To play mandolin chords, press the paired strings with your fingers, and pick, or strum, with a pick. A G major chord is played with the open G and D strings, the 2nd fret of the A string, and the 3rd fret of the E string, so the notes are G, D, B, G, and the chord is G major, with the root, the 5th, the major 3rd, and the root.
How do you play mandolin chords?
To play mandolin chords, press the paired strings with your fingers, and pick, or strum, with a pick. A G major chord is played with the open G and D strings, the 2nd fret of the A string, and the 3rd fret of the E string, so the notes are G, D, B, G, and the chord is G major, with the root, the 5th, the major 3rd, and the root, and the chord is the harmony, and the harmony is played with the fingers, on the fretboard, and the pick, on the strings, and the two together make the music. The mandolin has eight strings, in four pairs, called courses, tuned G, D, A, E, in fifths, like a violin, and the pairs are played together, so the sound is bright and ringing, because two strings sound as one, and the mandolin is the brightest instrument, with a high, ringing voice, and the chords are played with the fingers, on the fretboard, and the pick, on the strings, and the chords are the harmony, and the melody is the tune, and the two together are the mandolin, sounding like a small orchestra. The G major mandolin chord and the D major mandolin chord are the chords most players first play, and the metronome keeps the beat steady.
How mandolin chords work
A mandolin chord works because the paired strings are pressed down, and picked, or strummed, and the notes ring together, as one chord, with the pairs doubling the sound, so the chord is bright and ringing. The mandolin is tuned in fifths, G, D, A, E, with the G string, G3, 196 Hz, the D string, D4, 293.66 Hz, the A string, A4, 440 Hz, and the E string, E5, 659.25 Hz, and the intervals are perfect 5ths, seven semitones, between every pair of strings, and the tuning is G, D, A, E, and the chords are built on it, and the fifths tuning makes the chord shapes regular, and the shapes move, across the neck, and the chord changes, by moving the shape. The fingers should be curved, with the fingertips on the strings, and the thumb behind the neck, giving support, not squeezing, because the squeeze causes pain and fatigue, and the support is what the thumb is for. The pick should be held firmly, but not tightly, and the strum should be even, and the strings should ring, with no buzz and no mute, and the pick should move, down and up, across the strings, and the rhythm should be steady, because the pick is the beat, and the beat must be steady. The C major mandolin chord and the A major mandolin chord are the chords the playing is built on.
Worked example — playing a G major chord on mandolin. Hold the mandolin, with your left hand on the neck, and your right hand over the sound hole, with a pick, and play a G major chord: the G strings, the 4th course, are open, and the note is G, G3, 196 Hz, the D strings, the 3rd course, are open, and the note is D, D4, 293.66 Hz, the A strings, the 2nd course, are fretted at the 2nd fret, and the note is B, B4, 493.88 Hz, because A plus two semitones is B, and the E strings, the 1st course, are fretted at the 3rd fret, and the note is G, G5, 783.99 Hz, because E plus three semitones is G. Pick, or strum, all four courses, and the notes ring together, G, D, B, G, which are the root, the perfect 5th, the major 3rd, and the root of G major, and the chord is G major, played with two fingers, and the sound is bright and ringing, because the paired strings double the sound. The key of G major lists the chords the playing is built on.
How to practise playing mandolin chords
Practise playing mandolin chords by playing one chord at a time, until the fingers are in the right place, and the chord rings cleanly, and then by changing chords, smoothly, with the pick, so the song flows.
- Play a G major chord, with the open G and D strings, the 2nd fret of the A string, and the 3rd fret of the E string, and listen for the notes, G, D, B, G, to ring together.
- Play a D major chord, with the 2nd fret of the G string, the open D and A strings, and the 2nd fret of the E string, and listen for the notes, A, D, A, F#, to ring together.
- Play the I–V–vi–IV progression in G major on mandolin, changing chords smoothly, and listening for the harmony to change.
- Practise with the metronome at 60 beats per minute, and increase the tempo by 5 beats per minute when the chords are clean at the current tempo.
- Use the mandolin chord finder to check the notes of any chord, and name each note as you play it, so the notes are learned with the fingers.
Common mistakes
- Pressing the paired strings unevenly — The mandolin has paired strings, and a finger that presses one string of a pair, but not the other, will make the chord sound thin, because only one string rings, and the pair is not together. Press both strings of the pair, with the fingertip, so they ring together, and the chord is full.
- Holding the pick too tightly — A pick held too tightly will make the strum stiff, and the rhythm will be uneven, and the hand will tire, and the chords will be slow. Hold the pick firmly, but not tightly, and let it move, down and up, across the strings, and the strum will be fluid.
- Letting fingers touch neighbouring strings — A finger that lies flat will touch the neighbouring string, and mute it, and the chord will be missing a note, and it will sound wrong. Curve your fingers, so the fingertip presses the strings, and the neighbouring strings ring freely.
Quick reference
This table shows the four basic mandolin chords, with the fingering and the notes for each one, so you can see the chords side by side and practise them one at a time. The fingering is the frets, from the G course to the E course, and 0 means open, and the notes are the chord, with the pairs doubling the sound.
| Chord | Fingering (G–D–A–E) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| G major | 0 – 0 – 2 – 3 | G – D – B – G |
| D major | 2 – 0 – 0 – 2 | A – D – A – F# |
| A major | 2 – 2 – 4 – 5 | A – E – C# – A |
| C major | 5 – 2 – 3 – 0 | C – E – C – E |
Use the table to practise the mandolin chords: play each chord, with the fingering the table shows, and listen for the notes to ring together, and the chord to be clean, and the sound to be bright and ringing. When you can play all four chords, you can play the key of G major, and the mandolin is yours.
Frequently asked questions
How do I play mandolin chords?
Press the paired strings with your fingers, and pick, or strum, with a pick. A G major chord is played with the open G and D strings, the 2nd fret of the A string, and the 3rd fret of the E string, so the notes are G, D, B, G, and the chord is G major.
What is the tuning of a mandolin?
The mandolin is tuned G, D, A, E, in fifths, like a violin, with the G string, G3, 196 Hz, the D string, D4, 293.66 Hz, the A string, A4, 440 Hz, and the E string, E5, 659.25 Hz, and the tuning is the foundation of all mandolin playing.
How many strings does a mandolin have?
Eight strings, in four pairs, called courses, tuned G, D, A, E, and the pairs are played together, so the sound is bright and ringing, because two strings sound as one, and the mandolin is the brightest instrument.
Why does my mandolin chord sound thin?
Because a finger is pressing only one string of a pair, and not the other, so only one string rings, and the pair is not together. Press both strings of the pair, with the fingertip, so they ring together, and the chord is full.
Can I play guitar chords on a mandolin?
Not directly, because the mandolin has eight strings, in four pairs, and the guitar has six, and the tuning is different, in fifths, not in fourths, and the chord shapes are different, but the theory is the same, and a chord is a root, a 3rd, and a 5th, on any instrument.