How do I play the C chord?

The C chord is very important on guitar as it seems to be in almost every guitar song! C is a good, well balanced guitar chord but it’s not the easiest shape for beginner players. Here’s some handy tips to help you improve playing your C chord.

Making C sound good: start with the ‘baby C’ three-string shape. Place your index finger close to the 1st fret on the 2nd string, up on the fingertip. Give it a light strum to hear if each of the strings is clear. If this sounds okay then add the middle finger to the 4th string, 2nd fret and make sure it’s not muting the open 3rd string. If these notes are all clear then add your ring finger to the 5th string, 3rd fret and strum slowly across the strings to hear the chord fully. The six-string C form is a C with a low G added on the 6th string. It’s a great sounding chord, especially on steel-strings but doesn’t suit all progressions. It works best in the keys of C and G, depending on the feel of the song. It produces a strong sound and best suits Rock rhythm songs.

Can you hear all the notes in the five-string C form? Here’s an arpeggio-picking exercise using the first three shapes shown above. An ‘arpeggio’ is a melodic pattern created by picking the notes of chord one by one. Doing this allows you to hear which strings are clear and which are not ringing freely. Play this exercise slowly, repeating each example as you hold the notes still.

Modern guitar chord styles to the rescue!

Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : This is a very helpful book for entry-level players and those who have already learned the common chords but are still having trouble putting a full song together. If this reflects where you are up to, just a few weeks of the technique building work in MGCS1 will have you putting songs together.

Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : To help learn C and it’s uses go to pages 6, 12, 19 and 22.