Session 11: The C Chord and Song Building

Duration: 50 minutes

Break: Put the guitar down for 5 minutes at the end of Segment 3. No stretch of playing is then longer than 30 minutes.

The C major chord completes your core open chord vocabulary. With Em, Am, E, D, A, G, and now C, you have the seven essential chords that appear in the vast majority of popular songs. Today you also explore how a Hindi film song is built: a refrain (mukhda) that keeps returning, with stanzas (antara) between. You will play simplified chord accompaniments for the refrains of two Hindi film classics sung by Kishore Kumar: “Ye Shaam Mastani” and “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas,” bringing a completely different musical flavour to your guitar.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Play the C major chord cleanly with strings 1–5 ringing
2. Change between C and G with a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM (the change test, Session 3)
3. Name the two sections of a Hindi film song (mukhda and antara) and say which one today’s charts cover
4. Play the G–Em–C–D progression (the “pop progression”), one measure per chord, at 60 BPM
5. Play simplified refrain accompaniments for “Ye Shaam Mastani” and “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas”

Materials Needed

• Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
• A guitar pick
• A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
• A metronome
• Handout for this session: Understanding Chords (Part 3, read after the session)
• Handout for this session: Hindi Film Chords (optional “Go further” reading after the session)
• Reference: Chord Chart
• Reference: Glossary

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Segment 1 — Warm-Up and Stretch (5 minutes)

Hand Warm-Up

Open and close both hands loosely five times. Circle each wrist five times each way. Touch your thumb to each fingertip in turn. Shake the hands out.

Tune Your Guitar

Tune all six strings (EADGBE). Before you look at the tuner, guess: too low, too high or right? Then look.

Warm-Up

Play the “About a Girl” verse accompaniment (Session 10): Em two beats, G two beats, 8 measures, at 65 BPM. Then play through all your chords, Em → Am → E → D → A → G, four beats per chord (one downstroke on beat 1, let it ring) at 60 BPM, twice round.

Spider crawl: frets 5-8, one finger at a time, all six strings, up and down. Stop if it pulls or aches.

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Segment 2 — Technique Focus: The Pop Progression (10 minutes)

The Four-Chord Progression

One of the most common chord progressions in popular music uses four chords in sequence. In the key of G (the key whose home chord is G), it is:

G → Em → C → D

This pattern (or variations of it) appears in hundreds of songs across every genre. Once you can play it smoothly, you have the skeleton key to popular music.

You already know G, Em, and D. After learning C in Segment 3, you will connect all four.

Transition Preview: G → Em → ??? → D

For now, practise the three chords you know in this sequence:

Chord:   G                          Em
Strum:   D  U  D  U  D  U  D  U  |  D  U  D  U  D  U  D  U  |
Count:   1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &  |  1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &  |

Chord:   (we will add C here)       D
Strum:   D  U  D  U  D  U  D  U  |  D  U  D  U  D  U  D  U  |
Count:   1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &  |  1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &  |

Play at 60 BPM. For the third measure, play Am as a placeholder (you know Am already). After learning C, you will replace Am with C.

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Segment 3 — New Learning: The C Major Chord (15 minutes)

The C Major Chord

C major is a warm, full chord. It uses three fingers across three different frets and five strings.

Chord Diagram:

C

XOO

1

2

3

EADGBe

Step-by-step:

1. Place your ring finger (3) on string 5 (A string), fret 3. This is the lowest note of the chord and the biggest stretch.
2. Place your middle finger (2) on string 4 (D string), fret 2.
3. Place your index finger (1) on string 2 (B string), fret 1.
4. Strings 3 (G) and 1 (high e) are open.
5. Do NOT play string 6 (low E). Start your strum from string 5.

Sound check: Pluck each string, one at a time, with your tuner on (in the mode that shows any note). Tuner check, string 5 to string 1: C, E, G, C, E.

• String 6 (low E): Do not play
• String 5 (A): Fret 3 — clear (finger 3). Tuner: C
• String 4 (D): Fret 2 — clear (finger 2). Tuner: E
• String 3 (G): Open — clear. Tuner: G
• String 2 (B): Fret 1 — clear (finger 1). Tuner: C
• String 1 (high e): Open — clear. Tuner: E

The challenge with C: Your three fingers span frets 1, 2, and 3 across four strings. This is a wide spread. Strings 3 and 1 are open and must ring. String 3 is usually deadened by the underside of finger 2 (on string 4), and string 1 by finger 1 (on string 2). Finger 3 has a long reach to string 5 fret 3: keep it curled so it does not lean on string 4. Stand every finger on its tip.

