Quote:
Originally Posted by Whitey#1
You got it. All three. Fingering, sounding clean, changing quickly.
Having said this, I am a lot better than I was when I started 10 days ago. The other poster said about a week. I am thinking it will be at least a month before I get even halfway good at playing the C & G Chords correctly.
Yes everybody, you read that right - a month. Is that bad?
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Nope. Some people take a lot longer. The older you are, the longer it takes. Kids can do it quite quickly, but still might take weeks to get confident with them. Even longer to be able to change from one to the other. Just make sure you keep your fret hand fingernails as short as possible (if you can touch the wood of the fretboard with a nail, they're too long).
It might be worth bearing in mind the different ways of fingering each chord - especially the G. This is useful not just for (maybe) making each one easier, but for when you need to change from chord to chord when playing a sequence. You want your fingers to be moving the shortest distance possible.
For C, there are really only two options (in open position):
-0-
-1- index
-0-
-2- middle
-3- ring
-x- mute with thumb (or avoid hitting it)
-0-
-1- index
-0-
-2- middle
-3- pinky
-3- ring
This is technically C/G ("C over G") but can be strummed freely for any C chord, if you have trouble muting or avoiding the 6th in the standard shape. (Technically the bass E string is part of the chord - "C/E" - but it sounds weird to include it when strumming, except in certain circumstances which shouldn't bother you right now!)
A potential 3rd option is:
-3- pinky
-1- index
-0-
-2- middle
-3- ring
-x- mute with thumb
Not any easier than the above, but can be useful for going to G and back (see below).
There are more options for a G:
-3- ring
-0-
-0-
-0-
-2- index
-3- middle
- the common beginner choice. Not my favourite. Too awkward when changing back and forth with a C chord (which is common).
-3- pinky
-3- ring
-0-
-0-
-2- index
-3- middle
- sometimes known as "rock G", and a common choice in (er) rock music. Similar issue with changing to C and back, but good for changing to D and back.
-3- pinky
-0-
-0-
-0-
-2- middle
-3- ring
My own choice. Easy for switching to C (compare with the C options above). Lastly...
-3- any finger
-0-
-0-
-0-
-x- mute with whatever finger plays 6th string
-3- any finger
This is the great "lazy G" shape. In principle you can use any two fingers to fret those outer strings, and you can be guided by what chord you're playing before or after (how far do those fingers need to move?).
E.g., any time you're strumming a G and need to go to a quick C and back. use ring and pinky for the lazy G, and play the C like this:
-3- pinky
-1- index
-0-
-2- middle
-x- mute with ring
-3- ring
That's a perfectly good C/G option, and ring and pinky can stay right where they are.
It's really worth playing around with all these options, not getting too fixed on any one of them - although it's perfectly OK to find a favourite. Flexibility is just as important as speed.