Late Beginner Pathway

We're with you every step of the way in this Learning Pathway. In every lesson, Karl will break down a new concept and run through mini drills with you so you can lock it into your muscle memory. To cap off each day's work, you'll put what you learned in a musical context with a guided jam session.

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‍Day 1. Drive the bus

Today, you’ll work on consistency in your strumming. Not being able to keep time when you’re playing guitar is like driving a bus down a road full of potholes. It’s no fun! We'll make sure you always travel smoothly – at least on guitar. Today's exercises will take you from half to quarter notes and finally 8th notes.

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‍Day 2. Spice up those chords

On Day 1, we asked you for consistency. On Day 2, we’ll show you how to make things interesting. As soon as we get to rhythms that use subdivisions, there are a couple of perks. You can sprinkle upstrokes in your strumming pattern, and hide difficult chord changes on the upbeat.

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‍Day 3. Powering up

We’re shifting gears today with a new song inspired by The Black Keys that'll help you solidify your comfort with power chords. Power chords are great because they’re easy to move around the fretboard, pair with vocals, and fit in with a band without taking up too much sonic space.

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Day 4. Lead 101

Every guitar hero starts somewhere. Today, you'll take your first steps into the world of guitar soloing. Scared of lead guitar? Don't be. Karl makes it fun and simple.

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Day 5. Strum patterns are a myth

It's the biggest conspiracy since the The Beatles moon landing! Today, you'll learn why you don't need to worry about strum patterns and why it's all about keeping that motor running in your strumming hand.

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Day 6. Simply satisfying

A well-rounded guitarist knows how to play both rhythm and lead. Today, you’ll practice playing some beautiful melodies. Your picking technique and your fretting skills will both get a boost.

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Day 7. E-string workout

Hit the gym as you internalize the notes on your low E string.

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Performance pieces

Perform songs that incorporate the concepts you just learned in a purely musical context. Here, you'll have the opportunity to jam with a live-recorded band of pro musicians. You can submit your performance to the Pickup Music team for personalized video feedback – who said online learning wasn't interactive?!

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Final quiz

Cap off the grade with a quiz to make sure you've adequately absorbed the core concepts involved.

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Day 1. Two chords walk into a bar

If you think back to last grade, you’ll remember how we practiced power chords halfway up the neck to decrease the strain on our hands. Today, you’ll do the same thing with bar chords before incorporating some strumming patterns.

Day 2. Have you ever seen the slash chord?

Our lesson today takes us back to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain? You'll tackle the chorus and use slash chords to incorporate a walking bassline.

Day 3. Power sweater (Weezer)

Undone – The Sweater Song by Weezer, is a master class in power chords and 8th-note strumming. Today's material will help you drive the bus with constant 8th-note strums.

Day 4. Pentatonic 101 (Khruangbin)‍

The minor pentatonic scale is the bread and butter of any lead guitarist worth their salt. This five-note scale helps us navigate the neck and contains the ingredients of the first solo that you’ll play.

Day 5. Sonically considerate

Today, you'll learn how to be a mature guitarist by holding down a groove via backbeat strumming patterns
and chord fragments.

Day 6. Simply satisfying (Part 2)‍

Today, we revisit some familiar territory by honing in on a song you learned in Grade 1.

Day 7. A-string workout

Cap off your hard work with a brand-new workout that'll help you internalize A-string notes.

Performances‍

Solidify your learnings with three songs that'll apply what you learned in a musical context.

Get feedback‍

Get personalized video feedback on your playing from the Pickup team.

Final quiz‍

Make sure you're ready for Grade 3.

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‍Day 1. Blues rhythm 101

Every guitarist (yes, even you) must learn the blues. It's truly the genre that started it all, and its effect is still felt on music today. In this lesson, you'll get familiar with the 12-bar blues form.

Day 2. Blues lead 101‍

With your blues rhythm foundation built, we'll look at some simple lead-guitar techniques through the lens of blues.

Day 3. Hammer time‍

In this lesson, you'll learn how to spice up your open chords with hammer ons. This will help you get familiar with the hammer-on technique, which is a core expressive technique you'll use for years to come.

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Day 4. Major pentatonic

Get familiar with one of the most guitar-friendly soloing shapes. This shape will give you the means to step out over Day 3’s chord progression and is an invaluable fretboard go-to for all styles.

Day 5. Singer-songwritin'

Learn these four chords, and you have everything you need to write a chart-topping hit. Seriously. Day 5 introduces a standard singer-songwriter progression that's host to many a hit song.

Day 6. Your first classical piece

Blow your grandma away with this Bach-inspired beauty. Here on Day 6, we’re going to complete the final section of your first classical piece.

Day 7. D-string workout

It’s the end of the line for Grade 3. We can’t let you move ahead without another pulse-pounding single-string workout with Karl Schwarzenegger.

Performances‍

Demonstrate what you've learned in a musical context by learning original songs.

Get feedback‍

Get personalized video feedback on your playing from the Pickup team.

Final quiz‍

Make sure you're ready for Grade 4.

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