Karl Kerfoot
PRESENTS

Late Beginner Pathway

Take the next step in your guitar journey.

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WHo it's for

Qualified beginners

Take the next step in your guitar journey after you complete our Beginner Learning Pathway.

Time

3 months

Karl Kerfoot will guide you through 6 grades of instruction with daily practice plans and assessments.

Outcome

Solid rhythm & soloing

By the end of this pathway, you'll have entered the world of soloing and have a rock-solid rhythm guitar foundation.

Make it musical

Take the next step

Once you've built your beginner foundation, you're ready for Intermediate Learning Pathway.

What you'll learn

In this music-first Learning Pathway, you'll polish your rhythm guitar foundation and enter the world of soloing.

  • Tackle expressive rhythm guitar techniques
  • Start soloing ASAP (and sound great doing it)
  • Learn how to start making your own music
How it works

Your guided learning pathway

In this 6-week program, Pickup Music's Head of Education Karl Kerfoot will guide you through the core skills you need to leave the beginner level in the dust. You'll tackle dynamic rhythm techniques to bring your chords to life before taking your first steps into the world of guitar soloing.

Drive the Bus

By the end of this grade, you’re going to be much more confident with your strum patterns, your power chords, and the notes on the low E string.

We’ll even get you started on simple lead-guitar playing. Soloing might sound scary, but Karl makes it a breeze.

Hone your skills

In this grade, you’ll journey deeper into the chordal kingodm, continue soloing, and slay the bar-chord dragon.

From punk-inspired power chords to Khruangbin-inspired pentatonic soloing, this diverse grade will give you a little bit of everything to spice up your playing.

Journey on...

For the next leg in your guitar journey, you’ll get acquainted with the blues form, strengthen your strumming, dabble with soloing, and expand your fretting-hand techniques for even greater expression.

This is where you'll really start to hear the magic in your playing as we shift focus to techniques that'll take your from a beginner guitarist to a proper musician.

Grade 4. The guitar is a tiny orchestra

This grade is all about teaching you some alternatives to the basics so you can add variety to your playing and have more control over what your guitar sounds like. You'll learn how to make the most out of the all six strings so you can fill the roll of a drummer, bassist, and melodic wizard all at once.

Grade 5. Solidifying foundations

At this point in the pathway, your rhythm and lead skills will blossoming beautifully. Here, we’ll continue to pour the concrete into your guitar foundation with a smorgasbord of chordal and riff-based lessons.

Grade 6. Intro to Lead

This grade is all about giving you expressive soloing techniques and creative tools to help you improvise like a musician and move on from the “beginner guitarist” mindset.

Curriculum

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

6-Week Plan

Grade 1. Drive the bus

Hone your strumming skills.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Day 7. E-string workout

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

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?!

Final quiz

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

Grade 2. Hone Your Skills

Become a versatile rhythm player and continue taking your first steps into soloing.

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.

Grade 3. Journey On...

Continue building your rhythm and lead foundation.

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.


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.

Grade 4-6.

Take your rhythm and lead skills to new heights, then cap off the pathway with expressive techniques.

Grade 4. The Guitar is a Tiny Orchestra

Learn how to make the most of the six strings at your disposal.

Day 1. The strum slap

Add a percussive element to your strumming with this handy technique that makes playing alone a lot more rhythmic.

Day 2. Sus4 chords aren't sus

Learn how to replace the 3 with a 4 – these moody chords will add a whole new dimension of color to your chordal vocabulary.

Day 3. The rake

Tackle a lightning-fast arpeggiation technique that'll make you sound like a pro.

Day 4. The E major scale

Get acquainted with the center of the music theory universe and build out your soloing vocabulary.

Day 5. The guitar is a tiny orchestra

Today is great example of how you can expand on the basics and become a better player by paying attention to detail. You'll use The Beatles' Something to practice emphasizing different string sets and rhythms.

Day 6. Your first fingerstyle piece (Part I)

Not every song calls for strumming. We’re dedicating today to introducing you to fingerstyle guitar playing.

Day 7. G-string workout

Internalize the G-string notes across your fretboard with a workout session.

Performances

Learn songs to lock in what you've learned in a musical context.

Get feedback

Get personalized advice on your playing from the Pickup team.

Final quiz

Make sure you're ready for Grade 5.


Grade 5. Solidifying Foundations

Keep your foot on the gas as you continue on in your guitar journey. This grade is focused on polishing your rhythm skills with a bit of lead work peppered in.

