If you’ve managed to get the C, Dm and Em chords from the previous section ringing out nice and clearly, well done! Now we’re going to practice changing between them. There is one overriding technique for changing between different chords:
Economy of Movement.
Economy of movement simple refers to using the least amount of movements (and energy) possible to execute any given technique, in this case changing chords.
Study your fretting hand as you change between chords (as slowly as you can at first) and work out the most efficient way to do it. For example, if you’re already fretting a note that’s in the next chord, you may not need to move that finger. You want to keep your fingers as close to the fretboard as possible when changing chords, you don’t want them flapping around.
Warning: You will need to practice this A LOT.
A good chord changing technique is cumulative because once you can change cleanly from one chord to another, it becomes easier with each new chord you tackle. Look closely at what your fretting hand is doing as you’ll need to guide it with your eyes i.e. visualize where your fingers are going to end up as you change chords.
Checkpoint: Make sure you can change fairly smoothly between the three chords we’ve learned before you go on.