Karl Kerfoot
PRESENTS

Late Intermediate Learning Pathway

Develop the mindset and confidence of an advanced guitarist.

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WHo it's for

Intermediate

This course is for qualified players who have a strong foundation in rhythm and lead guitar playing.

Time

3 months

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

Outcome

Cultivate confidence

Learn how to effortlessly navigate harmony, melody, & rhythm as you bridge the gap to the advanced level.

Keep going

Take the next step

This pathway sets the stage for our most advanced courses that'll truly put your guitar skills to the test.

What you'll learn

Break out of the intermediate plateau by mastering the 3 skills that separate intermediate and advanced guitarists.

  • Harmony: Decode what's going on behind the music.
  • Melody: Express yourself fluently across your guitar.
  • Rhythm: Develop a rock-solid sense of time & groove.
How it works

Your guided learning pathway

In this three-month program, Pickup Music's Head of Education, Karl Kerfoot, will show you how to blast through the intermediate plateau and reach the advanced level. With step-by-step lessons, daily practice exercises, and interactive jams, the path to masterful playing has never been clearer.

The Three Hats

To kick off the pathway, you'll dive right into the three fundamental concepts (that we call hats) that'll take you to the advanced level.

In Grade 1, you’ll learn what it means to serve a song like a pro by wearing your harmony, rhythm, and melody hats.

Hat Fundamentals

Once you’re warmed up with the three hats, it’s time dig in and solidify your foundation.

This grade will have you traversing your guitar in exciting new ways, locking down your rhythm, and locking down some fundamental techniques.

Rhythm Hat

Time to put the focus on rhythm.

In this grade, you’ll learn to navigate 8th- and 16th-note rhythms, how to make the most of playing chords, and what goes into refined rhythm playing aside from strumming patterns.

Grade 4. Harmony Hat

Ready to learn what makes a chord progression tick? In this grade, you’ll learn essential chord theory that you can use to analyze and write chord progressions.

Grade 5. Melody Hat: Scales

Grade 5 continues your quest to become a master melody maker by teaching you how to develop fluency with pentatonic scales and giving you creative methods to bring them to life.

Grade 6. Melody Hat: Arpeggios

This last grade will equip you with new methods of fretboard movement so you can dance around the beat and express yourself fluently like a confident advanced player.

Curriculum

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

3-month plan

Grade 1. The Three Hats

Dive into the three concepts that'll transform your playing.

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 guided practice exercises 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. Get to know the three hats

We'll kick things off with an overview of the three hats you'll wear on your quest to becoming an advanced guitarist: Harmony, rhythm, and melody. Karl will break down a simple approach you can use that'll allow you to navigate any piece of music you encounter.

Day 2. Harmony

Harmony involves the underlying chordal structure of a song. In Day 2, you'll learn how to figure out the chords to a song by ear and determine its form.

Day 3. Melody

When you hear “melody”, you might get ready to throw on some distortion pedal and shred a solo while the rest of the band turns into a backing track. Not so fast! There more to life than soloing. Day 3 is all about how to craft tasteful melodies that serve your song.

Day 4. Rhythm

Wearing the rhythm hat confidently gives you a lot of influence on the vibe and groove of a song. If you take this one off, the music falls apart, and neither harmony nor melody matter much anymore. In Day 4, you'll practice different ways to lock into a groove.

Day 5. F to Gm

In Day 5, we have a fresh tune for your ears that'll help you test out your newly-acquired hats: harmony, melody, and rhythm.

Day 6. F to Gmi (Chord melody)

We'll continue with that song in Day 6 by turning it into a full-blown chord melody.

Day 7. All the hats

To cap off the Grade 1 lessons, you'll tackle another song and tie together what you learned.

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 1:1 personalized video feedback – who said online learning wasn't interactive?!

Final quiz

Cap off the grade with a quiz to make sure you're comfortable with the core concepts covered.

Grade 2. Hat Fundamentals

This grade will have you traversing your guitar in exciting new ways, locking down your rhythm, and fine-tuning fundamental techniques.