If the reach pulls or aches, stop for today. Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.

Key Transitions with C

C → G: This is a useful transition. Finger 3 (ring) stays on fret 3 but moves from string 5 to string 6. Finger 2 (middle) stays on fret 2 but moves from string 4 to string 5. Finger 1 (index) lifts. Finger 4 (little finger) lands on string 1 fret 3. Two fingers shift one string each — similar to the Em → Am transition.

G → C: Reverse the above.

C → Am: Finger 1 stays on string 2 fret 1 and finger 2 stays on string 4 fret 2. Only finger 3 moves, from string 5 fret 3 to string 3 fret 2. This is a compact transition.

C → D: Lift all fingers. Place D shape. No shared positions.

Drill: C → G → C → G, one strum each, 15 times. Then C → Am → C → Am, 15 times. Then C → D → C → D, 15 times. No metronome: place every finger before you strum.

Target for this week: pass the change test (Session 3) for C-G, C-Am, C-D and Em-C with a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM.

The Complete Pop Progression

Now play the full four-chord pattern:

Chord:   G                          Em
Strum:   D  U  D  U  D  U  D  U  |  D  U  D  U  D  U  D  U  |
Count:   1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &  |  1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &  |

Chord:   C                          D
Strum:   D  U  D  U  D  U  D  U  |  D  U  D  U  D  U  D  U  |
Count:   1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &  |  1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &  |

Play at 60 BPM. This 4-measure pattern repeats endlessly. The G → Em transition is smooth (finger 2 anchors). The Em → C transition requires all fingers to move. The C → D transition requires all fingers to move. Drill the hardest transitions in isolation.

Now that you know C, go back to “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Session 10) and play C in measures 7 and 8 in place of Am. It has a row in this week’s practice plan.

Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.

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Segment 4 — Song Workshop: Two Hindi Film Classics (15 minutes)

This session features two songs. Spend approximately 8 minutes on the first. The second, “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas”, is for the practice days: in the last 7 minutes of the session, read its chart, pick the lead-in slowly and play the six measures once through, slowly, without the metronome. Its tempos are end-of-week targets, and it has its own row in this week’s practice plan. Do not drop it: it is one of the three sections of the Session 12 medley.

How a Hindi Film Song Is Built

Most songs are built from sections. A verse is a section whose music returns with new words; a chorus returns with the same words. You met both in “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Session 10), where the verses and the chorus share the same two lines of chords.

A Hindi film song has its own names for its sections. The mukhda is the opening refrain that keeps returning, like a chorus. An antara is a stanza between its returns, like a verse.

Today’s two charts cover the mukhda only; the antaras are not taught here. (For “Ye Shaam Mastani”, published chord charts give the antara different chords and do not agree with one another.)

Song 1 — “Ye Shaam Mastani”: refrain chords, simplified (8 minutes)

Song: “Ye Shaam Mastani” (also spelt “Yeh Shaam Mastani”) Singer: Kishore Kumar Film: Kati Patang (1970/71) Credits: Music by R. D. Burman. Lyrics by Anand Bakshi. Sung by Kishore Kumar in the film Kati Patang (1970/71). What you are learning: An open chord accompaniment for the refrain (mukhda), using G, Em, C, and D — the same four chords as the pop progression, in the order published charts give for this song’s refrain.

Listen first: Find Kishore Kumar’s recording of “Yeh Shaam Mastani” (from the film Kati Patang) and listen to the opening refrain three times before you pick up the guitar: the first two sung lines, which come back after every stanza. Listen for: (1) the strings at the very start, and the refrain tune being whistled; (2) the steady beat under the refrain. Tap 1 2 3 4 along with it.

What this is: This is a simplified arrangement written for this course. It has not yet been play-tested against the recording. It is a chord accompaniment for the refrain (mukhda) only. The chord order is the one given by three published chord charts. How long each chord lasts is this course’s simplification and has not been checked against the recording.

The recording: This chart is in G. Published sources put the recording in G or a half step (one fret) lower, in F sharp, at about 115 beats a minute. So this version is slower than the recording and may sound slightly higher. It is not written for playing along.

