Mandolin Chords for Beginners

Learn essential mandolin chords with ease.

Now that you have a good handle on your strumming technique, it’s time to bring your fretting hand into the mix and start learning some essential mandolin chords. Chords are the backbone of any song, and by focusing on these basic positions, you'll develop the skills needed to accompany almost any tune. Once you’ve mastered these three simple chord shapes — G, C, and D — you’ll be well-equipped to play most Bluegrass songs in the key of G. These foundational mandolin chords will open the door to a wide range of music and prepare you for more advanced chord transitions in the future.

1

FreeThe G Major Chord on Mandolin

Developing Proper Fretting Hand Technique

In this lesson, you'll learn how to position your fretting hand behind the neck and how to play your first chord on mandolin.
2

FreeThe C Major Mandolin Chord

Fingering and Practice

The C major chord shape is similar to the G chord in that you're using the same fingers on the same frets. The only difference is what strings they are on.
3

FreeHow to Change from G to C

And developing coordination between your right and left hands

Changing chords is an essential skill to master when playing a stringed instrument. Fortunately for us mandolin players, we have it pretty easy at first!
4

FreeThe D Major Chord on Mandolin

Creating the Chord Shape and How to Practice

The D major chord is a different shape than your G and C chords, but it still only uses two fingers.
5

FreeHow to Change from G to D

Practice Using Visualization

Changing from G major to D major is a little more complicated than G to C, but it's not difficult. Let's look at the process of switching between these two chords.
6

FreeHow to Switch Between G, C, and D

Learning Your First Chord Progression

The chord progression you're learning in this lesson is GDCD. Before trying to play with the tab, just strum once through that progression. Isolate the chord changes and smooth them out if need be....
7

FreeCombining G, C, and D Chords Part #2

A Different Chord Progression

The chord progression in this exercise is GCGD, which is a very popular one in bluegrass and folk music. Once again, strum through each of these chords once and notice any difficulties in switching...

FreeThe G Major Chord on Mandolin

Developing Proper Fretting Hand Technique

FreeThe C Major Mandolin Chord

Fingering and Practice

FreeHow to Change from G to C

And developing coordination between your right and left hands

FreeThe D Major Chord on Mandolin

Creating the Chord Shape and How to Practice

FreeHow to Change from G to D

Practice Using Visualization

FreeHow to Switch Between G, C, and D

Learning Your First Chord Progression

FreeCombining G, C, and D Chords Part #2

A Different Chord Progression