How Far Can I Get Knowing A,D,E,G,C, and F Chords in Bluegrass??

[fatt-dad]

Paddy on the Turnpike, Key of G Mixolydian includes the following chords - G, C, Em, F and Dm.

tough audience! And, yes, I know it's not written in a minor key! When we all agree on what's a model tune, I'll return to using that word!

f-d

[Timbofood]

Jaycat, just remember, you're a mandolin player only moreso.
(Another Bogart film reference)
By the way, "I'm shocked, shocked to find out there is gambling going on here"
F-D, a model tune is what you start with

[JeffD]

How Far Can I Get Knowing A,D,E,G,C, and F Chords in Bluegrass?

Far enough to have gobs of fun and easily get to a place where it will be very apparent to you what you need to learn next.

[ralph johansson]

Hey all,

I haven't been trying to learn any songs or anything like that, but I have been picking the mando up each day and practicing the chords that you all told me I needed to know at a minimum. The major chords in all the keys.

I remember many years ago when I took lessons the guy that was teaching me had me practicing the G,C and D, mostly the 2 finger ones and then later on the closed forms. Is that what you call it when you use all 4 fingers?
Anyway, when I asked about other chords he told me something that I thought sounded strange, that knowing those basic chords could get me through 95% of all Bluegrass songs.

I'd like to know what you all think of that figure. Is it true? Right now I don't know anyone here, in Houston, that has a garage Bluegrass band that would let someone like me come over and just strum chords. I would like to find such a band in the future though, that wouldn't mind helping someone like me. It would come as great comfort to me to know that if I knew those chords, up and down the neck, I would be able to walk into that garage and at least not embarrass myself too much.

Thoughts?

Thank you all.

Nalajr

Those chord forms, shifted up and down the neck are enough to get you started. In time you will discover the need for more forms and various variations on them, passing chords, etc. I.e., in time you will not just learn chords, but harmony.
Closed form chords are chords where all notes are fretted. They can have 2,3, or 4 notes.

[ralph johansson]

Not sure I'm aligned with this. Tunes utilizing a modal sound are their own thing and are mostly irrespective of harmonic accompaniment (i.e., chords). Monroe's modal-flavored tunes typically have major chords behind them; the flatted 3 and 7 tones against the major-sounding accompaniment give them their unique vibe. I'm thinking of Paddy On The Turnpike, many of the tunes on Master of Bluegrass. I actually don't think Monroe composed many numbers in a true minor key.

But to the OP point - yes, learn as many chord forms as you can - major, minor, dom 7, etc.

The ones that I can think of right away are Land of Lincoln, Kentucky Mandolin, Crossing the Cumberlands, My Last Days on Earth.
Cheyenne is in Bb with a g minor bridge, and the Moonlight Waltz spends 12 bars in d minor before settling on the key of F.

[AlanN]

Yes, there are those examples; but for his total compositional output, minor key tunes are few in number. Interesting note on Kentucky Mandolin: the story goes that BM heard Herschel Sizemore's Bluegrass Minor off a Shenandoah Cut-Ups record and crafted KM based on that number, at least the A part. I would not be surprised.

[ralph johansson]

The Shenandoah Cutups were formed in 1968, and the earliest recording of KM is from 1964 (live with Doc Watson). But Monroe could have heard Sizemore's tune earlier than that. It's not very original

[Steve Gray]

If I remember correctly (and I may not, so someone please correct me if I don't), my mandolin instructor told me that any time you want to play a minor chord just make the major chord correctly and slide your index finger back one fret toward the nut. Makes minor chords easy...

[LongBlackVeil]

I think all beginners should study this and study it well. Nothing helped me more than a combination of this and hearing this applied in the songs I listened to. It says jazzmando, but EVERY mandolin player plays from these shapes whether they know it or not.

http://jazzmando.com/ffcp.shtml

You may not be able to put it to use right away, but get those patterns in your head early and you'll eventually start seeing their use. I think it's the first step to learning how to improvise. Other than that, learn a bunch of fiddle tunes.