I am primarily a guitar player. I use my mando for some BASIC bluegrass rhythm work. I was wondering if I could get by with a solid assortment of 2 finger chords. I don't see myself putting the time into more advanced mando playing for now. I have the chord chart posted on this site. Are there more 2 finger chord charts out there?
Thanks for any advice.
Jim D
Jim D
If you have a good powerful singing Voice,
the simple strumming of the mandolin will be forgiven.
One definition a chord is 3 or more notes , basicly composed of 2 intervals between 3 notes.
If you are playing with other people, the notes of the chord can be a group thing too.
the bass player doing the 1 and others the 3, 5, 7 , and so forth.
Jethro Burns books have a series of 3 finger chords in them , at the back,
though the feel of a chord, other than major/minor, takes a 4th note,
so a dropping one of the other 3 is done.
writing about music
is like dancing,
about architecture
No, two finger chords are #4 note chords with only two being fretted. I'm fairly sure that these are all there are.
"I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp
"Theory only seems like rocket science when you don't know it. Once you understand it, it's more like plumbing!"~John McGann
"IT'S T-R-E-M-O-L-O, dangit!!"~Me
If you're talking about the first position chords that use two fingers to make full four-string chords, yes. #But it depends on the demands of the music. #I play Irish folk (not ITM), were we sing songs and strum chords. #I use the two-finger G chord for example. #The open two-finger chord has a sound the fits well with the tunes we play. #A Bluegrass player is more likely to use the four-finger G chord, as that's what Bluegrass sounds like. For the last 15 years I've built a career around the two finger G, C, and D chords. #I can play the others as well, but those are the meat and spuds for the type of Irish I do.
BTW, although not strictly correct, I consider the Em chord that frets three strings with two fingers to be a two-finger chord. Using one finger to barre two strings is still only one finger as far as I'm concerned.
Dedicated Ovation player
Avid Bose user
Look how much Sam Bush relies on them in many of his songs.
Why not get a 3rd finger involved, bar with index finger and these all become movable forms just like guitar bar chords.
Jim Richmond
OK, there are open chords that only use 2 fingers and the other 2 are open.
But there are chords without a G, D, A or E note in them.
you can play part of a chord when one of the open strings should be damped, [the X on the chart]
movable chord shapes are versatile , and bluegrass rhythm is as much about percussion with short duration , than it is the ringing of an open string.
the name = chop chords are short .
writing about music
is like dancing,
about architecture
an interval is the distance between two notes
chords that consist of ONLY 2 notes are called diads
that said
why limit yourself?
i'm a guitar player and i'm loving learning the different chords on the mandolin
i figure i'm lucky to have four fingers that work what with little pieces of coral and screws and all
(hand and finger broken at 51 years of age and a really great surgeon)
it hurts sometimes but we're talking about playing music here
so...
NO limits!
if you're lucky enough to have music in you
and the ability to get it out
GIT ON IT!
The first MelBay chord book I ran into only showed the simpler 2 or 3 finger chords not the full "chop" chords. I couldn't figure how one could get the chop sound till years later when I found a different book plus some lessons.
I like using simple chords in some applications but it's best to know as much as you can and then decide where to use what.
I remember a clinic with Roland White where he emphasised the use of simple movable chords.
Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band
I for one agree with GPMH, but I do see where you're coming from.. It's not ALWAYS necessary to play closed position chords, heck I love the open D, but I figure a nice solid chop utilizing all ya fingers sounds much better in bluegrass especially when someone is taking a break or lead over those chords.. Just my $0.02.
Ooh, he card reads good.
If you are happy with a 2 fingure chord, then by all means play them. If have a suspicion that eventually you will grow weary of the most basic level of play and improve.
Until that day - enjoy the mando in whatever fasion you see fit. Have fun!
Pen
"How many of you folks have seen that movie "O Brother, Where Ya At?"--Ralph Stanley
Turkey Creek #17
1958 Gibson A-40
Ovation MM-68
2002 Martin D-28
A couple of questions and a comment about the list of "2 finger chords" given on the .pdf presented earlier in this string.
1. #The pattern 4 3 0 0 is listed as both a G 13 chord and a C maj13 chord are both designations correct?
2. If 0 0 2 3 is a G chord and 0 2 3 0 is a C chord -- so then why is 2 3 0 0 listed as an F maj7 chord instead of just an F chord? #If you play it -- it does not sound like a 7th.
Also it might be worth pointing out that these two finger chords are also "double stops" if you just play the two fretted strings.
Bernie
____
Due to current budgetary restrictions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off -- sorry about the inconvenience.
Bernie -Originally Posted by (Mandolin1944 @ Aug. 11 2008, 09:30)
I think the Cmaj13 is wrong. It should be 4-5-0-0 for a Cmaj13. #4-3-0-0 with C as the root would be a Cmaj13sus4 - a rarely used chord, I would think, the sus4 being due to the F note.
"major 7th" and "7th" are two different types of chords with two very different sounds. You are correct in noting that 2-3-0-0 does not sound like a 7th. This is because a "major 7th" uses the natural 7 note in the major scale - ti, if you sing the syllables, or E in the case of the F major scale - the open first string on the mandolin. A "7th" chord uses the flatted 7th of the major scale - Bb in the C major scale, F for G, Eb for F and so forth. The E in the 2-3-0-0 chord makes it an Fmaj7 instead of an F major.
Not all of the two finger chords can be double stops because there are skipped strings. Double stops in the normal sense, for tremolo embellishments and other mandolin purposes, are generally thought to be constructed with adjacent strings.
