Take your CAGED skills to the next level.
Intermediate
This class is for CAGED players who need new improvisational inspiration and greater fretboard freedom.
10 days
Sam will guide you through seven days of step-by-step instruction with interactive TAB and daily assignments.
Fretboard freedom
You'll leave this class as a more musical improviser with new tools to visualize and traverse your fretboard.
Take the next step
Once you've mastered this course, keep learning with advanced Master Classes and guided practice plans.
Sam will show you how to open up your fretboard with arpeggios through the lens of CAGED system soloing.
This music-first course is designed to help you get more out of the CAGED system and become a refined lead guitarist. In each lesson, Sam will break down a new arpeggio and show you how to solo with it. If you've never dabbled in arpeggios before, this class is going to blow your mind.
Major 7
CAGED is great for mapping out your entire fretboard, but it's normal for the system to feel stale after a while.
Arpeggios (AKA the notes of a chord played one at a time) are your key to unlock a whole new world of expression within the CAGED system.
To kick off the class, you'll start with the ever-important major 7 arpeggio.
Minor 9
Let's make it moody.
In the second day of lessons, you'll learn how to outline the sound of a minor 9 chord with the same arpeggio as in Day 1. All it takes is some simple fretboard shifting.
4-note arpeggios
Once you have a couple of arpeggios under your belt, we'll dive into the five essential arpeggio shapes as they relate to the E and A CAGED shapes.
At this point, you'll know five essential arpeggios. Now, we'll work on making them musical. You'll learn how to use various arpeggios in a musical context and explore specific soloing applications with guided exercises and interactive jams.
Before we send you soloing into the sunset, Sam will run you through his CAGED arpeggio workout video. This lesson is essential to your future success with arpeggios. Revisiting it as part of your daily practice routine will allow you to lock arpeggios into your vocabulary and take your improvisational skills to new heights.
Stay focused with this step-by-step learning program designed by our expert team of music educators.
Day 1. Maj 7
We'll kick things off with the (arguably) most important arpeggio shape.
If you’re checking out this Master Class, chances are that you’re familiar with the CAGED system, but are feeling stale in your soloing, haven't quite unlocked your fretboard, or are just ready to take the next step.
We can't emphasize how much arpeggios are a game changer in the soloing world. They'll enable you to take bigger tonal steps as you travel across your fretboard, get away from blanket one-scale-fits-all soloing, and give you access to the greater harmonic interest via a "play-the-changes" soloing approach.
To kick off the Master Class, Sam will introduce you to the major 7 arpeggio and show you how to use it in a musical context.
Day 2. Minor 9
Learn how to access a minor 9 sound using what you already know.
Believe it or not, you’ve already done all the hard work for Day 2. We’re going to get extra miles out of the major 7 shape by simply shifting up a few frets and playing over our relative minor chord.
This unique two-for-one approach gives us access to the colorful extension of the 9th alongside reliable chord tones like the 5th, flat 7th, and flat 3rd.
We’re challenging you to take everything up into the second octave here on Day 2 for maximum melodic expression.
Days 3 & 4. Four-note arpeggios (E and A positions)
Work your way up and down the five main types of 4-note arpeggios in the A position.
Learning arpeggios in a stationary way provides a valuable comparison that will help out with memorizing and eventually applying them to chord changes.
You'll learn how to outline major 7, dominant 7, minor 7, minor 7 b5, and fully diminished chords as they relate to the E and A CAGED positions.
Days 5-7
Put a spotlight on soloing and wrap up with a CAGED workout.
Days 5 & 6. How to solo with arpeggios
Now, it’s time to get some experience with using our arpeggios to solo. Creatively using arpeggios in real-time is like nailing the perfect combo in Street Fighter. We want to avoid button mashing and intentionally execute these dazzling special moves. Over the next two lesson days, you'll learn how arpeggios fall into a two-layered soloing approaches – one of which will introduce you to the intricate "playing-the-changes" approach to soloing. Buckle up!
