Beginner confusion

[rsdesigner]

I'm new to the mandolin have only owned one for a couple of weeks so I thought I would start nice and easy learn some cords and try and get a tune going. Thought I would start with Don mcleans American pie as I heard him play it live on the mandolin years ago and thought it sounded great. Here's my problem, the chord progressions starts G, D, Em, G and D sound the same on the guitar as they do on the mandolin just a higher version of them but Em sounds like a completly differnt note, ? on Guitar A and D string held down on the 2nd fret, all others open, on the mandolin, G open, D and A 2nd fret, E 3rd fret. Shouldn't Em be Em on any instrument? or am I doing something wrong.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[groveland]

on Guitar A and D string held down on the 2nd fret, #all others open, on the mandolin, G open, D and A 2nd fret, E 3rd fret.
On mandolin you doubled your G and removed the E, so it's going to sound like a G chord, not an Em. That probably should read:
"on Guitar A and D string held down on the 2nd fret, #all others open, on the mandolin, A and D string held down on the 2nd fret, #all others open. "

And yes, a chord on the mandolin will be made of the same notes as a chord of the same name on any other instrument. #The notes may be rearranged to fit the instrument, but they will be the same notes.

Hope that helps!

[rsdesigner]

Yep that now sounds right, strange that every chord diagram I have looked at showns different chord shapes. I have mach to learn.
Many thanks

[jmcgann]

It's because the mandolin and guitar are tuned differently that the same shapes don't apply to both.

[EdSherry]

Chords can be made up of the same notes on different instruments, but have different voicings (the order of the notes, from low to high), different intervals (between the notes of the chord), and different duplication of notes.

For example, an Em chord has the notes E-G-B. #A standard guitar Em (022000) has (from the bottom) EBEGBE -- three Es, one G, two Bs, with the G in the middle. #A standard mandolin Em (0220) has (from the bottom) GEBE. #The variant you were playing (0223) has (from the bottom) GEBG. #As Groveland indicated, that voicing doubled the G, with the E buried in the middle of the chord.

Different voicings of "the same notes" sound differently, so they can all be Em chords but have very different sounds.

[AlanN]

0-2-2-0
0-2-2-3
4-2-2-0
4-2-2-3
4-5-2-0
4-5-7-7
9-5-7
9-9-10-12

learn 'em all
use 'em wisely

[Jonathan Peck]

If your playing solo, you could try it with all open chords and let the notes ring

G (0023)
D (2002)
Em (022-)
G (0023)
D (2002)