How to Play Chords Efficiently
Source: Guitar Chords
How to Play Chords Efficiently:
As with any instrument, the more efficiently you can play it, is directly proportional to the easiness and speed with which you can play the piece. If you are moving your fingers around one-at-a-time, or lifting them completely off the fingerboard, up into the air and then trying to find the proper place for them, you are going to not only waste a lot of time, but you will become very frustrated – or as Olivia would put it frustfrustrated. 
So by playing chord efficiently, I am mostly referring to the process of moving from one chord to a different chord. This is commonly known as a chord “transition”.
Let’s Look At An Example:
Referring to the example above, this would be a common chord transition you would see in the key of C Major – That transition is moving from the C to the G7 chord. Typically you will have to make this move in a split second for you may have to give the C a strum on the last beat of one measure and be ready for the G7 on the first beat of the next measure.
How Do We Do This?
I will tell you that about 75% of it depends on memorization of the chords. I can’t stress this enough that you really need to memorize these chord forms. But the last 25% if very important too. Let’s offer you some tips to make this change quickly and easily but, most importantly, efficiently.
First Look At The Two Chords:
Do you see any similar or common elements about these two chords?
Let’s list them:
The easiest way to transition between these two chords is to form the C chord. Now move your 2nd and 3rd fingers (or shift them) one string lower. Just move them together right now. At the Same Time, move (or again shift) your 1st finger from the 2nd string to the 1st string.
Now let’s go from the G7 to the C do the opposite from the C to the G7.
Practice this several time over and over, until you can do it without thinking.
I will give you more examples of this as time goes on, but you should always be on the lookout for common elements in chords to save you movements. You will play cleaner, faster and with a whole lot less effort.
Tags: Guitar Chords, how to play guitar chords, kids guitar chords