Day 1. Not-so-obvious pentatonic boxes

Think the pentatonic scale is just for beginners? Think again! Pentatonic mastery is crucial to becoming an advanced guitarist. Day 1 has us slicing it up in exciting new ways.

Day 2. The 3:2 system (Maj. pentatonic)

Day 2 provides a Funky G7 backdrop for us to stretch out and string-cross our way through. You’ll get a chance to zoom in on techniques like hammer ons, pull offs, and slides that’ll bring your lines to life.

Day 3. The 3:2 system (Min. pentatonic)

Let's make it moody. In Day 3, you’ll get a feel for the 3:2 approach using the minor pentatonic sound… with a slight workaround.

Day 4. Intro to the grid

Here on Day 4, you’ll shift your focus away from melody over to rhythm while getting to know the rhythmic grid.

Day 5. Zoom in on alternate picking

Did you bring your magnifying glass to class? Today, you’ll take an in-depth look at alternate picking.

Day 6. Intro to major triad inversions

Triads are the building blocks behind all chord progression. Knowing how to create and find them across the fretboard opens every cupboard in the chordal kitchen.

Day 7. Visualizing chords, scales and arpeggios

Now that you have the trifecta of chords, scales, and arpeggios under your fingers, this last lesson of the grade will test your skills to see how well it’s all stuck.

Performance pieces

Perform songs that incorporate the concepts you just learned in a purely musical context while jamming with a live-recorded band of pro musicians. Then, submit your performance to the Pickup Music team for 1:1 personalized video feedback on your playing.

Final quiz

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

Grade 3. Rhythm Hat

In this grade, you’ll learn to navigate 8th- and 16th-note rhythms, how to make the most of playing chords, and what goes into refined rhythm playing aside from strumming patterns.

Day 1. The grid (chords)

Guitar teachers like to go on and on about how important it is to practice with a metronome. That’s all good and fair advice, but guess what?! It’s time that you become the metronome! We’ll start our deep dive into rhythm by strumming chords – the nuanced way.

Day 2. 8th-note rests and syncopation

Musicians are storytellers, and it’s crucial to keep your audience engaged. In Day 2, you'll explore exercises inspired by Miles Davis’ playing that teach you how to use rhythm to create memorable phrasing.

Day 3. 16th-note rests and syncopation

We’ve reached the groovy part of the subdivision universe. This is where the pocket reigns supreme. Day 3 will have you locking into the groove, funk style.

Day 4. How to keep it locked

Remember when we mentioned you becoming the metronome? We weren’t kidding. In Day 4, you’ll hold down the groove while the rest of the band drops out.

Day 5. Beat placement

Pssst, we’d like to let you in on a lil’ secret: Time is relative. In Day 5, you'll learn how to put your playing on different points of the rhythmic grid for expressive effect.

Day 6. Dynamic rhythm playing

So often, songs have a simple chord progression while managing to sound anything but boring. Dynamics are a key piece of that puzzle. This lesson will teach you how to breathe life into a simple tune.

Day 7. Workout

We’re rounding out the rhythm workshop with one last workout. Karl will help you review some of the trickier exercises to make sure you’re ready to move on.

Performance pieces

Perform songs that incorporate the concepts you just learned in a purely musical context while jamming with a live-recorded band of pro musicians. Then, submit your performance to the Pickup Music team for 1:1 personalized video feedback on your playing.

Final quiz

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

Grade 4-6. All the Hats

Take two more "hat" deep dives as you polish your playing.

Grade 4. Harmony Hat

Ready to learn what makes a chord progression tick? In this grade, you’ll learn essential chord theory that you can use to analyze and write chord progressions.

Day 1. Essential chord theory (Part 1)

Learn the primary chord types and how they’re built.

Day 2. Essential chord theory (Part 2)

Explore diminished, sus, and add chords.

Day 3. Write a hit song with the numbers system

Get to know an unbeatable chord progression comprehension method.

Day 4. How to learn chord progressions by ear

Turn your ear into a lean, mean music-theory machine.

Day 5. How to analyze a lick

Learn how to decode the theory behind single-note guitar licks.

