• ⏱ Estimated Time: 25 minutes reading + 20 minutes practice = 45 minutes total
• 📋 Requirements: Completed Lesson 5 — Music Theory Basics
• 🎯 Goal: Learn D, C and F7 and combine them with your existing chords

Expanding Your Chord Vocabulary

You already know Em, Am and G. Those 3 chords got you started. Now we add D, C and F7 — the chords that complete the full open chord family and unlock every song in this program.

By the end of this lesson you will have 6 of your 7 target chords under your fingers. One more comes in Lesson 12 as a barre chord. Everything from here starts sounding like real music.

1. The D Chord

D major is one of the brightest sounding chords on guitar. Open, ringing and satisfying. It appears in Yellow by Coldplay and hundreds of other songs.

• Index finger — second fret G string
• Middle finger — second fret high E string
• Ring finger — third fret B string
• Strum only the top 4 strings — D G B E
• Do not strum the low E or A string

💡 Common problem: the high E string buzzes or goes dead. This usually means your ring finger on the B string is accidentally touching the high E. Curl your fingers more and press with the very tips.

2. The C Chord

C major is warm, open and one of the most used chords in all of music. It sits at the heart of Fix You by Coldplay and the I V vi IV progression you learned in Lesson 5.

• Index finger — first fret B string
• Middle finger — second fret D string
• Ring finger — third fret A string
• Strum strings 5 to 1 — A D G B E
• Do not strum the low E string

💡 Common problem: the G string buzzes. This is almost always because your middle finger on the D string is not curled enough and is accidentally touching the G string. Curl it more and press with the very tip.

3. The F7 Chord

F7 is your first slightly tricky chord. It is not a full barre chord — that comes in Lesson 12 — but it does require your index finger to cover two strings at once for the first time.

• Index finger — first fret B string AND first fret high E string laid flat across both
• Middle finger — second fret G string
• Ring finger — third fret D string
• Strum strings 4 to 1 — D G B E only

This chord will feel awkward at first. That is completely normal. The index finger laying across two strings is a movement your hand has never made before. Give it time. It will click within a few days of daily practice.

💡 Why F7 and not full F? Full F requires a complete barre across all 6 strings which we cover properly in Lesson 12. F7 gives you the same harmonic function in a much more beginner friendly shape and works perfectly in all three of our target songs.

4. Your Full Chord Arsenal So Far

• Em — dark, minor, home base of Clocks
• Am — emotional, minor, essential for Fix You and Yellow
• G — bright, major, the resolution chord
• D — open, major, the sunshine chord of Yellow
• C — warm, major, the heart of Fix You
• F7 — tense, transitional, creates drama in all three songs

5. The Most Important Transitions

Knowing chords individually is only half the battle. The real skill is switching between them smoothly. These are the transitions that appear most in your target songs:

• Em to G — the backbone of Clocks. You will do this constantly
• C to G — the core movement of Fix You
• G to D — appears repeatedly in Yellow
• Am to F7 — creates the emotional tension in all three songs
• C to Am — smooth, natural, one of the easiest transitions you will learn

For each transition: strum the first chord 4 times, switch, strum the second chord 4 times. Repeat 20 times each. Metronome at 60 BPM. Do not speed up until every switch is clean and automatic.

6. Your First Coldplay Progression

With your new chords you can now play the verse progression of Fix You by Coldplay:

C — G — Am — F7

4 strums per chord. Pattern 2 strumming. Metronome 65 BPM. This is a real Coldplay song. You are playing it right now. Let that sink in.

Practice Checklist

Complete every item before moving to Lesson 7.

• ☐ D chord clean up — press D, strum each string individually, every string rings clearly, lift and replace 10 times. Target: 5 minutes
• ☐ C chord clean up — press C, strum each string individually, pay special attention to the G string, lift and replace 10 times. Target: 5 minutes
• ☐ F7 chord first attempts — press F7, strum slowly, adjust until at least 3 of the 4 strings ring cleanly, repeat 20 times from scratch. Target: 8 minutes
• ☐ Em to G transition — metronome 60 BPM, 4 strums each, 20 repetitions clean and in time. Target: 5 minutes
• ☐ C to G transition — metronome 60 BPM, 4 strums each, 20 repetitions clean and in time. Target: 5 minutes
• ☐ G to D transition — metronome 60 BPM, 4 strums each, 20 repetitions clean and in time. Target: 5 minutes
• ☐ Fix You verse progression — C, G, Am, F7, Pattern 2 strumming, metronome 65 BPM, 4 strums per chord, 10 times without stopping. Target: 8 minutes
• ☐ Bonus — all 6 chords sequence — Em, Am, G, D, C, F7, 4 strums each, no metronome, just flow through your full chord vocabulary. Target: 5 minutes

What You Learned This Lesson

• ✅ The D chord — bright and open
• ✅ The C chord — warm and essential
• ✅ The F7 chord — your first two string barre shape
• ✅ Your full open chord arsenal of 6 chords
• ✅ The key chord transitions for all three target songs
• ✅ Your first real Coldplay progression — Fix You verse

Lesson Progress

Posture ████████████ MASTERED ✅

Tab Reading ████████████ MASTERED ✅

First Chords ████████████ MASTERED ✅

Strumming ████████████ MASTERED ✅

Music Theory ████████████ MASTERED ✅

Full Chord Family ████████████ MASTERED ✅

Chord Transitions ░░░░░░░░░░ LOCKED — Lesson 7

Barre Chords ░░░░░░░░░░ LOCKED — Lesson 12

🎸 Lesson 6 Complete! XP Earned: +400 — You are now one step closer to playing Clocks by Coldplay.

Next up: Lesson 7 — Chord Transitions: Making Every Switch Smooth 🎸