Let’s assume you’re ready for rock stardom. You’ve financed the world tour, grabbed the groupies and printed the t-shirts. Now you just have to learn to play an instrument. How about guitar?
You’ve probably played around with a guitar in the past, and may remember a few nice riffs or some basic chords. Aside from being an essential part of every rock band in history, this instrument is lightweight, versatile and suitable for almost any musical genre. Like a piano, a guitar can produce both single notes and harmonized chords. Although the combination of six strings and a neck full of frets producing these notes can be intimidating, don’t despair. Learning to play is easier than you might think. Many popular, classic songs are composed of just three chords arranged in a catchy way. Assuming you already know a few chords, the next step on the road to becoming the new Jimi Hendrix is to string them together.
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Building on your basic knowledge, this four-part tutorial from iVideosongs will teach you how chord transitions work. You’ll learn how guide and pivot fingers are used to produce the best-sounding notes with the least amount of effort. Whether you’ve mastered a few Dylan songs or never played more than a C chord, you’ll be surprised how quickly a few tips can improve your playing. With practice, patience and a little help from our expert tutors, you’ll be playing along in no time at all.
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Moving smoothly from one chord to the next is a crucial skill for any budding guitar player. While most would-be rock stars have no problem picking up a few chords, learning to switch between these chords quickly can be a career-halting challenge. This video introduces the guide and pivot techniques, two strategies that use minimal finger movement to produce seamless transitions between chords. Click on the next video to see the pivot technique in action.
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Most beginning guitarists remove their fingers from the neck when switching chords. While this may occasionally produce a dramatic pause, it’s more likely to inspire awkward silence. Here’s where the pivot technique comes into play. In the pivot technique, one finger remains at the same fret during a transition, functioning as a pivot for the rest of the fingers. For example, the index finger is in the same location in a G chord as in an E minor; leaving it in one place saves time and effort, producing a better transition at a quicker pace.
But what happens if you need to switch between two chords with no common note? Watch the next video to find out.
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Using the pivot finger technique reduces the time it takes to switch between chords with common notes – but what happens when two chords have no note in common? In this scenario, the guide technique is your best bet. This technique uses one finger as a leading point, or guide, for other fingers to follow. For example, moving from a D7 to a G chord becomes much less difficult when you use your third finger to guide the rest of your fingers along the fingerboard.
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So far, you’ve learned how to use the pivot finger for some transitions and the guide finger for others. Now it’s time to combine these techniques into a foolproof strumming strategy. Building on transitions from the previous videos, this segment demonstrates how shifting between pivot and guide finger transitions allows fluid movement from one chord to the next, producing an almost effortless chord progression. After you’ve mastered these chord transitions, you’re ready to click to the next page and learn some more advanced guitar techniques.
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Publication Date: February 25, 1998
Industry: Energy & Natural Resources
Source: Harvard Business School
In 1996, Unocal Corp. joined forces with the French Total company to construct an ambitious natural gas pipeline from the Andaman Sea across the southern tip of Burma and into Thailand. At an estimated cost of $1.2 billion, the pipeline was designed to bring sorely needed energy supplies into both Thailand and Burma, and to serve as a linchpin for Unocal’s expanding Asian strategy. Soon after the deal is launched, however, officials from Unocal find themselves entangled with far-sweeping political forces and activist groups that span national borders. Because of its involvement with the SLORC, Burma’s military leadership, Unocal is being accused of complicity in a whole series of human rights abuses, including slavery and possible genocide. Chairman John Imle must decide how to respond to these accusations, and whether Unocal needs to rethink or restructure its operations in the face of growing international pressures.
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CORE FOODS: To Withdraw or Not to Withdraw CORE Meals?
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Publication Date: June 01, 2017
Industry: Food & Beverage
Source: North American Case Research Association (NACRA)
On April 12, 2013, Corey Rennell, the founder and CEO of CORE Foods (CF), was faced with the decision of whether or not to withdraw $100,000 worth of CORE Meals from distributors and retailers who had purchased product from the last production run. The company’s product, CORE Meals, was a meal replacement nutritional bar made from high quality, organic, mainly plant-based ingredients that were minimally processed. Since the products did not use preservatives, CORE Meals lasted only a week without refrigeration, one month when chilled and six months frozen. The company had recently switched to a new type of oats, one of the main ingredients in CORE Meals. However, within weeks, the company received complaints from customers about a spicy cayenne-like after-taste, something that was not evident during the initial product testing. While the after-taste was not a health issue warranting a mandatory product recall, Rennell and his team felt it would be a “disservice to consumers if they sold something that had a different aftertaste from what they were used to.” A decision as to whether or not to withdraw may come at a high cost to the brand and/or the bottom line. What were the alternatives? And what action(s) should Rennell and his team take going forward that was both in keeping the company’s ethos as well as maintaining its financial viability?
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Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows
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Publication Date: November 01, 2011
Industry: Healthcare
Source: Kellogg School of Management
A midwest hospital purchases new CT Scanners which are much faster than the existing technology. Processes in the radiology department are optimized to the older, existing scanners, and technicians are unable to take full advantage of the new scanner speed. The hospital finds itself working to change the processes to suit the new scanners capabilities and take full advantage of their speed.
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Publication Date: January 18, 2019
Industry: Transportation
Source: Harvard Business School
Railroad magnate Jay Gould, a controversial figure in the history of U.S. capitalism, was a disruptive influence on an industry that had previously relied on formal and informal agreements to move traffic long distances across lines operated by different companies. Gould and his competitors replaced these agreements with consolidation and system-building, a process which led to the rise of government regulation of railroads in the 1880s and to widespread railroad bankruptcies in the 1890s. This case explores the growth of early American railroads, places Gould’s career in context (including his famous attempt to corner the U.S. gold market), and demonstrates the implications of his activities on competitive dynamics in the railroad industry.
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