WEBVTT 00:00:09.445 --> 00:00:10.178 Hi, How you doing 00:00:10.178 --> 00:00:10.878 Justin here 00:00:10.878 --> 00:00:12.412 for our lesson: 132 00:00:12.412 --> 00:00:14.294 which is the C chord. 00:00:14.294 --> 00:00:15.689 The last of the big eight 00:00:15.689 --> 00:00:19.517 which is, the main eight Open Chord shapes that you learn 00:00:19.517 --> 00:00:21.654 when you are starting your guitar journey. 00:00:21.654 --> 00:00:22.522 And this is the last one, 00:00:22.522 --> 00:00:23.638 this is the C chord. 00:00:23.638 --> 00:00:26.551 Now, a lot of people find the C chord a little awkward. 00:00:26.554 --> 00:00:29.755 It's maybe not quite as stretchy as the G chord. 00:00:29.755 --> 00:00:31.548 Well, at least not acrosswise 00:00:31.548 --> 00:00:33.630 but it is lengthwise. 00:00:33.630 --> 00:00:34.966 It's a little bit funny. 00:00:34.966 --> 00:00:36.248 So let's go to a close up 00:00:36.248 --> 00:00:39.397 and see if we can sort out the different ways of getting this stretch. 00:00:39.397 --> 00:00:41.881 It is just a matter of practising it. 00:00:41.881 --> 00:00:45.800 I've never ever-ever-ever had a student who's not been able to do it. 00:00:45.800 --> 00:00:47.761 I have had students instead who really struggled 00:00:47.761 --> 00:00:50.616 and they felt like they were never going to do it. 00:00:50.616 --> 00:00:51.966 But, if you persevere 00:00:51.966 --> 00:00:55.699 you will find that the C chord is pretty damn easy. 00:00:55.699 --> 00:00:56.848 Let's have a look at it. 00:00:58.648 --> 00:01:00.215 Here we are looking at the C chord. 00:01:00.215 --> 00:01:02.215 Now, hopefully it doesn't look too bad 00:01:02.215 --> 00:01:04.542 but it is a little bit of a stretch. 00:01:04.542 --> 00:01:07.808 So, let's go through the problems and solutions for this chord. 00:01:07.808 --> 00:01:09.608 So, first one : 00:01:09.608 --> 00:01:13.125 first finger : first fret, second string. 00:01:13.125 --> 00:01:15.374 Nothing on the E string, and nothing on the G string. 00:01:15.374 --> 00:01:18.608 There's nothing on the first string, and nothing on the third string. 00:01:18.608 --> 00:01:20.749 Second finger is reaching over here 00:01:20.749 --> 00:01:22.726 to the second fret, at the fourth string. 00:01:22.749 --> 00:01:25.604 And then, third finger's gonna stretch over here, 00:01:25.604 --> 00:01:29.012 to the third fret of the fifth string. 00:01:29.012 --> 00:01:31.620 Now, there are a few different tips we can give you 00:01:31.620 --> 00:01:33.118 for getting this stretch nice 00:01:33.118 --> 00:01:33.805 First of all, 00:01:33.805 --> 00:01:35.569 if you play really square 00:01:35.569 --> 00:01:36.790 like this, 00:01:36.790 --> 00:01:38.327 it's actually quite difficult to do 00:01:38.327 --> 00:01:40.510 with the fingers parallel to the frets. 00:01:40.510 --> 00:01:45.260 I can feel that's stretching my hand doing that right now. 00:01:45.260 --> 00:01:47.079 Now, if you look at the way that I'm doing it, 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:50.150 I'm kind of laying the fingers over a little bit. 00:01:50.150 --> 00:01:52.888 Now, if I took my hand off, 00:01:52.888 --> 00:01:54.776 they kind of that looks like that they are in a line, 00:01:54.776 --> 00:01:56.622 they're all kind of touching each other. 00:01:56.622 --> 00:02:01.056 And you can see that the angle now is kind of that way a little bit. 00:02:01.056 --> 00:02:04.740 it's actually they're kind of pointing at my eyes. 00:02:04.740 --> 00:02:07.006 Whereas that way they're pointing at the ceiling. 00:02:07.006 --> 00:02:09.803 We just turn it round a little bit like that, 00:02:09.803 --> 00:02:11.446 and you get a bit more of a... 00:02:11.446 --> 00:02:14.138 It definitely makes it easier to play . Yeah ? 00:02:14.138 --> 00:02:16.954 So this way, you really have to stretch the distance between your fingers. 