Guitar made fun & simple – the way it should be.
Complete Beginners
Never picked up a guitar before? No problem. This course is designed to get you from zero to beginner ASAP.
2 weeks
Learn at your own pace. Complete the class in 10 days or take it slow and space out the lessons to your liking.
Play any popular song
Build a base for guitar and learn the chords & techniques to play almost any of your favorite songs with ease.
Take the next step
Once you've built your guitar foundation, dive into our full-length Beginner Learning Pathway.
With Scott's music-first approach to learning, you'll start jamming right away. In fact, you'll play your 1st song on Day 1!
Scott will guide you through the fundamentals of guitar so you can have fun jamming and get set up for success in your guitar journey.
Get Set Up
So, you have a guitar... now what?!
For your first guitar lesson, Scott will show you how to hold your instrument and produce beautiful sounds with it. You'll even play your first-ever song!
Chords!
Welcome to your chord bootcamp.
Today, you'll learn eight essential chord shapes that'll set you up to jam along with a ton of popular songs.
The Chord Combination Challenge
Once you're familiar with the essential chord shapes, the next step is to play them in a sequence called a chord progression.
Getting comfortable changing between different chords is an important step toward becoming a rhythm guitarist.
Day 4. Connecting Chords
Learn how to sound great while playing along by linking chords together with lead-guitar licks. In this lesson, you'll connect chords using scales, learn the musical alphabet, and enjoy a sprinkle of music theory.
Day 5. Beginner Blues
Get acquainted with the style that started it all. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to play a 12-bar blues, arpeggiate chords, and jam out on your first blues tune.
Interlude. Power Chords
Are you ready to rock? We hope so, because it’s time to learn power chords. These versatile chord shapes are super common in rock, punk, and a ton of other genres.
Day 6. Campfire Guitar
Get ready to lead the jams at your next bonfire as Scott breaks down how to incorporate rich-sounding chords and syncopated strumming into your rhythm guitar vocabulary.
Day 7. Mapping Your Fretboard
MUSIC THEORY! Did we scare you? Don't worry, today is quick and painless – you'll gain a deeper understanding of your guitar by mapping out key notes on your fretboard with the help of some light theory.
Day 8. How to Use a Capo (to Play in Any Key)
Today, you’ll learn exactly what the heck a capo is and why its every singer-songwriter's best friend. We'll follow up this lesson with a bonus one where you'll learn how to play Tom Petty's Free Fallin'.
Day 9. Popular Songs
It’s time to put your skills to the test with two iconic songs. You’ll learn chords to Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers and Let It Be by the Beatles. Cool!
Day 10. Next Steps
It's your beginner graduation! We’ll wrap up the class with parting advice, next steps, and bonus lessons.
Stay focused with this step-by-step learning program designed by our expert team of music educators.
Days 1-4
Start with the basics: how to hold the guitar, tune it, and play a chord progression.
Day 1. Get Set Up
On Day 1, we start with the absolute basics. You’ll learn the anatomy of your guitar, how to make sure it’s in tune, and how to play your first song.
Day 2. Chords!
Here, you’ll learn eight essential chord shapes that will set you up for success in the rest of the class. Then, we’ll ease into some rhythm and strumming basics. After that, you’ll learn two more songs to cap off the day.
Day 3. The Chord Combination Challenge
You can learn all of the chords in the world, but they won’t get you very far if you can’t transition between them fluidly. Learn how to switch between chords and incorporate 8th-note strumming into your playing.
Day 4. Connecting Chords
Chords are more fun when you connect them with sick licks! On Day 4, we'll start with some practical music theory, then you'll learn how to connect chords using notes from the major scale.
Days 5 & 6
Scott will get you ready to play guitar with other musicians and for your friends.
Day 5. Beginner Blues
Almost all styles of guitar playing have been influenced by the blues. Day 5 brings us to the iconic genre as we explore the basics of blues lead and rhythm.
Interlude. Power Chords
Learn a simple two-note chord that'll allow you to quickly play any chord on guitar.
Day 6. Campfire Guitar
Ready to rock out at your next part? You'll need to know these chords and strumming patterns.
