Hello,
I am a begginer guitar player, one month in now. Close to completing grade 1 (will stay on it for a while to consolidate)
Anyway, my question: I feel much more comfortable using the pinky (4) on the C chord instead of the ring finger.
is it ok if i continue and get used to the chord usind the pinky or will i have trouble further down the road when I learn new chords and different transitions?
Thank you in advance
Hello Aleksander and welcome,
I would like to ask you if you are complete beginner or you had some long time ago learning path so you are now just refreshing?
If not… in my opinion being able to consolidate in 1 month for complete beginner whole Grade 1… is really too fast and you probably did not make strong foundations, which are crucial for next progression.
Please check out all the “requirements” to finish Grade 1 and share with us if you are really able to do all the things. I think realistic time for Grade 1 is starting on 6 months +.
About that C chord… if I can understand it correctly I think you should learn it the way Justin teaching it. In future there will be chord changes where you benefit much more with “free pinky” and also pinky is making flavours to that chord on different strings for melody.
Edit: I steal this from @Richard_close2u who is official JG approved teacher.
I have written this, or similar, in a number of topics.
Here is an overview of Grades 1 and 2:
And here are Justin’s recommended practice routines - to be done several times a week for at least a week for the first few modules and longer than a week as the course progresses.
Realistically, taking an estimated average learning and practice route of 30 minutes per day, increasing (after 3-6 months) to 60 minutes per day on core learning, several times per week, Grade 1 is likely to be a 4-6-month or more learning course.
I wrote this recently in this topic.
Beginner Grade 1 has 75 lessons plus essential consolidation. Each lesson requires at least one day of practice time but by the end of Grade 1, in Modules 5, 6 and 7, I would say that to do the learning justice and really get solid in the basics, each lesson should respectfully be given several days or a week or more, each of the seven modules probably starting at one week for module 1 up to several weeks for module 7. I would even (albeit exaggeratedly to make a point) go so far as to suggest treating each module number as a guide to the weeks required.
Modules 1 to 7 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 28 weeks. That is more than six months just there.
Grade 2 has 68 lessons. And as the learning ramps up the technical challenge and skill, each lesson and each module will require extended time to really get to grips with. I would suggest a similar approach.
Modules 8 to 14 = 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 = 77 weeks. That is more than a year.
Okay - those cumulative totals are on the high side. But I would rather encourage that over the opposite of not taking enough time.
Hi Aleksander, Welcome to JustinGuitars, there are lots of helpful people who can give you advice.
I take it you are playing the open C chord using your pinky at fret 3 on the 5th string. What other fingers are you using?
In my opinion if you can reach the 3rd fret with your ring finger it would be better for the long term. It’s because a lot of chords and scales use fingers 1, 2 and 3 primarily. But sometimes people adapt to what is most comfortable for them, I sometimes play a open E chord with my 2,3 and 4 fingers instead of 1,2 & 3 because I am used to that shape using my 1st finger as a barre for chords further up the neck.
You’ll eventually need that pinky finger for the C7 at the very least, and possibly some other embellishments.
I’m impressed that you thought to use the pinky as a beginner. There are no hard and fast rules about anything. Whatever works is good. However I think using the third finger is nearly always what I would use.
Welcome to the community, Aleksander! 
Regarding your question: For the moment, you should try to learn it with the ring finger as well. So fingering the chords with fingers 1, 2 and 3. As Mark pointed out: You will need the pinky for C7 later on. Further, some chord transitions are easier using the traditional fingering.
In the long run, it is also helpful to be able to form the C-chord with the pinky, too, but then using fingers 2, 3 and 4. That frees your index for C-shaped barre chords. But this is so far down the road that you should not think about this, yet.
So long story short: You will definitely benefit, if you try to get the traditional fingering down as well in addition to what feels comfortable for you.
Have fun learning guitar! 
Don’t use your pinky, it gets used for so much else later on in that position.
Also - IMHO there’s nothing wrong with going quickly through grades 1 and 2 if you’re hitting the goalposts Justin lays down for when to move on. And learning lots of songs.
I would agree. Just spend the time you need consolidating. I think I spent a 3 months or so consolidating the first grade. I tend to go through courses quickly, but refer back to them a bunch during consolidation.
I have to disagree with everyone else. I stalled for weeks when I hit the C chord lesson, because my ring finger just couldn’t get to the string. I tried it with my pinky, and that un-stalled me and opened up a world of new fun songs.
I continued to use the pinky for C until, maybe 8 months later, I hit a song where I needed the pinky for something else. By then, my ring finger was more flexible, and switching to it was no problem. Now I always play C with the ring finger, but I think if I’d insisted on that when I first learned it, I would have been frustrated for months.
I had the same question ….sounds like ring finger it is!