00:02:16.954 --> 00:02:20.704 Here, you're just changing how far each finger is reaching out. 00:02:20.704 --> 00:02:22.605 That makes a big difference for that one. 00:02:22.605 --> 00:02:25.654 Now, you can probably see that my thumb is flopping over there. 00:02:25.662 --> 00:02:28.554 But actually, we want to get that thumb behind for you now. 00:02:28.554 --> 00:02:30.604 Later on you can use your thumb over here, 00:02:30.604 --> 00:02:32.580 but for you now, back behind. 00:02:32.580 --> 00:02:35.171 Now, the other important thing with the C chord 00:02:35.171 --> 00:02:36.286 is that we want to make sure 00:02:36.286 --> 00:02:38.260 that the tip of this third finger 00:02:38.260 --> 00:02:40.174 is muting, the sixth string. 00:02:40.174 --> 00:02:42.323 So, it shouldn't press down on this string. 00:02:42.323 --> 00:02:45.205 The very tip of the finger just touches the string 00:02:45.205 --> 00:02:46.805 and stops it from ringing out. 00:02:48.374 --> 00:02:50.730 Now, the thing that you'll find here with this chord as well, 00:02:50.730 --> 00:02:53.018 especially when you're going to do the strum - pick up - strum, 00:02:53.018 --> 00:02:54.896 is that there are quite a few places 00:02:54.896 --> 00:02:57.929 where fingers can lean over and touch other strings. So, 00:02:57.937 --> 00:02:58.925 . . . 00:02:58.925 --> 00:03:00.377 There is the correct sound for it 00:03:00.377 --> 00:03:03.738 Now, the first note, which is the fifth string, 00:03:03.738 --> 00:03:05.519 you're probably not going to have too much trouble with it. 00:03:05.519 --> 00:03:06.650 Pretty straight forward. 00:03:06.650 --> 00:03:07.793 The next note, 00:03:07.793 --> 00:03:09.258 here which is the fourth string, 00:03:09.258 --> 00:03:13.345 it's very likely here that your third finger is going to be leaning over 00:03:13.345 --> 00:03:14.486 and touching that fourth string. 00:03:14.486 --> 00:03:17.109 So, that's the first thing you wanna look out for 00:03:17.109 --> 00:03:19.176 is making sure that finger is nice and up. 00:03:19.176 --> 00:03:22.086 Then we have the Open G string, 00:03:22.086 --> 00:03:23.130 which, of course, 00:03:23.130 --> 00:03:25.043 this finger, if it's leaning over a bit too flat, 00:03:25.043 --> 00:03:27.443 will mute that G string. 00:03:27.443 --> 00:03:28.969 First finger should be ok. 00:03:28.969 --> 00:03:31.080 Not many people have trouble with that note. 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:33.340 But then, the open E string 00:03:33.340 --> 00:03:35.809 if the first finger is leaning over a little bit too much 00:03:35.809 --> 00:03:38.108 you'll get the open E string muted. 00:03:38.108 --> 00:03:40.804 So, really, the trick with C chord is, one : 00:03:40.804 --> 00:03:42.528 don't be too squared like this. 00:03:42.528 --> 00:03:44.693 Allow your fingers to be a little bit of an angle. 00:03:44.693 --> 00:03:48.331 And also to make sure that you're really on the points with the fingers. 00:03:48.339 --> 00:03:50.155 Don't let them lay down too flat 00:03:50.155 --> 00:03:52.995 or you'll just always be muting the strings next to them. 00:03:56.333 --> 00:03:59.584 Ok, I hope you had fun stretching out for that C chord. 00:03:59.584 --> 00:04:01.566 It's a little bit of a tough one 00:04:01.566 --> 00:04:02.815 - but it's not that bad - 00:04:02.815 --> 00:04:04.941 and it just seems impossible right now, 00:04:04.941 --> 00:04:06.359 but, after a week or two, 00:04:06.359 --> 00:04:08.242 your fingers will have all limbered up 00:04:08.242 --> 00:04:09.325 and it'll be a lot easier. 00:04:09.325 --> 00:04:10.443 After a month or two, 00:04:10.443 --> 00:04:13.293 you'll wonder why you ever had a problem with it at all 00:04:13.293 --> 00:04:16.739 because it's not that bad in the grand scheme of guitar chords.