Tempo: Start at 50 BPM and work up to 65 BPM (stretch: 70), following the tempo ladder below. Strumming pattern: D U D U D U D U (straight eighth notes, gentle feel)

Chord Chart: refrain (mukhda), simplified

Key: G major        Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure)

Refrain (mukhda), 8 measures:

| G    | Em   | G    | G    |
| C    | D    | G    | G    |

Play the eight measures twice.

This chart uses the same four chords as the pop progression, in the order published charts give for this refrain, coming home to G at the end of each line.

Strum:  D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &

Down on every number, up on every &, brushing the strings lightly. One pattern fills one measure.

Changes in this chart: G to Em and Em to G (finger 2 stays in place); G to C (the reverse of the C to G drill in Segment 3); C to D (all fingers move; the hardest change here); D to G (from Session 10).

Tempo ladder:

1. Metronome at 50. The click is the beat. Strum once, downwards, on beat 1 of each measure and let the chord ring for four clicks; use the other three clicks to reach the next chord. Eight measures, twice.
2. Metronome at 50. One downstroke on every click (four in a measure).
3. Metronome at 55, then 60. Down-up strumming: two strums to each click, counted 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.
4. Target: metronome at 65, down-up strumming, the eight measures twice through without stopping. Stretch: 70.

The recording is at about 115 beats a minute. That is not a target for this session.

Form: Refrain (mukhda), measures 1–8, twice through: 16 measures. The second time, play measure 8 as a single downstroke of G on beat 1 and let it ring. (The ending is written for this course.) This chart covers the refrain only; the stanzas use other chords and are not taught here.

What it should sound like: Keep your strumming light and even — this is not a rock song. Let the chords breathe. Check it three ways. (1) Click check: play the eight measures twice with the metronome; you pass if you never stop and you finish with the click. (2) Count check: every chord change lands on beat 1, twice through in a row. (3) Recording check: record it once and listen for one thing: is the speed the same from start to finish?

Performance tip: Try a softer pick attack than you use for rock songs. Brush the strings rather than striking them. The Saga’s dreadnought body will still project the sound.

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Song 2 — “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas”: refrain chords, simplified, with a picked lead-in (7 minutes)

Song: “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas” Singer: Kishore Kumar Film: Blackmail (1973) Credits: Music by Kalyanji–Anandji. Lyrics by Rajendra Krishan. Sung by Kishore Kumar in the film Blackmail (1973). What you are learning: A simplified chord accompaniment for the refrain, with a short picked lead-in written for this course.

Listen first: Find Kishore Kumar’s recording of “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas” (from the film Blackmail, 1973) and listen to the opening three times before you pick up the guitar. Listen for: (1) the first sung line; (2) each time that line returns: the returning line is the refrain (mukhda) this chart accompanies. The picked lead-in printed here is not on the recording.

What this is: This is a simplified arrangement written for this course. It has not yet been play-tested against the recording. It is a chord accompaniment for the refrain (mukhda) only, and it is one common way of setting chords to the tune. The chords agree with one published chart once moved to G; published charts disagree, and how long each chord lasts has not been checked against the recording. The picked lead-in was written for this course and is not on the recording.

The recording: This chart is in G. Published sources put the recording in G or a half step (one fret) lower, in F sharp. The practice tempo is this course’s choice; the recording’s tempo was not confirmed.

Tempo: Start at 50 BPM and work up to 65 BPM (the end-of-week target), following the tempo ladder below. In today’s session, play it slowly, without the metronome. Strumming pattern: D D U U D U

Lead-in and Chord Chart (simplified)

Picked lead-in in G (written for this course; it is not on the recording):

e|------3---2---0-------|-------0---2---3---|
B|------------------3---|---1---------------|
G|----------------------|-------------------|
D|----------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4       1   2   3   4
Notes:  G   F#  E   D       C   E   F#  G

One note on each count. Pick every note with a downstroke. Start at 50 BPM.

Finger guide: G = string 1, fret 3, finger 3 (ring). F sharp = string 1, fret 2, finger 2 (middle). E = string 1 open. D = string 2, fret 3, finger 3 (ring). C = string 2, fret 1, finger 1 (index).

