Mandolin Chords
Mandolin chords in standard G D A E tuning: open and closed shapes as chord boxes with finger numbers, and each one played.
Keyboard: Space strums the selected shape, ← → step through the shapes. Click any chord box to hear it.
Chord chart
The easiest shape for every major, minor and dominant 7th chord in the current tuning. Tap one to see all its shapes above.
Building the chart…
Using the mandolin chord chart
These mandolin chords are for the standard G D A E tuning: pick a root note and a chord type to see open and closed shapes as chord boxes with finger numbers, hear each one strummed, and print the chart of major, minor and 7th chords. Choose a root and a chord type and the mandolin shapes appear as boxes, easiest first. Tap a box or Strum to hear it, or Note by note to hear each course separately. Space strums the selected shape and the arrow keys step through the rest; Print chart prints the major, minor and 7th grid below the tool.
Each line in the box stands for a pair of strings tuned to the same note: G on the left, then D, A and E on the right. Press both strings of a pair with one fingertip. The frets on a mandolin are close together, so shapes can reach across five frets and these boxes show five rows instead of four. Numbers are fingers 1 to 4, a circle means the pair rings open, and an x means it is not played. As on the other chord pages, the names give the root only, without slash names. For the notes on every fret, see the fretboard notes page, which has a mandolin setting.
How a mandolin is tuned
A mandolin usually has eight strings in four pairs, called courses. The two strings of a pair are tuned to the same note and played together, so you fret and strum them as one string. The four courses are tuned like a violin: G D A E, from low to high (G3, D4, A4, E5). Those are the open strings of a violin too, so the violin notes chart shows the same note names on each string. Each course is a perfect fifth above the one before it, so a chord shape often spreads across more frets than on a guitar. Tune each pair so its two strings match, with the mandolin tuner.
Because the tuning is the same all the way across, a closed shape (no open strings) keeps its type wherever you move it: slide it along the neck and only the root changes. That is not true on guitar, where the G to B gap bends the shapes.
First mandolin chords to learn
These are the shapes the tool shows first (courses G, D, A, E):
| Chord | Shape | Chord | Shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | 0023 | Em | 0220 |
| C | 0230 | Am | 2230 |
| D | 2002 | G7 | 0021 |
| A | 2240 | D7 | 2032 |
G, C and D cover the key of G, and D, G and A the key of D. Further down each list are closed four-finger shapes with no open strings. They take more strength, but you can mute them the moment you let the pressure off, and one shape serves for every root.
How to practise mandolin chord changes
Begin with G (0023) and C (0230): both leave the G course open, and the second finger only moves from the E course to the A course. Then add D (2002). Play four strums on each chord to a slow, steady beat and move a little before the beat so the next chord lands on time. When the open shapes are secure, learn one closed major shape and move it: every fret up raises the chord by a semitone. Press both strings of each pair cleanly; a buzz usually means the finger is catching only one of them.
More for mandolin: Mandolin Tuner · Fretboard Notes
Questions
How is a mandolin tuned?
G D A E from low to high, the same notes as a violin, with each of the four notes on a pair of strings tuned in unison.
Do I need to press both strings of a pair?
Yes. The two strings of a course are fretted and strummed together as if they were one string, so one fingertip presses both.
Can I use violin fingerings for mandolin chords?
The notes are in the same places, because the tuning is the same, but a mandolin has frets and you strum several courses at once, so the chord shapes on this page are what you need.
Why do some mandolin chords have no open strings?
Closed shapes can be moved to any fret to play the same type of chord in another key, and they can be cut short by releasing the fingers. Open shapes are easier to hold and ring longer.