Mandolin Chord Chart
Tuning G–D–A–E (doubled courses) · pick a chord to see the shape & hear it
How to play
- 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.
The mandolin chord chart lets you see the fingering and listen to the chord being played in real-time. You can also interact with it using buttons on your screen or a keyboard on your computer. In this way, you have a visual aid as well as an audio reference to practise from.
To begin with, choose any chord from the row of buttons underneath the heading. These are all major, minor, or seventh chords in standard tuning. When you click one it will load up its diagram into the fretboard display and the notes for that chord appears on the right-hand list. The active chord light up so you know where you are in the set.
How to Use the Mandolin Chord Chart
Imagine the visual diagram is placed before you as if it were a mandolin standing up. The thick bar along the top is called the nut. The four sets of double lines is the string courses. The dots show where you press onto the fretboard, while the letter within the dot shows which note is being sounded. A circle with nothing in it just above the nut indicates an open course played without any fingers pressed down.
Use the playback controls and you’ll hear that chord shape in action. Because it models a typical acoustic strum, the Strum button rolls through the four courses quickly. It’s a great way of listening to how a chord sounds when played rhythmically. Hit the button as many times as you like to improve your ear training or timing.
If you’ve ever heard the tremolo effect on the mandolin, try pressing this button and it will add a quiver of sound to the instrument. It picks rapidly back and forth, holding the note for slightly longer than a single strum. You can hear how the chord evolves through time, not just as an instant attack. The tremolo is used by mandolin players for drones and melodic lines.
At the bottom of the widget is a slider that controls the overall sound level. That means all sounds produced will be played back at this level. If you are in a noisier environment, turn it down; if you want to hear more of the details of the double-stopped courses, bump it up a bit. It remains on throughout other chord diagram changes.
If you’re not familiar with the interface yet, no worries! There is easy-to-use how to play panel to get you going in a flash. The help panel briefly explains what each symbol means on the diagram and how the playback options work. By default this panel remains hidden so as not to clutter the workspace but it’s there whenever required. When you feel more confident with where things are located, simply switch it off again.
To enlarge the chord diagrams and increase readability, turn them into fullscreen view. This is especially useful when looking at this widget from your tablet or small screen. By doing this it will expand its interface to fill out your screen for more room to learn those fingerings. Go back to normal page layout anytime by exiting fullscreen.
For a smooth flow of work, all controls and chords are navigable by keyboard alone. The focus can be moved from control element to button with a tab key. A space or enter can then activate the desired action (play back for example) or select a chord. This is ideal if you want to learn through muscle memory, as there is no need to remove your hands from the keys while practicing.
If you test various chord shapes against each other, you will notice that often moving just one fret is all it takes to make a minor chord sound quite different than its major counterpart. For example, try fingering in a G major then move to G7 to feel what note has been added and how this alters the tension of the chord. This kind of subtle variation supports harmonic understanding on the mandolin.
Keep this in mind when practising on your own instrument. Listen for the balance of tones from the courses. Match the diagram with how you place your fingers. Then, use the auditory and visual feedback loop to help reinforce the habit of placing your fingers correctly before it becomes second nature. Take your time with each chord until it sits naturaly under your fingers and explore them all. You should of explored them all. It would of been better to see how the chords sounds. All the furnitures is available for testing. We hope you recieve the most out of this tool.