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Your Third Chord: C

Intermediate7 minC, G, D and switching between them

C is one of the most-used chords in folk music, and you can fret it with just three fingers.

Video lessons are in production — follow the notes and practice checklist below and you'll learn it just fine.
Stage 2 · More Chords & Changes7 lessons

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  1. Your Third Chord: C7 min
  2. Your Fourth Chord: G7 min
  3. Your Fifth Chord: D7 min
  4. Open Chords A and E8 min
  5. The Big Chord-Change Workout9 min
  6. One-Minute Chord Changes: The Smart Way to Get Faster8 min
  7. Play Your First Pop Progression: G–D–Em–C9 min

How to fret C

Ring finger on the 3rd fret of the 5th string, middle finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string, index finger on the 1st fret of the 2nd string. Don't play the thick 6th string — start picking from the 5th; the 3rd and 1st strings stay open.

The three fingers line up on a diagonal. Once they're down, pick the strings one by one and pay special attention to the 1st string (open) — make sure the index finger isn't touching it and muting it.

  • 💡 Stand the index finger up as much as you can so it doesn't lean onto the 1st string.

⚠️ Common mistakes

  • The index finger is touching the 1st string and muting that open string — stand the finger up and press only the 2nd string.
  • Your right hand is hitting the 6th string (C usually starts from the 5th string).

Chords in this lesson

Tap the 🔊 under each diagram to match every chord's sound to its shape.

✕321

Practice checklist

  • Hold C and pick from the 5th string to the 1st, one string at a time, making sure each one rings clearly.
  • Release and re-fret C; repeat 10 times.