Guitar is my main instrument so this is a tip for others trying to figure out the Mando. What you have is the lowest 4 strings of your guitar - upside down. So take any guitar chord shapes on the bottom 4 and flip them over - voila..Mando chords. Not perfect voicing maybe but beats making a fool out of yourself at the Sunday jam.
That just blew my mind! I had a similar epiphany when I tried to move from guitar to ukulele, how I could translate all the chord shapes I already know and didn't have to memorize anything new. Thanks to this I had the same feeling moving to mandolin (which I inherited two I can't yet play). GOLDEN, thanks!
I do the same, works great for me. That with the two finger shapes for G, C, and D major and E & A minor got me off and running quickly on the rythem and finger-picking side. This lesson adds the barr chord versions of those two-finger shapes allowing play in any key. Scales next. Good stuff!
This is an excellent approach to learning mandolin (or fiddle double stop) chords. It cuts through the over accumulative and confusing rhetoric of music theory and gives you a clear mental image of chord patterns, all from only two shapes; one for major chords and one for minor chords. It is applicable theory reduced down to it's most basic (applicable) form. This is undoubtedly the absolute fastest way for someone to become a mandolin player. Thanks so much for this lesson.
Dude. You nailed it. I have 17 years of experience with guitar and just got a mandolin. This shit had me baffled until I saw this. Now with zero training and in less than 10 mins I am a passable mandolin player
Well....lots of guitar players here. Me... I’m a banjo player( old time) and love the symmetry of mandolin. Ill be running through this a couple more times as I’ve been at this for 3 weeks. Got to say I’m having a blast with this instrument. Thank you for your whole series !!!
I dont mean to be off topic but does any of you know of a tool to log back into an instagram account..? I was stupid forgot the password. I appreciate any tricks you can offer me!
@Cason Waylon i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im trying it out atm. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
X-C-Lent video. Simple instructions that open a whole world of beautiful music and tons of fun. The Mandolin is one of the funnest instruments to play and you have doubled it.!!
Super helpful video. I hadn't seen such a clear description of the movable chord shapes. Placing the finger between the two courses provides a much cleaner sound than trying to bar the neck. Thanks for the videos!
Hey awesome stuff! What you posted last year just helped me a ton just now. The 'aiming for the middle strings', when playing the G/D strings to get a full sounding chord really helped me.
Great to reboot my brain: Around 2006 I abandoned the guitar and picked up the fiddle where I learned (finally) how to play and READ sheet music (Music of the Scottish Highlands, for some reason). So now, in 2019, I abandoned my fiddle, dusted off the Ibenez guitar, removed 2 strings, shuffled some around, and tuned it to fiddle GDAE (which is the same as the mandolin). So NOW, I can play all my Scottish music on my electric guitar, but I needed a primer on chords, and you delivered flawlessly! Thanks again! North Central Florida
I got my first mandolin yesterday. Have played guitar for many years and your little lesson is very helpful and helps cut to the meat of playing. Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to make this a no brainer! :0)
I just found this tonight - and what a great resource it is! Thank you so much, tutors like you are so generous, putting up good quality teaching for free. I will able to also use these lessons to help me learn to play the beautiful tenor mandola I bought in the summer as well as my mandolin, Thanks again.
Thank you so much for this lesson! I’ve been struggling trying to learn the basic chords. I find it’s much easier to memorize patterns from one shape by using the basic musical alphabet. Much appreciated:-)
I have been looking at cords in a book. Could not get index finger to press both sets of strings and hold down the pinky and ring finger. Your video has made it easy to hold the form and play a nice clean tone. Thank you, sir,
That's a brilliant lesson, thanks for taking the time to explain that, it's really helpful. Just bought the mandolin and have played guitar for a while and this has unlocked the A, E patterns from guitar that we can't do without. Thanks for sharing. Lx
Thank you, this is just what I needed. I already play several wind instruments and know the music theory behind playing, so it's very nice to just show the technical portion of playing.
I play guitar and bass and some other instruments over 10 years, now I thought I take a new one for try, and thanks to this I managed to learn all the Major/Minor chords in 2 hours :-)
basic chords ...this is instant filling it...I heard Les Paul describe playing as keeping is simple ....and being on time...I have purchased a mandolin for my grand daughter and your lesson is perfect for fundamentals ...keep the instructions coming....nicely done
Thanks so much for these videos. They're great! I'm hopefully buying my first mandolin in a couple of weeks and I already feel like I know my way around the neck well enough to start playing some basic stuff. I would have been totally lost otherwise.
sorry if you've already covered this somewhere but do you use specific mandolin picks or a guitar pick (it looks like a guitar pick here?)? do you find any particular gauge works best? And how do you hold the pick (I've played the guitar for years and never learnt to hold the pick "properly", new instrument gives me motivation to actually re-learn this basic thing!!) Thank you for making these videos, I find your channel so helpful!