"I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp
"Theory only seems like rocket science when you don't know it. Once you understand it, it's more like plumbing!"~John McGann
"IT'S T-R-E-M-O-L-O, dangit!!"~Me
Quote: 2. If 0 0 2 3 is a G chord and 0 2 3 0 is a C chord -- so then why is 2 3 0 0 listed as an F maj7 chord instead of just an F chord? #If you play it -- it does not sound like a 7th.
2 3 0 0 = A f a e
It's a FMaj7 not a flat 7 that would usually give the "blue" sound we often associate with (allegedly) more common Vii chords.
With the 2 3 0 0 chord you are doubling the third with an octave and the root is sort of "hiding" in the chord inversion - perhaps this accounts for the chord not sounding like a traditional "7th" chord ?
It is a cool sounding chord that wants to take you somewhere....
The answer is yes if you're being really basic and the two finger "chords" appear all over the fretboard. There are two finger (what I will call) patterns that hold true in all positions up and down the fretboard. At some point you'll want to expand your horizons and advance to the next step.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Whoops- guess I'm a little slow - what jbmando said #
He's quick and usually spot on. #
Thanks for the replys everyone! Just so you know, I am just beginning to explore the mando. My hands are full with the guitar right now. I have tried to form some of the closed chords, but really have a time with the reach and getting clean notes. I realize that time and practice should take care of this, but I want to play some basic stuff for now.
Jim D
Jim D
The mandolin fretboard allows you some very easy cheats, if there's a chord that you don't know. The following are very useful to keep the rhythm going, especially if you're playing in a band and have other instrument filling out incomplete chords:
1) Most chords contain the root and the fifth, and in many situations, it's very useful to just comp doublestops of root and fifth on the two bass strings. These are particularly easy on the mandolin, as you get the fifth by fretting the same fret as the root, one string above. So, if you have a chord progression with any, say, Bb chord (we don't care at this stage whether Bb, Bbmin, Bb7 or whatever) and you haven't learned that chord yet, just put a finger across the 3rd fret and play double stops on the bottom two strings.
2) This approach can be extended to play moveable three-string chords, learning just two chord shapes (one for major and one for minor chords): 224x is A major, 223x is A minor. Accordingly, 335x is Bb major, 334x is Bb minor, 446x is B major, 445x is B minor and so on. Shifting this up one string gives you the full set of major and minor chords, i.e. x113 is Eb major, x114 Eb minor. These aren't necessarily particularly good-sounding chord shapes (although some of them are OK), but they are very easy to remember in the heat of the moment and allow you to have a go in obscure flat keys when playing with brass players and other weird people. They also have the root in the bass, which generally makes the chord sound stronger.
3) Finally, specifically for "basic bluegrass rhythm work" as mentioned in the original post, just forget about the top two strings completely and chop on the two bass strings. That's a perfectly legitimate bluegrass technique (I've heard it advocated by pros who are able to produce a full four-finger chop chord), and it makes learning and playing the chord shapes much easier. So, chop 75xx for G, 52xx for C and so on. The two-finger chords discussed in this thread so far aren't so great for this purpose, as they contain open strings which you can't chop in the same way. You can sometimes get away with a "fake" chop, muting the chord with the palm of your right hand immediately after strumming, but it's not as explosive as a true chop chord.
Martin
PS: There's at least one two-finger chord missing in the Cafe PDF, and it's one I use a lot: 6200 for A major is pretty useful.
Yes, I use that 6-2-0-0 A major a lot myself.
"I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp
"Theory only seems like rocket science when you don't know it. Once you understand it, it's more like plumbing!"~John McGann
"IT'S T-R-E-M-O-L-O, dangit!!"~Me
[Yes, I use that 6-2-0-0 A major a lot myself.QUOTE]
Thanks Jim, I too use the 6-2-0-0 A Major very often, find it very useful. I don't know of many that use that particular cording.
Al
"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to Dance in the rain."
as others have said, there is no reason not to learn more chor variations. Not only will it help you get to know the fretboard, it will make your playing more interesting and useful. no drummer? you can use chop chords to do all kinds of snare drum and hi hat stuff (not just chopping). the chords seem difficult at first, but if you have mastered basic guitar barre chords, any chord on the mando is possible.
i hope the bluegrass police will give me a pass...due to finger numbness from ms two finger chords are pretty much my limit. if anyone could enlighten me as to mando capo positions so that i can use my limited chord arsenal and join the jam i would appreciate it.
Count me in as one who uses that particular chord as well.
GVD
GVD
Yeah, I like that one as well. Very open sound, with the bottom two ringing. Somewhat metallic sounding to me, perfect for certain situations.Count me in as one who uses that particular chord as well.
GVD
"Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man."
[QUOTE]Bernie -
I think the Cmaj13 is wrong. It should be 4-5-0-0 for a Cmaj13. 4-3-0-0 with C as the root would be a Cmaj13sus4 - a rarely used chord, I would think, the sus4 being due to the F note.
I don't see that a Cmaj13 chord written 4-3-0-0 is wrong. The F should not be seen as a suspension for two reasons. First, in a "sus4" chord, there is no third - that is what the suspended fourth has delayed resolution to. Yet we have the open E string sounding. Second, a 13th chord typically implies the stacking of thirds up to the 13th; i.e. 7th, 9th, 11th. The F should be heard as the 11th of the chord.
The alternative suggestion, 4-5-0-0 is also not wrong. But in these extended chords, that cannot be played completely on a four-note intrument, the 5th of a chord is often the first to go since it adds the least "color" to the chord.
Bobby Bill
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