Days 7 & 8
Get to know the fretboard and learn how to play a song in different keys.
Day 7. Mapping Your Fretboard
Memorizing songs will only get you so far. Today, you'll learn how to map your fretboard, which will pave the way for writing your own songs and jamming with other musicians.
Day 8. How to Use a Capo (to Play in Any Key)
A capo is a handy tool that allows you to change the key of any song while playing the same easy chord shapes. Today, you'll learn exactly how to use it.
Interlude Lesson. Free Fallin'
After you learn how to use a capo, Scott will teach you to play Free Fallin’ by the late great Tom Petty.
Days 9 & 10
Learn how to play two iconic songs and wrap up the class with three bonus lessons on fingerpicking, string muting, and hammer-ons.
Day 9. Popular Songs
Learn the chords to Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers and Let It Be by the Beatles.
Day 10. Next Steps
This is your guitar graduation! By this point, you'll have laid a solid foundation to build your guitar skills on and leave with the ability to play the chords to any of your favorite popular songs.
Scott will wrap up with some parting thoughts and resources. Then, he'll introduce three additional bonus lessons on fingerpicking, chord embellishments, and percussive strumming.
Hear from REAL students
Your Instructor
Scott Goldbaum
Looking to learn guitar? You've come to the right place. With an unparalleled knack for making lessons fun and approachable, Scott is one of Pickup Music's most popular beginner instructors.
Explore LessonsStart 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%
All-inclusive access to every course.
If your questions aren’t answered below, please chat with us.
Is Pickup Music right for me?
Do you feel like your guitar playing has hit a plateau?
Are you stuck in a guitar rut where you're just playing the same old chords and licks?
Are you looking for fretboard freedom?
At Pickup Music, we specialize in:
How do we do it?
Finally, we give you support and feedback through an exclusive members community and live practice group sessions with other members. This focused approach to learning guitar will help you bust through the beginner basics, break out of the intermediate plateau, and level up your playing.
This guided learning approach is the fastest way to make real progress on the guitar.
What makes Pickup Music better than other guitar lesson sites?
We're glad you asked! So many things:
What's included in my Pickup Music membership?
Everything! You’ll have unlimited access to every lesson on Pickup Music from every instructor. That means every Learning Pathway, Master Class, SongSquad, Licks Package, 5-Minute Lesson... we could go on, but you get the idea. It's an all-inclusive membership for one affordable price.
How long are the lessons? How long will it take me to complete them?
Pickup Music's lesson plans are designed to suit the amount of time you have available to practice.
Only got a few minutes? Try our 5-Minute Lessons to quickly add a new skill to your toolbox.
Got half an hour? Try one of our Essential Lick Packages or SongSquads to expand your vocabulary in different genres.
Got a couple of days? Try a Master Class with one of our world-renowned artists. Each class is broken up into short, digestible modules focused on one topic. We encourage you to complete the exercises for each lesson video before moving on to the next one because the lessons typically build on each other.
Ready to really commit to a multi-week program? Try one of our Learning Pathways. Over 6 weeks, these detailed courses will take you on a day-by-day journey to master each level in the genre. Learning Pathways include daily practice exercises so you know exactly what to focus on. These courses are the best way to make lasting progress.
Whichever approach you choose, we recommend building the exercises you learn into your daily practice schedule. The best way to improve as a guitarist is through a consistent practice routine rather than sporadic, longer sessions. Learning guitar is a day-by-day, life-long journey!
I'm brand new to guitar. Is Pickup Music the right choice for me?
Absolutely! We make learning the guitar made fun & simple – the way it should be.
Too many people get frustrated with guitar because they develop bad habits and poor technique. Avoid these costly and time-consuming mistakes by taking Pickup Music's structured and step-by-step approach to learning guitar.
You'll start with Pickup Music's introductory program Beginner Learning Pathway. Over three weeks, we break down everything from simple chords and melodies to rhythm and lead playing. By the end of the program, you'll be able to play any simple pop or rock song (and even write your own).
Most importantly, we make sure you don't get stuck in the beginner's plateau - a common pitfall for guitarists who are just starting out. You'll keep making progress through Pickup Music's guided Learning Pahtways. These programs are designed to quickly take you from a beginner player to an intermediate one who feels comfortable across the whole fretboard.
