Your step-by-step pathway to fretboard freedom.
Intermediate guitarists
Know the basics but feel like your playing has hit a plateau? This course will open up your fretboard.
3 months
Molly will guide you through 6 grades of step-by-step instruction with daily practice plans and assessments.
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.
Take the next step
Once you've mastered CAGED, keep progressing with advanced Master Classes and guided pathways.
The CAGED system is the best method for demystifying your guitar and unlocking your fretboard.
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.
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.
Make the leap from major to minor as you adapt your existing CAGED skills to unlock even more of your fretboard.
Explore soloing applications for your newfound minor CAGED shape knowledge with the minor pentatonic scale.
Stay focused with this step-by-step learning program designed by our expert team of music educators.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hear from REAL students
Your Instructor
Dr. Molly Miller
Dr. Molly Miller is one of Pickup Music's most popular instructors. Her acclaimed 3-month CAGED Learning Pathway has helped hundreds of students unlock their fretboards and reach their playing potential.
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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
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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.
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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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