Chord Chart: refrain (mukhda), simplified

Key: G major        Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure)

Picked lead-in: 2 measures (TAB above)

Refrain (mukhda), 6 measures:

| G    | Em   | Am   | D    |
| G    | G    |

Strum:  D     D  U     U  D  U
Count:  1     2  & (3) &  4  &

One pattern fills one measure. On beat 3 your hand still moves down, but it misses the strings: a silent downstroke. That keeps the hand swinging down on every number and up on every &. Count it aloud: “1, 2-and, (3)-and, 4-and”.

Tempo ladder:

1. Lead-in alone. Metronome at 50; the click is the beat; one note on each click. Then 55, then 60.
2. Chords alone. Metronome at 50; one downstroke on beat 1 of each measure; six measures.
3. Metronome at 55, then 60. The D D U U D U pattern, one pattern in each measure.
4. Join them at 60: lead-in (2 measures), then the six-measure chart. If the first strum is late, let the last note of the lead-in ring for one extra measure (count 1 2 3 4), then start strumming on the next beat 1.
5. Target: metronome at 65, lead-in plus the six-measure chart twice, without stopping. The Session 12 medley later asks for the six-measure chart at 70.

Form: Picked lead-in (2 measures), then the refrain chart (6 measures) twice through: 14 measures. The second time, play the last measure as a single downstroke of G on beat 1 and let it ring. (The ending is written for this course.) This chart covers the refrain only.

What it should sound like: The picked lead-in sets a gentle mood before the chords enter. Check it two ways. (1) Click check: play the lead-in and the six-measure chart with the metronome; you pass if your first strum lands on a beat 1 and you finish with the click. (2) Count check: say “1, 2-and, (3)-and, 4-and” aloud while you strum two measures; your pick must miss the strings on (3).

How to Learn These Songs

“Ye Shaam Mastani”: Follow the tempo ladder. Play the eight-measure chart with one strum per measure first, then with the full strum. The Segment 3 progression uses the same four chords in a different order.

“Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas”: This one is for the practice days; in the session, play it once through slowly, without the metronome. Start with the picked lead-in: it is only 8 notes. Then learn the chord chart (G → Em → Am → D → G → G). The Am → D transition may be tricky — drill it in isolation. Finally, connect the lead-in to the chord chart, following the tempo ladder.

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Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

This session has more new material than most. If your end-of-week check is not all ‘yes’ after one week, take a second week on this session before you move on. The course then takes a week longer, which is normal.

What You Learned Today

• The C major chord (finger 1 string 2 fret 1, finger 2 string 4 fret 2, finger 3 string 5 fret 3)
• The seven core open chords: Em, Am, E, D, A, G, C
• The G–Em–C–D “pop progression”
• Mukhda and antara: the two sections of a Hindi film song
• “Ye Shaam Mastani”, sung by Kishore Kumar (refrain chart: G, Em, C, D)
• “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas”, sung by Kishore Kumar (refrain chart: G, Em, Am, D)
• “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” with C in measures 7 and 8

Common Mistakes

1. Fingers muting the open strings in the C chord — Strings 3 and 1 are open and must ring. String 3 is usually deadened by the underside of finger 2 (on string 4), and string 1 by finger 1 (on string 2). Finger 3 has a long reach to string 5 fret 3: keep it curled so it does not lean on string 4. Stand every finger on its tip.
2. Forgetting to skip string 6 on C — Like Am and A, the C chord starts from string 5. Rest the pick on string 5, then strum from there.
3. Treating Hindi film songs the same as rock songs — Adjust your strumming dynamics. These songs need a softer, more expressive touch than Nirvana or Black Sabbath.
4. Stumbling between the lead-in and the chords in “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas” — The transition from single-note picking to chord strumming is a shift in technique. If the first strum is late, let the last note of the lead-in ring for one extra measure (count 1 2 3 4), then start strumming on the next beat 1. A counted pause sounds musical — like a breath before singing.
5. C → D transition panic — All fingers change. Lift together, hover, land together. If you cannot change in time, leave out the strum on beat 4 and use that beat to move. The open strings will carry on ringing while you move; that is normal. Arriving on beat 1 of the new chord matters more.

