Monthly Archives: August 2021

Pickup Music R&B Techniques in 7 Days TUTORIAL

Learn iconic R&B techniques and advanced concepts to level up your chord progressions and become a more expressive guitarist.

R&B Techniques in 7 Days
Join Melanie as she pulls back the curtain on the tools and techniques that fuel her unique R&B playing style and viral guitar videos.

Get Melanie’s iconic sound under your fingers
Classic R&B backbeat vibes? Check. Lighting-fast embellishments? Check. Whammy bar? Double check.

There’s no guitarist quite like Melanie Faye.

In this unique Master Class, she breaks down essential R&B techniques and advanced concepts that will equip you with a fresh outlook on your playing through the lens of R&B guitar.

You’ll start the class with Melanie’s extensive R&B toolkit, where she walks you through fundamental techniques in a way that will ramp up the expressiveness of your playing.

Then, she incorporates those techniques in 7 chord progression breakdown lessons for your learning pleasure.

Here’s what you’ll work on:

• Learn how to play and sound like Melanie
• Give your guitar an expressive, vocal quality
• Master chordal R&B techniques that you can incorporate in your songwriting
• Understand how common R&B chord progressions work
• Meet your mentor

Melanie is an Atlanta-based guitarist, bassist, producer, and songwriter who first captured the world’s attention in 2017. After taking the digital world by storm with her viral guitar videos, Melanie’s playing has been lauded by John Mayer, Quincy Jones, H.E.R., and other legendary musicians.

In addition to working with major guitar brands, Melanie has performed with Willow Smith, Noname, Maggie Rogers, Hayley Williams, Cautious Clay, Jamila Woods, Masego, and Mac DeMarco.

Who is this class for?
This class is best suited for intermediate and advanced guitarists, but motivated beginners can benefit from the R&B toolkit at the beginning of the class.

What do I need to know before starting this class?
You do not need to know much about R&B or neo soul to benefit from this class. However, to get the most out of the following lessons, you’ll need to have some basic theory under your belt.

At a minimum, you should know an intermediate-level of open and moveable chord shapes, basic embellishments (like hammer-ons and pull-offs), common blues and rock progressions, as well as the numbers system. Knowing major scale modes will be helpful, but you don’t need to know melodic minor modes.

We’re with you, every step of the way.
You’ll complete this class alongside our international community of Pickup Music members. With unlimited learning support from our team of master’s-level educators, we’re here to answer your questions and provide unlimited guidance as you progress through your guitar journey.

Ready to level up?
Let’s get started!

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Pickup Music Introduction To Blues Guitar TUTORIAL

Learn the genre that started it all. This Master Class is the most effective way to equip yourself with the skills needed to become a quality blues player.

Introduction to Blues Guitar
In this introductory Master Class, Seth Rosenbloom will teach you how to play like BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and John Mayer by developing foundational blues rhythm and lead playing skills.

Why learn the blues?
Rock and many other popular styles of music have their roots in blues. Developing a solid understanding of how to play blues guitar will make you a better player no matter what style you play by honing your phrasing, articulation, and technique. Most importantly, learning blues guitar will teach you how to be a better musical storyteller.

What you’ll learn
Seth Rosenbloom and our team of master’s-level music educators will walk you through a curriculum that covers everything you need to know to get started with the blues – from the basic theory to the most helpful techniques and concepts. By the end of this class, you’ll be able to jam and solo on any blues song.

In Part I, we’ll lay down our foundation with some core concepts like playing with feel, basic blues terminology, and two lessons on the 12-bar blues form.

Then, we’ll continue building that foundation in Part II. with an exploration of blues rhythm playing. Here, Seth introduces a series of beginner, intermediate, and advanced chord shapes for every level of guitarist. Once you have those chord shapes down, you’ll put them into context with a series of practical chord progressions. We’ll wrap up this section with lessons on shuffle riffs, turnaround chord progressions, and how to get a great blues tone.

In Part III, we’ll start our exploration into blues soloing by examining the most common scales and arpeggios used in blues improvisation. There are some great lessons on chord and color tones in here that you should check out.

In Part IV, you’ll learn what separates a decent blues solo from a great one. Here, Seth breaks down how to use phrasing, dynamics, bends, and vibrato to tell a compelling musical story. After that, it’s time to put your newfound soloing skills to the test with three blues jam tracks in Part V.

If you just want to learn licks like the greats, Part VI. has everything you need. Here we have a whopping sixty blues licks that will give you insight into how B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer, and Eric Clapton approach blues soloing. Finally, we’ll wrap up with three original SongSquads by Seth for your learning pleasure.

What’s included:

• 40+ HD videos
• PDF class handbook
• TAB and notation for all examples
• Backing tracks and 3 SongSquads

Who is this class for?
Whether you’re brand new to the blues or have already dabbled in it, this course will give you everything you need to start down the path of playing blues guitar. This Master Class is best suited to beginner and intermediate guitar players of all styles. Even if you’re not interested in strictly playing the blues, the lessons in this course are applicable to a range of different styles including rock, jazz, funk, and more.