@@oldiesaubrey1989 if you play then keep playing until you get callouses on your fingers. The hardness of the callouses make a big difference, I’m new to mandolin but I’ve been playing bass guitar for almost 30 years. Not that you asked for my advice lol
This was a very helpful lesson, thankyou so much. I play uke and just started mandolin. This has broken down a lot of shit that will make it possible to jam around with it. 'preciate, man. :)
They are L shapes? Up one and over two or down one and back two? Depending on your 1 chord? I don’t play mandolin I play Bass. Same idea on the Bass or guitar for the 1, 4, 5? Would you find the 2 or 6 the same way?
absolutely great format. when going up from first to the 4th chord (from g to c shape) why not press both E and A strings, on the same fret, with the same finger (pinky for me)for a 4 string chord, instead of playing without the e string? (same for the minor pattern?)
I'm a fiddle player picking up the mandolin. Plucking tunes takes minimal effort, but chords feel like my hand is deformed. My left hand just can't seem to stretch in the right way to have three fingers pressing down 4 strings at once. Anyone have advice?
Do you have any advice for women or people with small hands trying to hold down 4 strings with one finger? I'm really struggling with that but maybe it's just because i'm new..
Good way to change up the voicing. The standard bluegrass chop chord shape is a very closed voicing (the notes are about as close to each other along the scale as possible) which gives a very specific sound, this voicing gives a more open sound. Just depends on what you want to do!
Guitar is my main instrument so this is a tip for others trying to figure out the Mando. What you have is the lowest 4 strings of your guitar - upside down. So take any guitar chord shapes on the bottom 4 and flip them over - voila..Mando chords. Not perfect voicing maybe but beats making a fool out of yourself at the Sunday jam.
Good thought! Thanks for sharing!
That just blew my mind! I had a similar epiphany when I tried to move from guitar to ukulele, how I could translate all the chord shapes I already know and didn't have to memorize anything new. Thanks to this I had the same feeling moving to mandolin (which I inherited two I can't yet play). GOLDEN, thanks!
I do the same, works great for me. That with the two finger shapes for G, C, and D major and E & A minor got me off and running quickly on the rythem and finger-picking side. This lesson adds the barr chord versions of those two-finger shapes allowing play in any key. Scales next. Good stuff!
Damnit! Coming to mando from guitar too and that didn’t even occur to me! Thanks for the tip!
It is so confusing with the mandolin strings in an upside down order compared to a guitar. I guess that it will just take time to get it!!!
This is an excellent approach to learning mandolin (or fiddle double stop) chords. It cuts through the over accumulative and confusing rhetoric of music theory and gives you a clear mental image of chord patterns, all from only two shapes; one for major chords and one for minor chords. It is applicable theory reduced down to it's most basic (applicable) form. This is undoubtedly the absolute fastest way for someone to become a mandolin player. Thanks so much for this lesson.
Thanks, that is what I was aiming for! I'm glad it helps!
Dude. You nailed it. I have 17 years of experience with guitar and just got a mandolin. This shit had me baffled until I saw this. Now with zero training and in less than 10 mins I am a passable mandolin player
Well....lots of guitar players here. Me... I’m a banjo player( old time) and love the symmetry of mandolin. Ill be running through this a couple more times as I’ve been at this for 3 weeks. Got to say I’m having a blast with this instrument. Thank you for your whole series !!!
For my mandolin playing this has been one of the most helpful videos I’ve found. Thank you very much for sharing and teaching!
Thank you so much for a great clear lesson. No nonsense or showing off, just chords as we need them. The Best lesson I have found. Well done.
Great lesson. Knowing the I IV V chords can get you playing most all common folk, bluegrass and gospel songs
Thanks! I agree!
Very helpful for a guitar player who doesn't know much about the mandolin! Thank you!
Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching!
I dont mean to be off topic but does any of you know of a tool to log back into an instagram account..?
I was stupid forgot the password. I appreciate any tricks you can offer me!
@Adonis Josue instablaster ;)
@Cason Waylon i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im trying it out atm.
Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Cason Waylon It worked and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy!
Thank you so much, you really help me out!
Thank you thank you. I am a brand new player and I struggled a long time tonight trying to get the A chord. I think this just saved my sanity!!
X-C-Lent video. Simple instructions that open a whole world of beautiful music and tons of fun. The Mandolin is one of the funnest instruments to play and you have doubled it.!!
Super helpful video. I hadn't seen such a clear description of the movable chord shapes. Placing the finger between the two courses provides a much cleaner sound than trying to bar the neck. Thanks for the videos!