Day 7. The ultimate CAGED arpeggio workout
Arpeggios, like any guitar concept, require some consistent practice to bake into your muscle memory. We've got you covered with an interactive workout video led by Sam that you can use to make some major CAGED arpeggio gains. This will be perfect for your practice routine.
Hear from REAL students
Your Instructor
Sam Blakelock
Sam Blakelock is a guitarist, educator, and the founder of Pickup Music. He's an expert at helping guitarists of all levels tackle fundamental techniques and complex topics in a straightforward & practical way.
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Annual Plan
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Interactive TAB
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Get into the holiday spirit with step-by-step guitar lessons covering your favorite songs.
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Monthly Plan
All-access to online guitar lessons to level up your playing.
$14.99
/mo
1,426 people started a free trial in the last 30 days.
Monthly plan includes:
See what a Pickup Music membership is all about.
14-day free trial
Guided learning
Know exactly what to practice at every step of your guitar journey.
Personalized feedback
Know exactly what to practice at every step of your guitar journey.
Progress tracking
Monitor your guitar gains.
New releases every week
Never run out of lessons to work on.
Interactive TAB
Follow along with every note.
Multiple HD angles
Get an up close and personal learning experience.
Supportive community
Workshop your playing, get feedback, and perform live in our online practice groups.
Members-only forum
Unlimited personalized learning support from our team of pro guitarists.
SAVE 17%
All-inclusive access to every course.
If your questions aren’t answered below, please chat with us.
Is Pickup Music right for me?
Do you feel like your guitar playing has hit a plateau?
Are you stuck in a guitar rut where you're just playing the same old chords and licks?
Are you looking for fretboard freedom?
At Pickup Music, we specialize in:
How do we do it?
Finally, we give you support and feedback through an exclusive members community and live practice group sessions with other members. This focused approach to learning guitar will help you bust through the beginner basics, break out of the intermediate plateau, and level up your playing.
This guided learning approach is the fastest way to make real progress on the guitar.
What makes Pickup Music better than other guitar lesson sites?
We're glad you asked! So many things:
What's included in my Pickup Music membership?
Everything! You’ll have unlimited access to every lesson on Pickup Music from every instructor. That means every Learning Pathway, Master Class, SongSquad, Licks Package, 5-Minute Lesson... we could go on, but you get the idea. It's an all-inclusive membership for one affordable price.
How long are the lessons? How long will it take me to complete them?
Pickup Music's lesson plans are designed to suit the amount of time you have available to practice.
Only got a few minutes? Try our 5-Minute Lessons to quickly add a new skill to your toolbox.
Got half an hour? Try one of our Essential Lick Packages or SongSquads to expand your vocabulary in different genres.
Got a couple of days? Try a Master Class with one of our world-renowned artists. Each class is broken up into short, digestible modules focused on one topic. We encourage you to complete the exercises for each lesson video before moving on to the next one because the lessons typically build on each other.
Ready to really commit to a multi-week program? Try one of our Learning Pathways. Over 6 weeks, these detailed courses will take you on a day-by-day journey to master each level in the genre. Learning Pathways include daily practice exercises so you know exactly what to focus on. These courses are the best way to make lasting progress.
Whichever approach you choose, we recommend building the exercises you learn into your daily practice schedule. The best way to improve as a guitarist is through a consistent practice routine rather than sporadic, longer sessions. Learning guitar is a day-by-day, life-long journey!
I'm brand new to guitar. Is Pickup Music the right choice for me?
Absolutely! We make learning the guitar made fun & simple – the way it should be.
Too many people get frustrated with guitar because they develop bad habits and poor technique. Avoid these costly and time-consuming mistakes by taking Pickup Music's structured and step-by-step approach to learning guitar.
You'll start with Pickup Music's introductory program Beginner Learning Pathway. Over three weeks, we break down everything from simple chords and melodies to rhythm and lead playing. By the end of the program, you'll be able to play any simple pop or rock song (and even write your own).
Most importantly, we make sure you don't get stuck in the beginner's plateau - a common pitfall for guitarists who are just starting out. You'll keep making progress through Pickup Music's guided Learning Pahtways. These programs are designed to quickly take you from a beginner player to an intermediate one who feels comfortable across the whole fretboard.
