Dr. Molly Miller
PRESENTS

CAGED Learning Pathway

Your step-by-step pathway to fretboard freedom.

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WHo it's for

Intermediate guitarists

Know the basics but feel like your playing has hit a plateau? This course will open up your fretboard.

Time

3 months

Molly will guide you through 6 grades of step-by-step instruction with daily practice plans and assessments.

Outcome

Fretboard freedom

By the end of this Learning Pathway, you'll be able to confidently solo across your entire fretboard in any key or genre.

Make it musical

Take the next step

Once you've mastered CAGED, keep progressing with advanced Master Classes and guided pathways.

What you'll learn

The CAGED system is the best method for demystifying your guitar and unlocking your fretboard.

  • Confidently improvise in any key or genre
  • Break out of scale-shape boxes
  • Visualize your entire fretboard
How it works

Your guided learning pathway

In this 3-month Learning Pathway, Dr. Molly Miller will guide you toward fretboard freedom.

CAGED Shapes

In Grade 1, you'll start off nice and easy by building your CAGED foundation with a series of exercises designed to help you map out your fretboard.

Grade 1 consists of seven gradually-paced days. The lessons are suitable for beginners and anyone new to the CAGED system.

Connecting CAGED

Grade 2 is all about demystifying your fretboard. You’ll learn how to get unstuck from positional playing and lay the groundwork to effortlessly solo anywhere on your guitar.

Throughout seven days of lessons, you'll work on connecting CAGED shapes across your guitar with simple melodies.

Major Pentatonic

In Grade 3, you’ll get acquainted with the major pentatonic scale and learn how to connect it across your fretboard through the lens of the CAGED system.

The skills you learn here will enable you to improvise in any key across your entire fretboard. If you properly digest and practice the material in this Grade, your fretboard will really start to open up.

Grade 4. Major & Minor Scales

Learn the major and minor scale through the lens of CAGED. This grade will set you up to tackle advanced soloing concepts in Grade 5.

Grade 5. Minor Shapes

Make the leap from major to minor as you adapt your existing CAGED skills to unlock even more of your fretboard.

Grade 6. Minor Pentatonic Scale

Explore soloing applications for your newfound minor CAGED shape knowledge with the minor pentatonic scale.

Curriculum

Stay focused with this step-by-step learning program designed by our expert team of music educators.

3-month plan

Grade 1. CAGED Shapes

Start mapping out your fretboard by learning the fundamentals of the CAGED system.

Overview

Let's get set up! By the end of this grade, you’ll be able to play all of the CAGED shapes, connect them, and find the root notes in every position.

Day 1. C Shape

Get started by learning the first shape of the CAGED system – the C shape.

Day 2. A Shape

Explore the second shape of the CAGED system – the A shape.

Day 3. G shape

Continue building your CAGED foundation with the almighty G shape!

Day 4. E Shape

Dive into one of Molly’s favorite shapes – the E shape.

Day 5. D Shape

Get comfortable with the final shape in the CAGED system.

Day 6. Connecting CAGED in C

You will synthesize your hard work from the past five days by connecting your CAGED shapes.

Day 7. Final Assignments

Recap what you learned and pass a series of final assessments to make sure you're ready for grade 2.

Grade 2. Connecting CAGED

Continue building your foundation by connecting CAGED shapes with simple musical lines.

Overview

Grade 2 is all about demystifying your fretboard. You’ll learn how to get unstuck from positional playing and lay the groundwork to effortlessly solo anywhere on your guitar. By the end of this grade, you’ll be able to connect the shapes of CAGED in any key. This is where the magic starts to happen!

Day 1. Connecting Shapes in the Key of C

Kick things off by recapping how to connect all the CAGED shapes in the key of C.

Day 2. Connecting Shapes in the Key of G

Explore how to connect the CAGED system in the key of G.

Day 3. Connecting in D

Continue honing your CAGED foundation by connecting shapes in the key of D.

