Guitar Help - C Major Chord

Ok, so my sister bought me guitar last night (because she said girls dont dig guys who play the clarinet :P ) and so I decided to start learning. Anyways, I've been working at it, and I've begun learning the main chords (as advised by my friend). I have the G Major and D Major chords down pretty well, but for the love of me I cant get the C Major chord to sound. Im either always accidently touching another string or I'm not pressing enough or something like that. I've been at it for 30-45 minutes and all I have to show for it are sore fingers. I swear, who ever made the 1st and 2nd guitar strings (B and Octave higher E) is a masochist. Those things are like razor-wire! :x Anyways, any tips on how to get the C-Major Chord down? I think most of my trouble comes from 2nd string fret 1(C) its so hard to press the string down due to it being right next to the neck and being tight as hell :(Guitar Help - C Major Chord
Your brain moves faster than your fingers, stuff like that just takes time. Instead of working on the major chord, just try a C chord. [img]http://www.cyberfret.com/chords/beginning-7/images/ch_basic_pt1_c.gif[/img]



Practice and you'll get betterGuitar Help - C Major Chord
[QUOTE=''spazzx625'']Your brain moves faster than your fingers, stuff like that just takes time. Instead of working on the major chord, just try a C chord. [img]http://www.cyberfret.com/chords/beginning-7/images/ch_basic_pt1_c.gif[/img]



Practice and you'll get better[/QUOTE]

yeah im working on it, but its killing my fingers...I guess I'll just have to hope I get calluses soon :P
Well she was right about the clarinet thing.I also had difficulty adjusting to C major when I was a beginner. First off this is what it should look like. Second, what I did is I kept switching constantly from G major to C major until I could get the position properly. I also tried making the C major position without the guitar :PEDIT: Good luck by the way. And don't worry you'll get the hang of it.
[QUOTE=''spazzx625'']Your brain moves faster than your fingers, stuff like that just takes time. Instead of working on the major chord, just try a C chord. [img]http://www.cyberfret.com/chords/beginning-7/images/ch_basic_pt1_c.gif[/img]



Practice and you'll get better[/QUOTE]

What you posted is a C major. There's no such thing as just a ''C''. It's either major, minor, augmented, diminished, etc. But there's no such thing as just a ''C'' chord. :?
Good job brother, keep it up. I have to agree with you that when you first start playin guitar the strings feel like they can make you bleed, but over time your fingers will get used to it.As for the open Cmaj chord all i can really suggest is to practice and try not to force it, it will come naturally. Initially though take the time to just gently place your fingers in the right position with which ever finger yuo feel comfortable first, then the next and so on. I find it easiest to lay down my first finger (index) onto the first fret of the B string then let my 2nd and 3rd fingers fall into place.I'll suggest more later as i am at work atm...
[QUOTE=''Luncbox1''][QUOTE=''spazzx625'']Your brain moves faster than your fingers, stuff like that just takes time. Instead of working on the major chord, just try a C chord. [img]http://www.cyberfret.com/chords/beginning-7/images/ch_basic_pt1_c.gif[/img]



Practice and you'll get better[/QUOTE]

What you posted is a C major. There's no such thing as just a ''C''. It's either major, minor, augmented, diminished, etc. But there's no such thing as just a ''C'' chord. :?[/QUOTE]Yeah, I realized that after I posted...I was thinking of C 7 as C major
[QUOTE=''TheOddQuantum'']Well she was right about the clarinet thing.I also had difficulty adjusting to C major when I was a beginner. First off this is what it should look like. Second, what I did is I kept switching constantly from G major to C major until I could get the position properly. I also tried making the C major position without the guitar :P[/QUOTE]

man, its the index finger part that kills me...its so close to the little metallic divider that its hard to get a clear sound :x
[QUOTE=''II_Seraphim_II'']

man, its the index finger part that kills me...its so close to the little metallic divider that its hard to get a clear sound :x[/QUOTE]