Self-Check Questions

1. Pluck strings 5 to 1 of C one at a time with the tuner on. Does it show C, E, G, C, E, with every string ringing clearly? If not: use “The challenge with C” in Segment 3 to find the finger that is touching the string and stand it on its tip; do not press harder. Check again the next day.
2. Can you play the G–Em–C–D progression, one measure per chord, four times round at 60 BPM without stopping or losing the beat? If not: play it in the Changes and Pop Progression block of the practice plan with the strum on beat 4 left out, so that you have that beat to move (Common Mistake 5), and try again the next day.
3. Can you play the eight-measure refrain chart of “Ye Shaam Mastani” twice through at 65 BPM with down-up strumming, without stopping? Record it once and listen for one thing: is the speed the same from start to finish? If not: go back to 60 BPM on its tempo ladder (step 3) for two days, then try again.
4. Can you play the picked lead-in of “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas” from memory, one note per click at 60 BPM, and start strumming on the next beat 1? Check: with the metronome on and the page covered, no wrong note and the first strum lands on beat 1, three times in a row. If not: go back to step 1 of its tempo ladder (the lead-in alone) at 55 BPM for two days, then try again.
5. Can you name all seven open chords you have learned (Em, Am, E, D, A, G, C)? Check: cover the page and say all seven aloud, then look. If not: say each chord’s name aloud as you play it in the All Chords Review block of the practice plan, and try again the next day.
6. Can you pass the change test (Session 3) for C-G, C-Am, C-D and Em-C with a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM? Check: for each pair, all 8 chords land on their click with every string that should sound ringing, twice on the same day. If not: for the pair that failed, change between its two chords 15 times with no metronome, placing every finger before you strum, as in the drill under “Key Transitions with C” in Segment 3; try again the next day.
7. Can you say what a mukhda and an antara are, and which one today’s two charts cover? Check: with the page covered you say that the mukhda is the opening refrain that keeps returning, an antara is a stanza between its returns, and both charts cover the mukhda only. If not: read “How a Hindi Film Song Is Built” in Segment 4 again, and try again the next day.

Practice Plan for Week 11 (each practice day, 25 minutes)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	The warm-up from this session’s Segment 1, then tune. On practice days that means the hand movements, the “About a Girl” verse accompaniment and the spider crawl; the run through all your chords has its own row below
All Chords Review	4 min	Em → Am → E → D → A → G → C, four beats per chord (one measure of D/U strumming) at 65 BPM. Repeat until the time is up
Changes and Pop Progression	5 min	Change test on C-G, C-Am, C-D and Em-C at this week’s rung: a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM. Then G → Em → C → D at 60 BPM, D/U strumming, one measure per chord, 6 times round
Ye Shaam Mastani	5 min	Eight-measure refrain chart. Follow its tempo ladder towards 55–65 BPM. Repeat until the time is up
Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas	5 min	Lead-in + refrain chart. Follow its tempo ladder towards 55–65 BPM. Repeat until the time is up. Focus on the join between the lead-in and the chords
Song Maintenance	3 min	”Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Session 10) with C in measures 7 and 8: the eight-measure chart twice through at 65 BPM, then at 70 BPM. Then E5 to A5, palm-muted eighth notes, one measure per chord, 4 measures at 70 BPM. If time is left: the “About a Girl” verse accompaniment at 65 BPM or the “Iron Man” riff at 70 BPM

This is your plan for the whole week. The end-of-week check is in Weekly Plans Phase 1 2, Week 11.

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

Your Saga’s dreadnought body excels at both strumming styles you explored today — the gentle, flowing strumming for Hindi film ballads and the driving rock strumming for songs like “About a Girl.” The key is pick control: for Hindi ballads, hold the pick loosely and use a smaller, lighter strum, brushing the strings. For rock songs, use a bigger, faster strum with the same loose grip; loud does not mean tense. Same guitar, same strings — different tone through different technique.

After the session (not part of the 50 minutes)

• Read: Understanding Chords, the section “Part 3 (After Session 11): The C Chord and Chord Names”. Do it before your first practice day. (5 minutes)
• Optional: Hindi Film Chords, the strumming patterns under “Essential Patterns” and the two Session 11 charts under “Beginner Arrangements”: “Arrangement 1 — “Ye Shaam Mastani”: refrain chords (simplified)” and “Arrangement 2 — “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas”: refrain chords (simplified), with a picked lead-in”. Leave “Arrangement 3 (From Session 17) — “Roop Tera Mastana”: refrain chords (simplified, in G)” until Session 17. (15 minutes)