Archive for April, 2009

The Psych of Waiting

Here’s a video my friends and I made one rainy afternoon as an extra credit project for our Operations Management course (ISOM161) at HKUST.

I know it’s lame… please don’t flame. (ooh that rhymes) We actually made it the day before it was due and the actual filming time was about half an hour and most of the acting/lines was completely improvised.

Recorded with a cheap photo camera. Edited in iMovie on a Mac. The video below is hosted on Vimeo, so it may take some time to load. Alternatively, you can watch it on YouTube.

Guitar Progress

OK, let’s see… I bought my electric guitar, a black Fender Squier Strat (I’m poor), back in October so it’s been over half a year that I’ve had it. Unfortunately, due to lack of time, I’ve played it very little and my improvements have been very marginal. I’ve had quite a lot of time to play during this Easter Break and I still try to fit in a half hour or so on the weekends but it’s been tough. I’m definitely not lacking motivation and I really do want to learn but I spend so little time at home that when I get back at night, it’s way too late to start practicing.

My Fender Squier Strat

Regardless, I’m still learning a lot of new things every time I play and slowly but surely I shall improve and hopefully be able to play a full-length song sometime. Maybe in the summer…

Here’s what I can play. Mind you that I can’t play the full songs but just the main riffs (which are usually just repeated continuously for the duration of the song). Yes. I’m a total guitar noob.

Pink Floyd – Money
Led Zeppelin – Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You
Green Day – Brain Stew (similar riff to “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You”)
Nirvana – Come As You Are
The Rolling Stones – Satisfaction
Oasis – Wonderwall (still needs some work)

And here’s what I’m learning (very very slowly):

Boston – More Than A Feeling
Jimi Hendrix – All Along The Watchtower
Radiohead – Paranoid Android (got the main riff)
Radiohead – Talk Show Host
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine
The US National Anthem (just need to speed it up and make less mistakes)

I also spend some time each practice session just playing around with notes, the tremolo bar and the pentatonic scales. Yeah…