Day 4. Connecting With Lines

Today, you'll work on making things musical by connecting CAGED shapes across you fretboard with melodic fills. Fun!

Day 5. Connecting With More Lines

Work on connecting your E, D, and C shapes. First, Molly will demonstrate in the key of C, then you’ll practice the exercises in G.

Day 6. Connecting the Entire CAGED Cycle

Tie everything together by connecting your entire fretboard with the lines you learned over the previous two days.

Day 7. Final Challenges

Review what you worked on in Grade 2, and take a series of assessments to make sure you're ready to move on.

Grade 3. CAGED Major Pentatonic

Get started with improvisation and soloing by learning to use the major pentatonic scale through the lens of the CAGED system.

Overview

Over the next 10 days of instruction, you’ll get acquainted with the major pentatonic scale and learn how to connect it across your fretboard. This will enable you to improvise in any key across your entire fretboard.

Lesson Part 1

Day 1. C Shape

Start making music with the CAGED system. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to navigate the major pentatonic scale using your C CAGED shape in the key of D.

Day 2. C-Shape Application

Today, you’ll learn licks, jam, and improvise with Molly!

Day 3. A Shape

Explore another major pentatonic position through the lens of your A shape.

Day 4. A-Shape Application

Just like in Day 2, you’ll learn some licks, jam, and improvise with Molly.

Day 5. G Shape

Molly breaks down the major pentatonic scale as it relates to the G shape.

Day 6. G-Shape Application

Work on making the G shape musical and connecting it with the C and A shape scale positions you learned earlier.

Day 7. E Shape

Work on the major pentatonic scale as it relates to the E shape – a crucial one to digest because you’ll use it all the time.

Day 8. E-Shape Application

Ready to rock out on the E shape? Today, you’ll work on connecting it with the C, A, and G shapes.

Day 9. D Shape

Work on connecting the D shape with the C, A, G, and E shapes.

Day 10. D-Shape Application

Follow along with Molly as she recaps how she uses each CAGED shape while improvising, then dive into the day’s exercises.

Lesson Part 2

Day 1. How to Solo Through Positions

To start, you’ll work on jamming in two isolated positions across two strings in the key of C.

Day 2. Add the Top 2 Strings

Let’s keep building on your progress from yesterday by adding your B and e strings into the mix.

Day 3. Add the Bottom 2 Strings

Hit the guitar gym by adding the lower strings into your jamming routine.

Day 4. How to Move Keys (and Get Funky)

Today, you'll work on some funky jams. You'll move up to the key of D while still working in your G and E shapes.

Day 5. Expand to the C and A Shapes (Top 3 Strings)

Today, you'll explore your C and A shapes in the key of D.

Day 6. Expand to the C and A Shapes (Lower 3 Strings)

You’re past the halfway mark! Today, you'll finish off these C and A shapes with the lower three strings.

Day 7. How to Connect Through "C A G E" Positions

Start connecting the four CAGED positions that you've been working on in this grade so far.

Day 8. The Final Countdown/Shape (D Shape)

Conquer soloing with your final CAGED shape!

Day 9. Completing the Puzzle: D Shape – Higher Part

So far, you’ve connected your C, A, G, and E major pentatonic scale shapes. Now, it’s time to fill in the missing piece with your D shape.

Day 10. You Made It! Let's Recap.

Work on a series of improvisational jams to help you tie the past nine days of instruction together.

Grade 4-6. Soloing with CAGED

Take your CAGED skills to the next grade. Put the focus on soloing, apply CAGED to the major scale, learn how to "play the changes", and tackle CAGED through the lens of minor scales.

Grade 4. The Major & Minor Scales

In this grade, you’ll learn the major scale like the back of your hand so you can tackle advanced soloing concepts in Grade 6.

Lesson Part 1

Day 1. How to Play the Major Scale: C Shape

Learn the basic theory behind the major scale and work on applying it to the CAGED system.