Day 6. How to play in all 12 keys

Mastery means playing something in any key when the situation calls for it. In this lesson, you'll meet the Circle of 4ths.

Day 7. Workout

Rinse your lessons with an interactive workout.

Performances

Learn songs to lock in what you've learned in a musical context, then get personalized video feedback on your playing from the Pickup team.

Final quiz

Make sure you're ready for Grade 5.


Grade 5. Melody Hat: Scales

Grade 5 continues your quest to become a master melody maker by teaching you how to develop fluency with pentatonic scales and giving you creative methods to bring them to life.

Day 1. Mastering major pentatonic boxes

Conquer the major pentatonic scale across the fretboard.

Day 2. Mastering minor pentatonic boxes

Remember – the pentatonic scale is not to be underestimated. Here, you'll continue on our quest to minor pentatonic mastery.

Day 3. The 3:2 system

With the G major and E minor pentatonic scales fully under your fingers, your next step is to build fluency when shifting between shapes.

Day 4. Polishing hammer ons and pull offs

Hone two essential expressive techniques that'll bring your licks to life.


Day 5. 3-note-per-string major scales

Maximizing and getting the most out of your scales can require a new way of thinking around the fretboard. Metal, prog rock, and jazz guitarists often choose to use 3-note-per-string techniques to ascend and descend their scales faster.


Day 6. Minor scales explained

Minor scales are a dime a dozen at first glance…But beneath each one is a subtle difference that changes the entire sound. In Day 6, you’ll check out three commonly used minor scales and dive deep into what makes them different.


Day 7. Pentatonic workout

Your final challenge of the grade is to show off your mastery of both pentatonic scales across the entire fretboard:

Performances

Learn songs to lock in what you've learned in a musical context, then get personalized video feedback on your playing from the Pickup team.

Final quiz

Make sure you're ready for Grade 6.

Grade 6. Melody Hat: Arpeggios

This last grade will equip you with new methods of fretboard movement so you can dance around the beat with melodies like a total boss.

Day 1. Targeting Chord Tones (R,3,5)

Start arpeggiating the fundamentals. This lesson will show you how triadic chord tones are key to melodic soloing and give you a quick way to access them across a chord progression.


Day 2. Targeting Chord Tones (7,9)

Add some color to your chordal highlighter by targeting 7ths and 9ths.

Day 3. Targeting with bends

The distinction between an intermediate and an advanced guitarist often lies in bends. In Day 3, you’ll level up expression-wise by learning to target your chord tones using this vocal-esque technique.

Day 4. Vertical two-octave arpeggios

Today, you’ll enhance your chordal outlining skills using vertical two-octave arpeggios.

Day 5. Vertical two-octave 7th arpeggios

Today, you’ll add 7ths (major and minor) to your two-octave arpeggio vocabulary.

Day 6. Horizontal arpeggios

Take your 7th chord arpeggio sounds and spread them out horizontally.

Day 7. 7th arpeggio workout

In this last workout, you’ll work through 7th arpeggios to make sure you're ready for the big leagues.

Performances

Learn songs to lock in what you've learned in a musical context, then get personalized video feedback on your playing from the Pickup team.

Final quiz

Cap off your hard work and make sure you're ready to move on to new and exciting things.

Student stories

Learn how Late Intermediate 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

REAL students

Don’t take our word for it, take theirs

What guitarists love about this course

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Annual Plan

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/yr

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Monthly Plan

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Included in your membership:

All-access pass

Learning pathways that get results

Video feedback on your playing

Practice with a live band

Weekly live lessons

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Included in your membership:

All-access pass

Learning pathways that get results

Video feedback on your playing

Practice with a live band

Weekly live lessons

New releases every month

60-day money back guarantee

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Frequently Asked Questions

If your questions aren’t answered below, please chat with us.

Is Pickup Music right for me?

Are you a guitar player who feels like you haven’t made progress in a few months… years… or even decades? 

You’re probably stuck in what’s called the ‘intermediate plateau’. This is very common and can be very frustrating.