Tips for learning
This course is extensive! If you’re brand new to the blues, it will serve as your mentor for a long time to come. Make sure you give yourself time to properly digest each concept and apply it to your playing style. Intermediate players who are looking to brush up on their blues skills can feel free to jump around to more advanced lessons.

Meet your instructor
Seth Rosenbloom is a young lion of blues guitar. He’s an expert teacher and highly-regarded blues player who tours clubs across the US. Over the years, he has developed a unique approach to teaching blues guitar that ties generations of styles together into a modern and adaptable technique.

Ready?
We’re excited to get you started on your blues journey. Let’s go!

Links

Pickup Music Introduction To Classical Guitar TUTORIAL

Join award-winning classical guitarist and expert educator Evan Taucher as he walks you through the fundamentals of classical guitar.

Introduction to Classical Guitar
Introduction to Classical Guitar is your complete guide to a vastly underrated playing style.

What you’ll learn
Through Evan’s laser-focused approach to classical guitar, you’ll build the foundational skills needed to effortlessly navigate your fretboard and perform advanced songs with ease. We worked hard to structure this class so that you can focus on learning and improving, right away.

Before you start playing, it’s important to get set up for success. In Part I, Evan talks about the basic tools and ideas that go into classical guitar. You’ll learn about proper posture, nails, sound, and which guitar you need to get started. The good news is that you don’t need to run out and buy an expensive nylon-string guitar to take this class. The lessons can be played on electric and acoustic guitar.

In Part II, we’ll shine a spotlight on your plucking hand. After Evan gets you set up with proper positioning, you’ll learn arpeggio patterns, string crossing, and how to develop finger independence.

The biggest mistake beginner classical guitarists make is playing with too much tension in their hands. In Part III, we’ll shift focus to your fretting hand and resolve that issue. The lessons in this section will help you traverse the fretboard with ease and play with a light touch (valuable skills for guitarists in any style!) After a fun interlude lesson on Evan’s favorite chromatic warmup exercise, we’ll move on.

In Part IV, we’ll tie everything you learned together with lessons and exercises to help you coordinate your plucking and fretting hands. First, you’ll learn how to prepare your plucking-hand fingers for each note they’ll play with a series of exercises that get progressively more difficult. Then, Evan introduces legato string crossing and dynamics into the equation.

Finally, we’ll wrap up with four original SongSquads for you to learn along with a bonus lesson on a flamenco guitar technique called extensor rasgueado.

Who is this class for?
No matter what genre of music you most identify with, the techniques you’ll learn in this class will make you a better guitarist. Whether you’re a beginner classical player or seasoned electric guitarist, this Master Class is a versatile resource you can use to improve your technique and facility across all genres of music.

What’s included:

• 40 HD video lessons
• Notation for all exercises
• Four original pieces to learn
• 10,000 word PDF handbook
• Taught by a world-class educator
• Unlimited access to all lessons on pickupmusic.com
• Tips for learning

This class won’t teach you how to conquer classical guitar in a few months. In fact, some of these concepts will take you years to really get the hang of. What this class will do, however, is provide you with an expertly-crafted and easily-navigable pathway to master fundamental classical guitar techniques at a collegiate level

The exercises in this class are designed to isolate individual aspects of your playing, and each lesson builds on the last one, so make sure you really get the hang of each concept before moving on. Start slow and build speed over time.

Your teacher
Evan Taucher is a masterful classical guitarist and expert educator. He has performed internationally in the US and Europe and studied with legends in the classical guitar community. Most recently, he was chosen as one of six in the world to perform and study with the prolific Cuban composer Leo Brouwer in Banff, Canada. He’s also been featured in Guitar Player Magazine, ClassicFM, and Tonebase.

Let’s go!
Ready to get started? Let’s dive in!

Links

Pickup Music Funk Guitar TUTORIAL

Get some groove into your life. In this Master Class, you’ll learn fingerstyle funk guitar from Instagram guitar phenomenon, Nicole Cerminara.

Funk Guitar
This Master Class covers the exact fingerstyle funk techniques Nicole uses in her videos that have gone on to achieve viral success and rack up hundreds of thousands of views.

What will you learn?
In this Master Class, Nicole will teach you essential funk techniques, riffs, and licks that will funk-ify your playing in a big way.

In funk, rhythm is everything. Nicole starts Part I. with the basic tenets of funk and introduces foundational concepts including tone, rhythm, and chords.

In Part II, you’ll learn five exercises based on Nicole’s infectious brand of fingerstyle funk. You’ll learn techniques like muting & pulling, slapping, raking, dual-riff thumping, and bluesy double stops that will help you level up your rhythm game. As you move on to Part III, you’ll double down on rhythm with exercises to develop your picking-hand technique.

To wrap up, it’s time for the really fun stuff. In Parts IV. & V, Nicole breaks down her top 10 funk riffs and provides five original SongSquads for your learning pleasure.

Who is this class for?
This class is designed for both intermediate and advanced players who want to master Nicole’s signature approach to funk guitar. You can use the lessons as a way to add new flavors and ideas to your unique playing style.

Tips for learning
If you’re just looking for some quick licks and concepts to add to your playing, feel free to jump around the course. There’s a ton of jam-ready material throughout. As always, we recommend taking your time with the lessons – explore how you can adapt each lick, concept, or technique to your own playing style.