Day 2. A-Shape Application

Compare how the major pentatonic scale relates to the major scale within the A CAGED shape.

Day 3. G-Shape Application

Practice the major scale within the G CAGED shape, then apply it in an improvisational context.

Day 4. How to Connect C, A, and G Positions

Work on making things musical by connecting your C, A, and G major-scale CAGED positions.

Day 5. E-Shape Application

Practice the major scale within the E CAGED shape, then apply it in an improvisational context.

Day 6. D-Shape Application

Work on applying the major scale to your last CAGED shape: D.

Day 7. Connecting the Entire CAGED Cycle

Tie the previous days of instruction together and work on connecting the major-scale CAGED positions.

Day 8. Connecting All Positions in the Key of F

Work on connecting your major-scale CAGED positions in a new key: F.

Day 9. Connecting All Positions in the Key of Ab

Work on connecting your major scale throughout the CAGED cycle in Ab.

Day 10. Final Challenges

Review everything you learned and complete a series of technical challenges to ensure you're ready for Grade 6.

Lesson Part 2

Day 1. D to F – Parallel Positions

Learn how to solo across two key centers by using parallel motion.

Day 2. D to F – In Position

Continue working on multi-key soloing by combining scales in one area of the fretboard.

Day 3. D to F – Next Two Positions

Work on two additional fretboard zones to seamlessly weave in and out of different keys.

Day 4. D to F – Final Two Positions

Cap off your hard work combining two key centers with two final fretboard zones

Day 5. D to F – All Positions

Tie together the past five days of instruction aimed at soloing between two key centers.

Day 6. Applying CAGED to I, IV, and V Chords

Learn about macro vs. micro approaches to soloing over an iconic chord progression.

Day 7. How to Apply CAGED to Minor Chords – I IIm

Learn how to find the relative major for any minor chord to fuel your micro approach to soloing.

Day 8. Stepping It Up! – I III7 IV IVm

Learn how to solo over the most difficult chord progression you've seen in this Learning Pathway!

Day 9. Solidify Your Gains: G to Bbmaj7

Lock in your hard work with a final day of practice soloing between two different key centers.

Day 10. Final Challenges

You made it! Recap what you learned, discover next steps, and complete your graduation challenges for Grade 6.

Grade 5. Minor Shapes

In this grade, you’ll build on your knowledge of minor CAGED shapes and arpeggios to map out the entire fretboard. This will make improvising in a minor key so much easier than before.

Lesson Part 1

Day 1. All About Minor

Start off nice & easy with the A minor CAGED shape and an exploration of why it's important to learn CAGED through the lens of minor harmony.

Day 2. C Minor Shape

Tackle the first minor shape in the CAGED cycle: C minor. You'll work on getting comfortable with the shape and practice arpeggiating it.

Day 3. G Minor Shape

Lock a third minor shape under your fingers. Throughout this grade, you'll use a simple trick to get from major to minor by flattening the third.

Day 4. Moving to a New Key

Today, we'll take a breather from new shape memorization and transpose what you learned to a new key! This is a great way to test how well you're absorbing these new minor CAGED shapes.

Day 5. E Minor Shape

Continue your minor shape studies by internalizing and arpeggiating the E minor shape.

Day 6. D Minor Shape

Cap off your hard work with one final minor shape: D minor.

Day 7. Recap and Check-ins

Tie the previous days of instruction together and make sure you're ready to move on.

Lesson Part 2

Day 1. Introduction to linear soloing – Key of C

Achieve a greater sense of freedom and fluidity in your playing using the Key of C

Day 2. Linearinear soloing – Key of E

Start feeling comfortable creating a melodic solo in the key of E.

Day 3. Double stops– Key of Am

Learn how and where to use double stops in your next solo.

Grade 6. Minor Pentatonic Scale

In this grade, you’ll explore soloing applications for your newfound minor CAGED shape knowledge with the minor pentatonic scale.