What’s the cause? Well, it’s pretty easy to learn the basics on guitar. Learn a few open chords and you can play Wonderwall and hundreds of other songs. Learn a couple of scales and a few licks and you can play some lead. 

But what then? Triads? Modes? Arpeggios? The phrygian scale?!

Without a clear plan and learning system you fall back to playing the same old chords and licks over and over again. Or you bounce around free lessons online but nothing seems to stick. It’s a recipe for a lot of practice without much progress. 

That’s where Pickup Music can help. We specialize in taking players stuck in a guitar rut and turning them into advanced guitarists.

We do this through Learning Pathways that take you on a step-by-step journey towards fretboard mastery. We give you a highly structured system that shows you exactly what to work on each week to make serious progress. 

These Learning Pathways take the guesswork out of your practice routine. You are guided through a proven grade-by-grade system with daily lessons, play-along practice exercises and interactive workouts. 

But it’s not all about theory. We apply everything you learn to real music. That’s why every grade of our Learning Pathways build up to performing a song with a live backing band. This simulates what it’s like to play a real gig, with real musicians. It’s the absolute best way to learn. 

You also get 1:1 video feedback on your playing from our expert instructors and can attend weekly live lessons. This personal feedback makes Pickup Music the closest thing to taking in-person lessons, but at a fraction of the cost.

So does this method actually work? Will you see results in your playing?

The most common thing we hear from new members is that they’ve made more progress with Pickup Music in a few months than in years of teaching themselves. As one member recently told us, “I'm finally seeing progress for the first time in many years”.

Want to hear about other members’ experiences with us? Read our independent Trustpilot reviews.

Is Pickup Music worth the money?

Private guitar 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 will cost you  just $180 for the whole year. 

That works out to 50 cents a day! 

But it’s not just about the money. It’s about not wasting your precious time. It’s about making actual progress on this beautiful instrument. 

By following our proven Learning Pathway system, you can stop wasting your time and effort trying to guess what you should practice next. Our guided programs eliminate the guesswork so you know exactly what you need to focus on each day and week to make lasting progress with guitar.

What makes Pickup Music better than other guitar lesson sites?

Most online guitar lesson sites are very good at teaching one-off songs and licks. Or they get super famous guitarists to record one-hour video lessons talking at length about their particular style and career.

The problem is that these approaches don't stick. They don’t help you to actually get better as a guitarist. You can waste a lot of time bouncing around these types of unconnected, one-off lessons. It’s a recipe for a lot of practice without much progress. 

Pickup Music takes a different approach. We give you a highly structured system that shows you exactly what to work on each week to make serious progress. We take you beyond the basics through a step-by-step journey towards fretboard mastery. 

By following a Pickup Music Learning Pathway, you are getting the most guided way to learn guitar. Over 6 grades, you are taken through daily lessons and practice exercises that carefully explain what’s going on behind the music. 

Each grade then builds up to song performances that apply everything you’ve learned with a live backing band. These challenges - where we simulate what it’s like to play a real gig, with real musicians - is the absolute best way to learn. 

The Learning Pathway method takes the guesswork out of your practice routine. Most guitarists start to see a rapid acceleration in their progress in a matter of weeks.

You can also get 1:1 video feedback on your playing and weekly live lessons. This personal feedback makes Pickup Music the closest thing to taking in-person lessons, but at a fraction of the cost.

Want to hear about other members’ experiences with us? Read our independent Trustpilot reviews.

What exactly do I get from a Pickup Music membership?

When you become a Pickup Music member you get unlimited access to our huge library of lessons:

  • 13 Learning Pathways giving you step-by-step instruction over 3 months
  • 47 Master Classes going deep into different styles over 2 weeks
  • 500+ original songs from some of the world’s best modern guitarists 
  • 100+ essential lick packages to add new flavors to your playing
  • 200+ 5 minute lessons for bite-sized learning. 