Meet your instructor
Before her captivating Instagram videos launched her into the upper hemisphere of the online guitar community, Nicole Cerminara got her start as a singer-songwriter in her home base of Niagara Falls at the age of 15.

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Pickup Music Guitar Flow TUTORIAL

Through his iconic musical and visual style, Ruben Wan has carved a name for himself as a powerful player in the international guitar community. Now, it’s your turn to learn Ruben’s signature sound.

Guitar Flow
This Master Class will equip you to write your most impressive riffs yet.

What you’ll learn
Throughout the class, Ruben teaches you the exact techniques, licks, and concepts he uses in his viral guitar videos. Buckle up, because there’s a ton of lesson content for you to work through in this Master Class, and it’s all gold.

In Part I, Ruben introduces a series of picking techniques and top exercises designed to unlock the minor pentatonic scale and refine your overall playing ability.

If you follow Ruben on Instagram, you might recognize the gospel influence in his sound. In Part II, he introduces colorful gospel chord shapes and breaks down the harmonized major scale.

Looking to tune up your songwriting? Jump to Part III, where Ruben covers a series of quick songwriting tips to spice up your compositions, including first inversions, chords with added 9’s, twinkling lead lines, and more.

In Parts IV. & V. Ruben pulls back the curtain on some of his best songs and licks with a walkthrough of his top Instagram videos and five licks for a variety of musical situations. Finally, in Part VI, Ruben presents four original SongSquads for your learning pleasure.

Who is this class for?
The class is suitable for both beginner players looking to learn foundational techniques and advanced players who are new to Ruben’s signature blend of neo soul swagger and technical precision. Beginners may find some lessons more difficult than others, so feel free to skip around and explore all that the class has to offer.

Tips for learning
There’s so much you can do with this class. Use it to add new flavors to your playing, take a weekend to hone your compositions skills, learn your favorite tune of Ruben’s, or workshop key guitar techniques. The choice is yours.

As always, this class won’t benefit you if you don’t use it correctly. There’s months (even years!) of material to practice in here. Take each lesson step by step, and give yourself time to absorb the techniques and concepts you’re learning. Regular practice over a long period of time is the key to success!

Meet your instructor
Ruben is a graduate of the Musician’s Institute, where he studied with legendary guitarists including Jan Ozveren, Adam Hawley, Dan Gilbert, and Carl Verheyen. His performance resume includes stage time with Allie Sherlock, Ryan Tedder, Elijah Blake, Grace Sewell, Elisia Savoca, and Kimiè Miner.

Let’s go!
Ready to level up your playing? Let’s dive in.

Links

Pickup Music Gospel Guitar TUTORIAL

Join pro touring guitarist Isaiah Sharkey as he teaches you gospel guitar concepts and how to find your voice as a musician.

Gospel Guitar
Developing your voice is an essential part of your journey as a musician. In this unique Master Class, you’ll learn gospel guitar and how to craft your own unique sound. These are the same techniques that Isaiah uses when he’s touring and recording with artists like John Mayer and D’Angelo.

What you’ll learn
Isaiah deconstructs his approach to feel, rhythm, and gospel quartet music in 45 video lessons and an accompanying class handbook. This class places a central focus on using concepts instead of licks as the best approach to develop your voice as a guitarist.

In Part I, Isaiah walks you through some recommended listening, how to play what you hear, and the importance of turning licks into concepts. This section also includes an advanced improvisation by Isaiah along with fascinating bonus lessons on touring with John Mayer and quartet playing.

Next, Isaiah breaks down how to improve your chordal skills. In Part II, he’ll walk you through how to best learn your guitar neck, play chords across the fretboard, and add melodies to chords. This section is packed with material including a breakdown of the influence that “Spanky” Alford had on Isaiah’s playing. After challenging you to learn Isaiah’s unique arrangement of Amazing Grace, we’ll finish up this section with two interlude lessons on George Benson’s picking technique and a discussion on how to develop rhythm and feel.

The fun really begins in Part III. In this section, Isaiah breaks down five of his most popular YouTube videos (tabs included as always.) After a quick interlude lesson on how to prepare for a session, we’ll wrap up the class with Part IV: lessons on three songs from Isaiah’s album Love is the Key.

Who is this class for?
This Master Class is suitable for guitar players at any level. What’s unique about Isaiah’s approach to teaching is that he focuses on simple, overarching concepts rather than complex licks and exercises.

Tips for learning
Isaiah is a true master of his instrument. For this reason, we highly recommend watching every lesson from start to finish. If you take the time to absorb and incorporate them, the points he reinforces throughout the class will have a profound impact on your musical journey.

Meet your instructor
Isaiah Sharkey is one of the world’s leading guitarists. He won a GRAMMY in 2015 for his work on D’Angelo’s album Black Messiah and has worked with an enviable roster of artists, including John Mayer, Paul Simon, Lala Hathaway, Chris Dave, Lupe Fiasco, Kelly Price, and many others.

Let’s go!
Ready to look inward and find your voice? Let’s get started!

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