2 Finger Mandolin Chord Chart
Every chord needs at most TWO fingers · tuning G–D–A–E · the fastest way to start playing
How to play
- Every shape here uses no more than two fretted fingers — the other strings ring open. That is the whole idea: you can start backing tunes straight away instead of waiting to build four-finger grips.
- Most of these are complete chords. A few drop the 5th, which is the one note you can leave out without changing what the chord is called — the root and the 3rd are what make it major or minor, and those are always here. Where a 5th has been dropped the chord card says so.
- The trade-off is that these shapes lean on the open strings, so unlike closed “chop” chords you cannot slide them up the neck to change key, and they ring on rather than stopping dead.
- A mandolin has four pairs of strings, each pair tuned in unison and fretted together, so one finger presses both strings of a course.
- Tip — start with G, C and D7. Those three cover an enormous number of folk and bluegrass tunes.
- Tap a chord name to load its shape on the fretboard and hear it strummed. The diagram reads like a mandolin held upright: the thick bar at top is the nut, the four double lines are the courses (G D A E, low on the left).
- Coloured dots show where to press; the letter in each dot is the note it sounds. A circle o above the nut means play that course open.
- Strum rolls the four courses; Tremolo is the fast back-and-forth pick that gives the mandolin its signature shimmer. Vol sets volume.
- Mandolin is tuned in fifths, identical to a violin, so these shapes also work for tenor banjo. Keyboard — Tab to any chord or control, Enter/Space to activate.
This widget allows you the chance to try out some two finger mandolin chord that provide instant sound feedback. The idea behind it is simplicity; each shape use at most two fretting fingers. To use the widget, you can either use a track pad/mouse or instead play and navigate around it all from your computer keyboard.
The first step is to choose your chord. There’s a row of buttons at the centre of the widget that match popular chords (major, minor and seventh). Click on one of these buttons (or hit Space if it has focus) and you’ll see the diagram update with where to place your fingers. You can also hear what the chord sounds like instant as it plays automatically.
How to Use the Mandolin Widget
In this diagram we have a stylised representation of a mandolin fretboard. The string courses run vertically with four lines representing the strings which are normaly tuned G, D, A and E from left to right. Thick blue dots shows where to place your fingers on the frets. Each dot has a letter in it indicating what note will be produced by that string. If there’s an open circle over a string then you don’t press that string but allow it to ring open. The text underneath diagram details what each note represents, i.e., the notes making up the chord. A quick description of the shape also appears there.
You will notice that certain shapes do not includes the fifth of the chord because it simplifies the fingering. This is common practice when learning to play chords on mandolin. As such, the remaining two notes (root and third) are present which maintains the sound of the chord while keeping its name.
There are two buttons for changing way the instrument sounds when you play it back. One is labelled Strum, which produces a sort of strumming effect by quickly rolling through four courses on the mandolin. The other is called Tremolo, which causes it to pick rapidly back and forth. This reproduces the kind of shimmering sustain that you might associate with bluegrass and folk music on a mandolin. Give them both a try and see what suits your mental ear best.
The volume slider is located on the lower right-hand side. That sets the overall output volume of your chord sounds. If you’re sharing livig space, maybe turn that down. Or perhaps you just want to take things slow. You might not of wanted your ears blown out when you first try this widget out!
The Fullscreen button in the top right of the widget will expand it to take up the whole screen if you want more space around the detail. It’ll automatically adjust its layout to provide more space for controls and the diagram. Click the button or press Escape to go back to normal size. It is handy when working from a smaller tablet or laptop screen.
A full help panel opens when you click on the How to play button, which then reveals an explanatory section that includes tips on playing technique and chord theory. Why leave out these notes? What is the relationship of these shapes to conventional mandolin tuning? If you’re interested in some of the underlying music theory that makes the simplified shapes work, this is your go-to reference.
The chord buttons are accessible with the Tab key on any keyboard. Use the Tab key to jump between chords. Hit Enter or Space once you have the desired button in focus and the chord will play. You can try this out without picking up the mouse, making it easier to learn and practice chords. The process flow well for trying out various chord progressions.
Begin with the D7, C and G chord shapes. This will open up an incredible range of familiar tunes from both folk and bluegrass music. You’ll find that these three shape cover a vast number of traditional tunes. Take your time and work on transitioning between them. Notice how the open strings sounds in each shape.
What is lovely about these forms is that they are simple. It’s not necessary to play with a complicated spider grip. Instead, aim for clarity during chord changes and don’t worry so much about speed. As you discover where your fingers should go let the sound lead you. Instant feedback helps confirm decisions.
Explore various types of strums as you have time. Try out the chord changes. Adjust the volume slider so it’s at a good listening level for you. How do the chords work together harmonically? How does this sound? What happens if you change things around? This isn’t going to be wrong, just press something and let it play.