You get to enjoy amazing features that create a premium learning experience:

  • day-by-day lessons
  • 1:1 video feedback on your playing
  • weekly live lessons
  • progress tracking
  • interactive TAB
  • multiple HD camera angles 
  • play-along practice exercises
  • downloadable course notes and diagrams
  • quizzes to test your understanding
  • jam tracks with the Pickup Music Live Band
  • exclusive members-only forum, contests and giveaways.

How do the Learning Pathways work?

Learning Pathways are kind of our special sauce here at Pickup Music. They take all the guesswork out of what to practice. 

You get day-by-day lessons, play along practice exercises with your instructor, interactive jams with the Pickup Music live band and you can submit videos of your playing for feedback from the Pickup Music team. 

We designed this system so that you will know exactly what to practice every time you pick up the guitar. This means that even if you only have time to practice with us once a week, you will still make great progress by following a Learning Pathways. 

How often do I need to practice to see results?

Ideally you would practice about three times a week for 30 minutes at a time. But we know that life gets in the way sometimes! So here’s the good news: deliberate practice matters so much more than how often you practice.

After working with thousands of guitarists, we’ve found that the most important thing is to know exactly what you’re going to practice before you pick up the guitar. Even if you can only use Pickup Music a few times a month, you will still make really good progress if you stick to the step-by-step structure of our Learning Pathways.

How long are the lessons? 

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 original Songs  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. 
  • Ready to really commit to a multi-week program? Try one of our Learning Pathways. Over 3 months and 6 grades of learning, 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.

Can I take the lessons at my own pace?

Everything on Pickup Music is designed to be taken at your own pace. There are no deadlines, so you can work at your own speed. You can stay on a topic until you really understand it before you move on.

While we divide our Learning Pathways into ‘days’ - this is a suggestion only. Some learners might take a few days in one sitting, while others will spend a few sessions on a single day. You can go at the pace that feels most comfortable to you.

How does the 1:1 video feedback work?

We want our members to get the closest thing possible to in-person lessons but at a fraction of the cost. That's why you can now get individual video feedback on your guitar playing from our team of expert instructors.

Here's how it works:

  • Choose a performance piece to learn at the end of each grade of a Learning Pathway.
  • Upload a video of yourself playing the performance piece.
  • An expert instructor from our team will review your playing and send you back a detailed video on what you're doing well and what you need to work on.
  • Repeat for each grade of the Learning Pathway.

Want to see a sample? Check out this recent video feedback from Pickup Music instructor Jack Handyside.

Is Pickup Music good for beginners?

Absolutely! We make learning the guitar fun and 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 Pathways. These programs are designed to quickly take you from a beginner player to an intermediate one who feels comfortable across the whole fretboard.

Is Pickup Music good for intermediate and advanced guitarists?

Pickup Music is the best platform available for intermediate and advanced guitarists. Our courses take you beyond the basics to advanced concepts like the CAGED system, triads, arpeggios, modes and improvisation.

The biggest trap for intermediate players is bouncing around from lesson to lesson without a plan or structure to get to that next level. We are known for taking intermediate and advanced players who have hit a ceiling and busting through until they reach the next level.

Am I too old for guitar lessons?

Many of Pickup Music’s members are in their 60s and 70s and have seen amazing success with our programs. Our platform is designed to be user-friendly for all ages and skill levels. And our supportive community is made up of guitar learners of all ages, cheering each other on.

How does the 14-day free trial work? 

When you first sign up to a Pickup Music membership, you enter your credit card but it 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. 

And we send you a reminder before your trial is about to end so you don’t forget about it. 

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.

How does the 60-day money back guarantee work?

In addition to the 14-day free trial, we offer a 60-day money back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with your progress in the first 60 days of your membership, we will give you your money back - no questions asked.

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.

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

What’s the difference between the annual and monthly plan?

The only difference is the price. The monthly membership is $29.99 charged monthly and the annual membership is $179.99 charged once a year. 

That means that if you select the annual plan you will pay 50% less and save $180 over a year compared to the monthly plan. 

We'll also send you reminders before we bill you each year so that you don't accidentally forget about it.

We give such a big discount for annual members because it aligns with our long-term vision to inspire and support lifelong guitar learning.

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 :)

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.

Start free trial