Day 1. Intro to Minor Pentatonic

Explore soloing applications for the A minor CAGED shape, and learn how the minor pentatonic scale will be your greatest ally as an improvisor.

Day 2. C Minor Shape

Explore soloing applications for the C minor CAGED shape. Learning scale shapes all over again might not be super exciting right at this point, but stick with it! Getting to know the minor pentatonic is going to free you up from constantly calculating every step in relation to major.

Day 3. G Minor Shape

You worked your way through the C minor and A minor shape. Today, you’ll add the G minor shape and explore how to use it in an improvisational context.

Day 4. Moving to a New Key

Today, we'll kick things off by solidifying all minor pentatonic shapes you’ve learned so far – the C, A and G shapes – then, we’ll tackle a new key. Reviewing material is a great way to test your knowledge. It would be easy to move quickly through this grade but if you speed on through, that doesn’t mean you’ll know these scales well enough to use them.

Day 5. E Minor Shape

Gotta catch ‘em all! We’ve got C, A, & G minor and are moving on to E minor today. You’re well on your way to be able to freely navigate the fretboard in any minor key.

Day 6. D Minor Shape

Today, you’ll complete your minor CAGED shape work. After that, all that’s left to do on Day 7 is to put all your new skills to the test.

Day 7. Recap and Check-ins

Tie the previous days of instruction together and make sure you're ready to move on.

Student stories

Learn how CAGED Learning Pathway has helped real guitarists break through their playing plateau and realize their potential.

“My favorite part about Pickup Music is probably nerding out in the forum with everyone. Just knowing you have a creative community to reach out to if you have any questions or you're stuck in a rut.”

Vicki Huang

United States

"I would highly recommend Pickup Music to pretty much anyone who has been playing for a few years and doesn't feel like they are getting better any more."

James Harrod

United Kingdom

“One of the things that's been the most fun for me has been the SongSquad challenges... connecting with other people in the Pickup Music community on Instagram and just encouraging each other as we're learning songs and practicing.”

Vin Thomas

United States

"Pickup Music really helped me push my musical boundaries."

Wytse Hokwerda

Germany

Hear from REAL students

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Frequently Asked Questions

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:

  • taking beginner guitar players and turning them into intermediate players
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How do we do it? 

  • First, we ask you a few questions to figure out exactly what skill level you’re at. 
  • Second, we ask you to commit to a series of Master Classes and Learning Pathways that focus on specific techniques. These comprehensive week-by-week courses are the best way to get your playing to the next level. 
  • Third, we get you to track your progress on your personalized learning dashboard.

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:

  • Pickup Music gives you week-by-week guided learning. This is so important for making progress and getting out of the beginner plateau. Instead of just making you watch a video of an instructor talking about how they play guitar, we break things down for you on a daily and weekly basis.
  • Each daily lesson is accompanied by practice exercises where the instructors play along with you - almost like they're sitting right beside you. This eliminates the guess work so you know exactly what you need to focus on to make real and lasting progress with guitar.
  • Our lessons take you beyond the basics. Most online guitar lessons are good at teaching new guitarists the easy stuff. Pickup Music goes beyond that to help advanced-beginners and intermediate guitarists break through to the next level.
  • Our teachers are the best new and modern guitarists in the world. You'll find touring musicians, professors of music, and virtuosos from every genre to guide you through your guitar journey.
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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.

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Pickup Music's lesson plans are designed to suit the amount of time you have available to practice.

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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.

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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:

  • Play naturally, without thinking about every move
  • Jam with friends and learn their favorite songs quickly.
  • Blast through that beginner level, break out of the intermediate plateau, and start playing like a pro!

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.

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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.

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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 :)

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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.

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Note: Once your membership expires, we'll save your progress on your Dashboard if you decide to rejoin at a later date.

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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.

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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.

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