Glad to hear it, thanks for watching!
After years of all styles of guitar and violin, I decided to tinker with the mandolin. Your lessons are helping me enormously. Thank you.
Hey awesome stuff! What you posted last year just helped me a ton just now. The 'aiming for the middle strings', when playing the G/D strings to get a full sounding chord really helped me.
Excellent! I am glad you found it useful!
Wow, thanks! Went through lots of intro mando lessons and this is the most straight forward and helpful.
This is exactly what I needed to take my knowledge to the next level, thanks!!!!!!
That was a very good lesson, for someone who doesn't have a clue on what to do on a mandolin, made it very clear and simple
One of the most instructive mandolessons out there. Great job.
.
Thanks so much!
Great to reboot my brain:
Around 2006 I abandoned the guitar and picked up the fiddle where I learned (finally)
how to play and READ sheet music (Music of the Scottish Highlands, for some reason).
So now, in 2019, I abandoned my fiddle, dusted off the Ibenez guitar, removed 2 strings,
shuffled some around, and tuned it to fiddle GDAE (which is the same as the mandolin).
So NOW, I can play all my Scottish music on my electric guitar, but I needed a primer
on chords, and you delivered flawlessly! Thanks again!
North Central Florida
I got my first mandolin yesterday. Have played guitar for many years and your little lesson is very helpful and helps cut to the meat of playing. Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to make this a no brainer! :0)
Woohoo! Welcome to the world of mandolins!
I just found this tonight - and what a great resource it is! Thank you so much, tutors like you are so generous, putting up good quality teaching for free. I will able to also use these lessons to help me learn to play the beautiful tenor mandola I bought in the summer as well as my mandolin, Thanks again.
Jerry Simon Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you are enjoying the site!
Thank you so much for this lesson! I’ve been struggling trying to learn the basic chords. I find it’s much easier to memorize patterns from one shape by using the basic musical alphabet. Much appreciated:-)
Wow! Thank you! That was fantastic! I can't believe how much I just learned!
this lesson helped a lot , now hook a melody from chord to chord ! thanks for sharing
I have been looking at cords in a book. Could not get index finger to press both sets of strings and hold down the pinky and ring finger. Your video has made it easy to hold the form and play a nice clean tone. Thank you, sir,
Woohoo! I'm glad it is working out for you!
Omar Barba Same for me too!!
That's a brilliant lesson, thanks for taking the time to explain that, it's really helpful. Just bought the mandolin and have played guitar for a while and this has unlocked the A, E patterns from guitar that we can't do without. Thanks for sharing. Lx
Great! They are definitely very helpful shapes to have under your fingers. Thanks for watching!
I will look at mandolin chords in another way now. Good lesson. Thanks
Brilliant video,very informative I've learned so much thank you for sharing.
This is really clear and useful! It opens so many ways to get passed same ole g, c, d tedium!
Wow this is excellent teaching my friend
Brilliant. Thank you! This was very well organized.
srtakilmer Thanks!
THANK YOU!!!! Your lessons are super effective and incredibly helpful :)
Thanks for watching!
I wish every teacher were as empathetic and clear. Thanks.
Thanks for the kind words! Glad you are enjoying the lessons!
Thank you, this is just what I needed. I already play several wind instruments and know the music theory behind playing, so it's very nice to just show the technical portion of playing.
I play guitar and bass and some other instruments over 10 years, now I thought I take a new one for try, and thanks to this I managed to learn all the Major/Minor chords in 2 hours :-)
Please can you make a tutorial about improvisation or pentatonics please? Your way of teaching is very clear :)
basic chords ...this is instant filling it...I heard Les Paul describe playing as keeping is simple ....and being on time...I have purchased a mandolin for my grand daughter and your lesson is perfect for fundamentals ...keep the instructions coming....nicely done
Thanks, I'm glad you like them! New lessons every Thursday!
Thanks,
Baron
Yes I agree - perfect intro to basic chords for this instrument - Thanks.
Thanks!
Holy crap this blew my mind and made everything click, thanks a lot. Great approach!
So glad to hear it!
This is incredible helpful!
Fantastic lesson!
Great lesson. Thanks. I was looking for a lesson on moveable chords for the mandolin and this was perfect.
+Bill Knutson Glad to hear it, they are definitely handy things to know!
Learned something today.....thanks........it's a right angle
Good sounding mandolin! Nice work... Good luck with the site!
Thanks, Brad!
Thanks so much for these videos. They're great! I'm hopefully buying my first mandolin in a couple of weeks and I already feel like I know my way around the neck well enough to start playing some basic stuff. I would have been totally lost otherwise.
Excellent! You'll get the hang of it in no time!
