I have recently started learning guitar and I find it very straining on my fingers to play chord because I don’t have long fingers.. Maybe it’s the guitar that’s the problem, it’s one from Argos so maybe it’s not as easy to play as it could be…
Also I’m not talking about ridges in the fingers, I know that happens anyway and I’m getting used to it, I just find it very difficult to assemble my fingers correctly and play it without muffling a note.
It could be the action (the distance from the strings from the fretboard) on your guitar is too high, this can cause trouble fretting if you’re just starting out.
Practice slowly, finger the notes for the chord, strum and make sure that all the notes ring out clearly. Than switch to another chord and repeat. As you practice, you’ll develop ‘muscle memory’ and you’ll easily switch from one chord to another.