What the difference between the annual and monthly plan?
The only difference is that the annual plan saves you $30 a year.
Both options come with a free 14-day trial. That means, we won't charge your card for the first 14 days - you can cancel anytime before then.
With an annual membership, we bill you once a year up-front, and you save 17% as a result. We'll send you reminders before we bill you each year so that you don't accidentally forget about it.
With the monthly membership, you pay month to month. It's a subscription, so we bill you each month until you cancel.
Cancelling your plan at any point is very easy to do online - no tricks, emails, or phone calls required. Just click a button on your account page.
Is a Pickup Music membership worth the money?
When you first start learning guitar, it's okay to bounce around with random free lessons on YouTube and searching for TABs online.
That approach is going to make you an OKAY guitar player, but it's not going to help you take that leap to becoming a serious guitarist - a player who can:
To become a serious guitarist, you need a clear learning pathway to get to the next level. You need to free your mind and unlock your fret board - you can do this with Pickup Music's expert step-by-step instruction. Having this clear learning pathway is key to making real progress on the guitar.
What about the price? Is it worth it?
Private lessons will cost you about $50 per lesson or $2,600 a year. Going to a music academy will cost you about $40,000 a year.
A Pickup Music membership costs just $150 for the whole year. That works out to 41 cents a day!
Signing up for a Pickup Music membership also means that you can stop wasting your time and effort trying to guess what you should practice next. Our guided programs eliminate the guess work so you know exactly what you need to focus on each day and week to make lasting progress with guitar. This will increase your efficiency and speed up your progress.
Is it easy to cancel?
Absolutely! You can cancel at any time (although we'd be sad to see you go). Cancelling is easy, no tricks. Just go to your account page and click a button.
You won't be charged anything if you cancel during your 14-day free trial.
If you cancel after your 14-day trial, you won't be billed again at your next billing cycle. Your membership will remain active until it expires on the day it was originally set to renew.
Once your membership expires, you will no longer have access to the classes you were enrolled in during your time as a member, but you can easily restart your membership at any time. Just log in to your account and renew a monthly or annual membership to pick up where you left off.
Can I buy lessons individually?
We don’t sell lessons individually. But the good news is you get access to every single lesson on Pickup Music through the one membership. If you’re only interested in one lesson, you could purchase a monthly membership and cancel when you’ve finished it – we have a hunch you’ll want to stick around though :)
Can I cancel my membership at any time?
Yes! All you have to do is click a button on your account page. No tricks, no emails, no calls. It's a straightforward process.
You won't be billed again at your next billing cycle. Your membership will remain active and you'll continue to have access to the site until your membership expires on the day it was originally set to renew.
You can easily restart your membership at any time. Just log in to your account and renew a monthly or annual membership to pick up where you left off.
Note: Once your membership expires, we'll save your progress on your Dashboard if you decide to rejoin at a later date.
How does the 14-day free trial work? What is your refund policy?
Your credit card won't be charged for the first 14 days
When you first sign up to a Pickup Music membership, your credit card will not be charged for 14 days. That means that if you decide to cancel within 14 days of signing up, you won't pay anything.
If you decide to cancel after that, you won't be charged at your next billing cycle
That means: if you’re a monthly member, you won’t be charged for the next month. If you’re an annual member, you won’t be charged for the next year.
We don’t offer refunds for payments that have already gone through. But if you choose to cancel, you will retain full access to the membership until it expires on the day it was originally set to renew.
Will I be automatically charged each month / year?
The membership is a subscription. After the 14-day free trial, you'll be automatically charged monthly or annually (depending on which plan you choose). We send you reminders before your annual subscription renews so you don't accidentally forget about it. You can easily cancel by turning off auto-renew at any time in your account page.
How do I restart my membership?
It’s easy to rejoin Pickup Music and we’d be thrilled to have you back! We even saved all of your lessons for you while you were gone on your Dashboard.
To restart your membership, simply head to this page, select the plan of your choice, and sign up with the email address you used to sign up the first time around.
Get your 14-day free trial.