What the difference between the annual and monthly plan?
The only difference is that the annual plan saves you $30 a year.
Both options come with a free 14-day trial. That means, we won't charge your card for the first 14 days - you can cancel anytime before then.
With an annual membership, we bill you once a year up-front, and you save 17% as a result. We'll send you reminders before we bill you each year so that you don't accidentally forget about it.
With the monthly membership, you pay month to month. It's a subscription, so we bill you each month until you cancel.
Cancelling your plan at any point is very easy to do online - no tricks, emails, or phone calls required. Just click a button on your account page.
Is a Pickup Music membership worth the money?
When you first start learning guitar, it's okay to bounce around with random free lessons on YouTube and searching for TABs online.
That approach is going to make you an OKAY guitar player, but it's not going to help you take that leap to becoming a serious guitarist - a player who can:
To become a serious guitarist, you need a clear learning pathway to get to the next level. You need to free your mind and unlock your fret board - you can do this with Pickup Music's expert step-by-step instruction. Having this clear learning pathway is key to making real progress on the guitar.
What about the price? Is it worth it?
Private lessons will cost you about $50 per lesson or $2,600 a year. Going to a music academy will cost you about $40,000 a year.
A Pickup Music membership costs just $150 for the whole year. That works out to 41 cents a day!
Signing up for a Pickup Music membership also means that you can stop wasting your time and effort trying to guess what you should practice next. Our guided programs eliminate the guess work so you know exactly what you need to focus on each day and week to make lasting progress with guitar. This will increase your efficiency and speed up your progress.
Is it easy to cancel?
Absolutely! You can cancel at any time (although we'd be sad to see you go). Cancelling is easy, no tricks. Just go to your account page and click a button.
You won't be charged anything if you cancel during your 14-day free trial.
If you cancel after your 14-day trial, you won't be billed again at your next billing cycle. Your membership will remain active until it expires on the day it was originally set to renew.
Once your membership expires, you will no longer have access to the classes you were enrolled in during your time as a member, but you can easily restart your membership at any time. Just log in to your account and renew a monthly or annual membership to pick up where you left off.
Can I buy lessons individually?
We don’t sell lessons individually. But the good news is you get access to every single lesson on Pickup Music through the one membership. If you’re only interested in one lesson, you could purchase a monthly membership and cancel when you’ve finished it – we have a hunch you’ll want to stick around though :)
Can I cancel my membership at any time?
Yes! All you have to do is click a button on your account page. No tricks, no emails, no calls. It's a straightforward process.
You won't be billed again at your next billing cycle. Your membership will remain active and you'll continue to have access to the site until your membership expires on the day it was originally set to renew.
You can easily restart your membership at any time. Just log in to your account and renew a monthly or annual membership to pick up where you left off.
Note: Once your membership expires, we'll save your progress on your Dashboard if you decide to rejoin at a later date.
How does the 14-day free trial work? What is your refund policy?
Your credit card won't be charged for the first 14 days
When you first sign up to a Pickup Music membership, your credit card will not be charged for 14 days. That means that if you decide to cancel within 14 days of signing up, you won't pay anything.
If you decide to cancel after that, you won't be charged at your next billing cycle
That means: if you’re a monthly member, you won’t be charged for the next month. If you’re an annual member, you won’t be charged for the next year.
We don’t offer refunds for payments that have already gone through. But if you choose to cancel, you will retain full access to the membership until it expires on the day it was originally set to renew.
Will I be automatically charged each month / year?
The membership is a subscription. After the 14-day free trial, you'll be automatically charged monthly or annually (depending on which plan you choose). We send you reminders before your annual subscription renews so you don't accidentally forget about it. You can easily cancel by turning off auto-renew at any time in your account page.
How do I restart my membership?
It’s easy to rejoin Pickup Music and we’d be thrilled to have you back! We even saved all of your lessons for you while you were gone on your Dashboard.
To restart your membership, simply head to this page, select the plan of your choice, and sign up with the email address you used to sign up the first time around.
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