Mandolin Chops 101

FreeOverview, and What is the Chop

A Summary of what's ahead and an explanation of what you'll be studying

In this lesson path you’ll learn basic bluegrass chord shapes, and will slowly be introduced to the proper way to articulate the chord to get the sound and feel of a real bluegrass chop. You’ll le...

FreeBasic Bluegrass Chop Shapes

Fret Hand Basics

The Bluegrass chop. Let’s start by mastering the chord shapes. Bill popularized a four finger version of the G chord. For many it's too much of a stretch and painful. Here we present you with two a...

Playing on the Backbeat

Wait a Click

Playing the chop chord on the “backbeat” is one of, if not, the most crucial elements of chopping in Bluegrass. A single note is played on the downbeats of 1 and 3, while the rest of the chord is p...

Learning Articulation

Letting Go

In the last lesson you finished by playing back beats on 2 and 4. This was done so you could have the metronome and band to confidently count the beat and play in the right spot. Now we will remove...

Playing Between the Beats

Almost There

In the previous lessons all notes and chords have been played on numbered beats. This was so you could easily keep track of when you were supposed to play. Now a new challenge is added: playing bet...

Rhythmic Embellishments

Gettin' Fancy

Rhythmic embellishments are another important element to an authentic bluegrass chop. They help to fill space and move the music along. Bill Monroe used them all the time. Listen to Bill Monroe’s “...

I'll Fly Away

Goin' Legit

In I’ll Fly Away we combine all we have learned thus far: playing on the backbeat, articulation, and rhythmic embellishments.The basic arrangement is chop only, master this before adding the rhythm...

Where to Now?

The Beat Goes On

Now that you have got a handle on the basic chop, let’s put it to use. Everytime you learn a new melody make sure you are also practicing rhythm. Chop along with the band in Tunefox. You can use th...