Awesome! Thanks for this!
sorry if you've already covered this somewhere but do you use specific mandolin picks or a guitar pick (it looks like a guitar pick here?)? do you find any particular gauge works best? And how do you hold the pick (I've played the guitar for years and never learnt to hold the pick "properly", new instrument gives me motivation to actually re-learn this basic thing!!) Thank you for making these videos, I find your channel so helpful!
osm .......elder brother... your teaching are vary help ful for us..... thank you thank you
New Subscriber 👍
My regards from New York. ❤👍👍
Great video, it really made everything easier.
This is awesome!! Thank you!
I'd love to see your video on playing fills, if you have one! Maybe if I search your uploads I'll find one. Thanks, again.
There is a whole series of them in the works! I am going to start publishing them once the beginner series is done. Thanks!
Great explanation thank you so much 🙏👏👏
thankyou im a guitar player who started a few weeks ago on mandolin i love it great lesson
Glad to hear it! It's a great instrument!
Nicely broken down. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you , thank you !!
thanks a lot I've just started and this was really helpful
Glad to hear it, thanks for watching!
So helpful! Thank you.
Thanks!
Been struggling with the instrument for a year. Can't get the chords... Now I think I've got it. Where have you been all my mando life?
Hiding in the deep dark recesses of the internet! Thanks for watching!
Another great lesson
Never before have I wished that I had thicker fingers.
Tell me about it :3
I have super small fingers :(
@@oldiesaubrey1989 if you play then keep playing until you get callouses on your fingers. The hardness of the callouses make a big difference, I’m new to mandolin but I’ve been playing bass guitar for almost 30 years.
Not that you asked for my advice lol
Thanks, this was the lesson I was looking for!
Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching!
The patterns are cool -- obvious once you see them but handy to have!
Mandolin1944 Exactly! Thanks for watching!
First class lesson mate
Thank you mister mandolin. Was at dead end road heading nowhere and you have opened a new path . i think i sound like bottom of steaming pile
Excellent video man. Thank you for sharing
Darrel Salmon Thanks for watching!
Your welcome
This was a very helpful lesson, thankyou so much. I play uke and just started mandolin. This has broken down a lot of shit that will make it possible to jam around with it. 'preciate, man. :)
Thanks so much for this, very helpful!
Awesome lesson!
Thank you, beautifully done!
sick dude, thanks. That was way helpful!
Glad to hear it!
Great stuff
They are L shapes? Up one and over two or down one and back two? Depending on your 1 chord? I don’t play mandolin I play Bass. Same idea on the Bass or guitar for the 1, 4, 5? Would you find the 2 or 6 the same way?
absolutely great format.
when going up from first to the 4th chord (from g to c shape) why not press both E and A strings, on the same fret, with the same finger (pinky for me)for a 4 string chord, instead of playing without the e string? (same for the minor pattern?)
Wow thanks this really helped!!
Sammy Vlogs Glad to hear it, thanks!
great lesson!
Good lesson. Thanks!
great lesson-so helpful!!
Linda N Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Good lesson. Thx.
very well done sir.
Thanks.
Thank you very much!
excellent lesson !!
Thanks!
Maybe if I watch this enough times it'll seep into my subconscious. One can only hope.
Good lesson
another great lesson! Thankyou>
Glad you enjoyed it, bar chords are awesome!
cool i'm on my way good job!
I will pick up my mandolin tomorrow morning and become Jimi hendrix. Thank you
thank you!..this was so helpful!
Glad to hear it, thanks for watching!
Helpful for new learnee
great post thanks
Very helpful!
I'm a fiddle player picking up the mandolin. Plucking tunes takes minimal effort, but chords feel like my hand is deformed. My left hand just can't seem to stretch in the right way to have three fingers pressing down 4 strings at once. Anyone have advice?
Who else kept thinking of The Wind Cries Mary during this video?
Yes!!
Is it bad technique to barre chords as is commonly done on guitar? I will do that for b minor, barring the lower two strings
Do you have any advice for women or people with small hands trying to hold down 4 strings with one finger? I'm really struggling with that but maybe it's just because i'm new..
EXCELLENTTT ,100-100
thank you so much
Josiah Nelson Thanks for watching!
Excellant info!
I saw Bill Monroe use this shape also along with full cords within the same song.
Good way to change up the voicing. The standard bluegrass chop chord shape is a very closed voicing (the notes are about as close to each other along the scale as possible) which gives a very specific sound, this voicing gives a more open sound. Just depends on what you want to do!
by far the most helpful video I have seen to advance my "jamablity". thank you, Sir!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! May your jamability prosper!
I need finger yoga to make them bend that way.
thank you
Very helpful!!!
Glad to hear it!
AWESOME VID
Thanks!