Here's an easy way to improve your guitar skills that you can do any time and any place. You don't need any equipment, and best of all it's free.

Pressed For Time?

All you need to work on your guitar skills is your mind. You can use it to practice in those little spare moments of the day, or during activities that don't take much concentration, such as jogging or doing the housework.

Learn to practice with your mind using the exercises described below and you can take advantage of those otherwise wasted moments.

This post shows you the CROW method for setting simple and effective goals for your guitar learning.

The CROW process has two big advantages.

First, it's name makes it easy to remember and use.

No long winded instruction manuals.

Simply check your goals are CROW - Concrete, Realistic, Observable and Worthwhile.

Let's see just what that means...

Remember the Jemsite list for 10 Things I Wish I Knew About Guitars (Before I Bought One)?

A few members came up with their own lists.  Here's one that I found particularly enlightening (and entertaining!) It's by Jemsite member Kotornut (Louie), who came up with this list with his pops while they were talking guitars and perusing some of the cooler features of Jemsite.

Here's what they gave us!

1. Save money now and get a better guitar and more satisfaction later on.
2. Play everything regardless of what's "cool" or not.
3. Amps are as much of a part of the electric guitar as the big sound box on an acoustic is.
4. Decide what your style is and let yourself decide what gear to use not your friends, a forum, guitar teacher or even your guitar hero.
5. Playing better is sounding better.
6. Don't discount the comfort of a guitar in your hands and on your body while playing, just because another one looks "cooler."
7. Is the guitar easy to tune and stays in tune (basic but important)
8. Gold hardware wears off anyways (from my dad, the Gibson Jazzbox player).
9. You will get tired of every color after a while (even swirls).
10. Does the electric guitar have sustain, tone and good harmonics unplugged?

When I asked Jemsite members to post some of the things they wished they knew about guitars (before they bought one), a few members came up with their own 10-point list.  I'm posting a few that I found particularly entertaining.

1. Just because a guitar looks and sounds cool doesn't necessarily mean you will because you buy it.
2. The secret to being an accomplished guitarist is actually playing, not reading about playing,posting about playing or watching others play.
3. If you practice things that are hard for you, it makes everything else you play seem easy.
4. If you practice things that are easy for you, you have just wasted good practice time.
5. If you buy the same guitar back 5 times and still don't bond with it, chances are it is just not for you.(recent experience)
6. When you finally find that holy grail guitar,buying 4 more exactly like it doesn't necessarily mean you will have 4 times the enjoyment.
7. Although it sounds cool,having 20+ guitars is
   
   • A lot of maintenance
   • 20+ pickup choices
   • A lot of string sets
   • 20 more choices than I probably need when deciding what to play
   • Still has nothing to do with being a better player.
8. I know tone is in the hands,unfortunately you can't hear it without a guitar and amp.
9. There is no "magic bullet","ninja scroll" or "top secret formula"to be a guitar master,only practice and hard work.
10. There is a secret to getting along with bandmates and other musicians-don't be an a*****e.

I had a particularly good practice day yesterday where everything felt right. I could play pretty much whatever I wanted and feel the "ease" of it all. I had a sense of “light-fingered-ness”. I was practicing and playing about a half-dozen, new-to-me classical pieces that I’ve learned over the past year or so and have tried to practice with this sense of ease. The pieces I was playing ranged from a couple of lively baroque things — a Bach allemande and a gigue by Robert deVisee — to a romantic era piece by Spaniard, Angel Barrios, to up-tempo jazzy Latin-American classical pieces that I love. I felt hot. I felt like I had them in control and could make them sound like I wanted them to.  

Remember the Jemsite list for 10 Things I Wish I Knew About Guitars (Before I Bought One)?

A few members came up with their own lists.  Here's one that I found particularly enlightening (and entertaining!) It's by Jemsite member Nickcoumbe.

1. Practicing methodically and regularly may sound dull but you will be able to play better quicker and have more fun.
2. Learning to play with other musicians is as important as learning to play scales etc.
3. Tablature is not always right. If it doesn't sound right when you play it, try to make it better
4. Shop assistants in guitar shops don't always know very much about guitars
5. Guitar shops are like dentists. When you find a good one stick with it and go regularly, even if it costs you money each time.
6. Building a custom is never cheaper. It might be better, but it doesn't fundamentally save you money.
7. Play gigs. Otherwise all you are doing is practicing for the sake of it.
8. Everyone's first gig is probably bad. Make sure you play better at each one.
9. Credit cards are not free money. Save up for it, you will appreciate not being in debt more.
10. They are addictive. I really wish someone had told me that.