Don't worry keep doing it over and over. Soon it'll be systematic.
Your using muscles in way they aren't used to being used yet. Just keep up the practice and after a while it'll no longer feel like a strain.
Out of curiosity is it a acoustic or electric guitar? From what I know (which isn't too much) an electric is much easier on the fingers and joints because the frets are a little bit smaller and the neck a little bit thinner.
Make sure you bring your fingers in over the strings, rather than across them. If you know what I mean :S :P Cut your nails, and keep practicing, over time, your fingers will get used to it.
hey man, i've been playing for about 14 years now, i'll be glad to help out. first thing is there are a couple of ways to play the C major chord. one is easier than the other but they both have different ''sounds'' the first is the pic someone posted up above of the ''open'' chord shape.i suggest for the open chord shape having your pinky 3rd fret A string, ring finger 2nd fret D string, pointer finger 1st fret B string. this will leave your middle finger floating around but thats all good.the other way is a little easier, simply pointer finger on the 3rd fret A string and you can barre the fifth fret on the D,G,B strings. this is a C major barre chord and is easier for beginner generally but i definitely suggest learning all your C major chords and inversions down the line.EDIT: also i suggest getting your guitar setup professionally. alot of guitars (like every one i've ever played) have the action set too high which can discourage beginners (its too hard to push down/it hurts my fingers) and also lead to bad form when playing. it usually costs around $30-$40 to have it setup but it can make all the difference in the world.
[QUOTE=''AnObscureName'']Out of curiosity is it a acoustic or electric guitar? From what I know (which isn't too much) an electric is much easier on the fingers and joints because the frets are a little bit smaller and the neck a little bit thinner. [/QUOTE]

Acoustic Guitar :P



[QUOTE=''z4twenny'']hey man, i've been playing for about 14 years now, i'll be glad to help out. first thing is there are a couple of ways to play the C major chord. one is easier than the other but they both have different ''sounds'' the first is the pic someone posted up above of the ''open'' chord shape.i suggest for the open chord shape having your pinky 3rd fret A string, ring finger 2nd fret D string, pointer finger 1st fret B string. this will leave your middle finger floating around but thats all good.the other way is a little easier, simply pointer finger on the 3rd fret A string and you can barre the fifth fret on the D,G,B strings. this is a C major barre chord and is easier for beginner generally but i definitely suggest learning all your C major chords and inversions down the line.[/QUOTE]

Thanx for the info :D and 14 years!? :o Thats 2/3 my life time!
Just practice. When I started, I was looking for shortcuts...there are none. Practice your chords.
^ yeah, guitars as easy or difficult as you wanna make it. for people JUST starting out i usually suggest just learning the V chords (like C5, B5, A5 etc) b/c it's easier for someone to play those and throw a couple of'em together and make a song and you get that feeling of accomplishment. just remember to have fun with playing cuz thats what its all about and if you need any help or anything shoot me a message and i'll be glad to help ya out. also (i hope this isn't considered adverstising) i suggest www.ultimate-guitar.com for all your guitar needs. theres lessons on everything from total beginner stuff to advanced type stuff, tons of song tabs, interviews and forums for any music creation question you may have.subsequently i would like to pimp my music herehttp://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/z4twenny/its a mix of classical, hard rock, metal, industrial, acoustic and just random stuff...... i think theres a C major in one of my songs:P hope to see ya there!
Just practice...Wait until you get to the F chord. :lol:
Well in my 15 years of playing. The help I can give is this. Restring your Guitar with ''Extra Light strings''.Light strings are easier to push down, so it will help when you just start out. Then you can move to heavier strings when your fingers don't hurt as much andyou have stronger finger. It just takes time to get used to, so just keep trying and playing. I remember when I could hardly play a chord. Now I can play Metallica, G ''n''R and Pink Floyd solo's with my eyes closed! Time is what it takes:)I'd suggest trying to learn the song ''Mother'' by Pink Floyd It uses the G,D,C and F chords through the whole song. The strumming would be a good challenge too.
[QUOTE=''the_foreign_guy'']Just practice...Wait until you get to the F chord. :lol:[/QUOTE]Yeah, thats the final one to nail... that one took me a while.
Well, it takes a little while to get the chords down. One tip I'm going to say is try to make your hand like a claw, and try not to just lay your fingers across the strings. Once I learned how to do all of the chords in this claw formation they sounded a lot better and were easier to do. Just keep practicing and you'll get better in no time.