Day 1. Faith in bar chords

Today, we’ll put your 5th- and 6th-string-root bar chord skills to the test with a track inspired by George Michael’s Faith.

Day 2. Quick-switch power chords (Part I)

Today we venture into the world of pop rock with a track inspired by Olivia Rodrigo and the fast-moving power chords heard on her breakout album Sour. If there’s one tip to keep in mind today, it’s this: You gotta walk before you can run. Starting slowly with these power chords is key to smooth transitions.

Day 3. Quick-switch power chords (Part II)

We’re back for more power-chord madness! While we’re using Olivia Rodrigo for inspiration here, these versatile meat & potatoes chords will enable you to play so many rock and pop songs.

Day 4. Trying triads

Today, you’ll learn about the mighty power of the major triad. Here’s the good news: Since you know how to play bar chords, you already know how to play triads. They exist within a bar chord.

Day 5. Slidin' into a lead line

Get ready to strike n’ slide. Today’s lesson will add an expressive attitude to your single-note riffs.

Day 6. Your first fingerstyle piece (Part II)

Grade 4 is back to haunt you! 👻 Today, we revisit our fingerstyle piece from Grade 4, Day 6.

Day 7. B-string workout

Dial in your b-string familiarity with a workout video.

Performances

Tackle new tunes to apply what you've learned in a musical context.

Get feedback

Get personalized advice on your playing from the Pickup team.

Final quiz

Make sure you're ready for Grade 6.

Grade 6. Intro to Lead

We're shining a spotlight on lead guitar to equip you with expressive techniques and fundamental vocabulary so you can start shredding like the greats.

Day 1. Vibin' with vibrato

Learn how to put a little wiggle on your lines. Vibrato is a core guitar technique that gives your playing a vocal quality and will eventually become ingrained in your playing style.

Day 2. Feelin' bendy

Learn the art of the bend. This is another core soloing technique that every guitarist must conquer on their quest to fretboard freedom.

Day 3. Intro to improvisation

Making up licks on the spot?! Must be magic... or something that's a lot easier than it seems.

Day 4. Intro to CAGED

Meet the map that will unlock your fretboard. The CAGED system will teach you how to solo in any key or style.

Day 5. Palm muting

Add some 'tude to your playing with nothing more than your fretting-hand palm. This technique will enable you to achieve a staccato rhythm in your playing.

Day 6. Putting it all together

Combine the core techniques you've been working on in this grade.

Day 7. The 1234 workout

Cap off the Learning Pathway lessons with one last workout.

Performances

Demonstrate what you've learned in a musical context with two new tunes.

Get feedback

Get personalized advice on your playing from the Pickup team.

Final quiz

Cap off your hard work and make sure you're ready to move on to Intermediate Learning Pathway.

Student stories

Learn how Late Beginner 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

Find out why 20,000 members all over the world love Pickup Music

What’s in every Pickup Music membership?

Start learning – free trial

1,000+ Lessons

All skill levels

Interactive tabs

Track your progress

Daily practice plans

New lessons every week

Choose a plan that's right for you

Start your free 14-day trial today.
Cancel anytime.

Recommended

Annual Plan

All-inclusive access to every course.

$149.99

/yr billed annually

You save $30 per year.

1,426 people started a free trial in the last 30 days.

Annual 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

Get into the holiday spirit with step-by-step guitar lessons covering your favorite songs.

Members-only forum

Unlimited personalized learning support from our team of pro guitarists.

SAVE 17%

Unlimited access for less than 1/2 the price of one private guitar lesson per month.

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%

Save $30

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
  • taking intermediate guitar players and turning them into advanced players

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.
  • We have an extensive library with over 1,000 lessons across most genres for every type of guitarist. This means we have the right learning pathway for your unique starting point and preferred style of playing.
  • Pickup Music lessons are jam-packed with features to enhance your learning experience. This includes interactive TAB, multiple HD camera angles, backing tracks, and extensive course notes. All of this is designed to speed up your learning so you can achieve real results in your playing.  
  • We keep it fresh - we drop new lessons every. single. week. Plus, we're always striving to make each new lesson better than the last.
  • Pickup Music is a supportive and welcoming community. This is the place to connect with fellow guitarists, get feedback, and grow together.

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:

  • 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.

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.

Get your 14-day free trial.

Try it out