music tutorials, you begin by subscribing to the TrailJams Patreon Channel and signing up for a free Soundslice Account. Once you are signed up, you can easily access the tutorials from the TrailJams lists of tunes and tune sets. The first time you access a tutorial, you have to use an access code to unlock it.

Here are the details.

  1. PATREON: Join the TrailJams Patreon channel to get access (unlock) the Soundslice tutorials
  2. SOUNDSLICE: Sign up for a free Soundslice account. IMPORTANT: use the same email address for your Patreon and Soundslice accounts
  3. TUTORIALS: Use these links to get to the tutorials: Tunes | Tune Sets. Those links will take you to the TrailJams lists of tunes and tune sets (medleys). From there you can unlock and access each tutorial.

When you arrive at one of those pages, you’ll see links labeled “Unlock” and “Learn” that will take you to the TrailJams Tune Camp tutorials. The first time you access a tutorial, use the “Unlock” link to unlock the tutorial. The next time you use that tutorial you won’t need to unlock it — you can get to it quickly by just clicking the “Learn” link.