The C Chord

This chord can also be quite a challenge...

This one is a bit of stretch for some hands, but it is a very commonly-used chord, and again, it just takes practice to get right. Those of you with large fingers might think this one is impossible when you start, but it will work, it's just going to take you a bit of time to place your first finger just right. I have seen quite a few private students over the years with short fat fingers playing this chord perfectly, and so I know it just takes practice!

Now you will C a new stretch

C Chord can also be quite a challenge because of the finger stretch involved.

Be particularly careful with C to make sure that you get all the notes clear. Strum, pick out and strum again. The 3rd finger will often mute the D (fourth) string, so watch out for that!

A couple of tips if you are really struggling: Try pointing your thumb away from your face, and place it further toward the nut, toward the top of the neck (NOT over the top of the neck), probably about opposite your first finger. This should let your fingers be at a little more of an angle and help them get the stretch, as shown above.

Because everyone has different shaped hands and lengths of fingers, the C chord always looks a little different for different people. Some people have their fingers more or less angled, and there is a huge variation in thumb placement between different people. The trick here is to find the method that is best for you that keeps all the notes clear and keeps the thumb behind the neck (you can bring it over later but I strongly discourage beginners from doing this!).

Stretching between the 2nd and 3rd fingers just does not work: our hands didn't evolve to do that, it's not practical, so avoid trying to do it.

Moving On...

Next we're going to learn the names of strings.