FROM THE AUTHOR: If you disagree, keep it kosher. We’re just talking guitars.
If you’re like me, you would love to spend more time playing guitar.
Or at least you’d like to figure out how to be more productive[1] with the time you already spend. Because even if you get to play sporadically, it doesn’t always feel like you’re accomplishing anything.
It’s possible that you’re not.
For most, the tendency when picking up the guitar is to “fiddle” or jam whatever song is in our heads.[2] We seldom tackle the instrument with intentionality and aggression, unless we have a lot of time to play.
The problem is, we usually don’t have more than 15 or 20 minutes.
So I’ll show you how to make the most of that time—and to improve—even if you don’t have hours to spare.
We’ll cover four specific practice methods[3] you can use to improve your guitar playing. And none of them take much time.
1. Play Through a Loose-Fitting Pentatonic Scale
First up is what I’m calling the “loose-fitting pentatonic scale.” That means we’re looking to practice the general pentatonic shape or sound, which should be familiar to you. Here’s the structure:
This shape is what many blues and rock lead patterns are derived from. Learn it, then practice your own variations for five or ten minutes at a time.
Perhaps something like this:
Change keys, use different techniques or just work on your speed. The better you are at improvising and navigating this shape, the better your foundational lead play will be.
And the details don’t matter as much. As long as you’re practicing the shape, you’re doing something worthwhile and substantive.
2.