Looking for a chord book with "real" mandolin chords

[stringalong]

Is there a chord book in existence made by a good mandolinist?

I have the Hal Leonard Mandolin Chord Finder book. It's "lovely to look at and a fine book to hold" but very far from the real chords mandolin players use. My teacher says it was probably put together by a guitar player. He has shown me, and his classes, really great, easier chords. And believe it or not, I'm actually getting the diminished chord.

Another thing that's odd is that the Hal Leonard book does show the diminished chord my teacher showed me (page 71 in the middle) but on other dim. chords this one is not shown. Pretty weird, since it's a 4-note movable chord.

[Mando Tristan]

Mandolin Cafe has a mandolin chord page
http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/chords/ch.pl

[SincereCorgi]

The best 'chord book' for mandolin I've found is the Mike Marshall Homespun DVD on chords, which focuses mostly on moveable shapes and practical uses for those chords in progressions.

[AW Meyer]

Mastering Mandolin by Wayne Fugate, has an detailed discussion discussion of chord extension, plus chord charts. There are three books in the series and "Mastering" is the one I'm referring to.
http://www.amazon.ca/Mastering-Mando...5109436&sr=1-1

[Tim2723]

Well, the chord forms shown in the Hal Leonard book are indeed 'real' chords, inasmuch as they contain the notes associated with the chords in question, it's just that some aren't as commonly encountered as other forms in most mandolinists' daily use. It depends, like nearly everything else, on what you need to accomplish and when.

Believe it or not, I've personally built a lucrative career (that is, I pay my rent) playing nothing more than the simple 'two-finger' chords found in Mel Bay's Fun with Strums: Mandolin. It's not the complexity, but what you make of it. Perhaps that's what you mean when you say really great, easier chords?

[jim simpson]

I remember looking through one of those books with the simplified chords. I couldn't figure out how one could do a chop chord when the open strings would ring. It was only after finding a book with the full chop chords that it made sense. I've had students that have resisted learning the full chop. I've tried to impart that one can subract fingers where appropriate once the full finger chord are learnt.

[JeffD]

I remember looking through one of those books with the simplified chords. I couldn't figure out how one could do a chop chord when the open strings would ring. .

You can't, really. But if I remember Tim's band is an Irish band.

I myself go months without chopping.

[MandoSquirrel]

Niles Hokkanen (mandocrucian on the Cafe) offers a small book that's an exhaustive study on chord construction & usage. Definitely worth a look. I think Elderly stocks his stuff, or you can order from him.

[Markus]

For me, Mike Marshall's DVD #2 really explained to me so that I understood and could do it myself.

After a couple watches and some thinking, making an odd chord just required 'doing the plumbing' and moving the relevant chord tones.

[stringalong]

Tim, this is really useful info! I use simple chords, too, for the most part. I've felt like maybe it means I'm not a good player, but I perform, with my band, maybe 50 really beautiful fiddle tunes, and can chord them all. Mostly they are from 3 keys: A, D, and G. There are a few minor key ones. I'm learning "Lord, I Wish I Was a Single Girl Again," using the Ddim chord (3rd fret). I'm gradually getting more chords down. I so glad to hear that you are paying your rent with easy chords! What kind of music do you do?

[stringalong]

Jim, do you have any students with hands or a little finger that are too small to do the full chop chords? My little finger won't reach. It is quite short. My hands are small, too. Is there a way I can play them?

[stringalong]

Thank you, everyone for your terrific input. A.W., I have ordered Mastering Mandolin by Wayne Fulgate. I'll see how that one works out! I'm not playing jazz, so there are probably a lot of chords I won't be using, but I'm looking forward to checking this book out!

[JeffD]

I would bet your hand and fingers are not smaller than Sierra Hull's. I am almost sure you should be able to play them.

There are many threads on getting those four finger chop chords, and lots of tips and tricks to getting your hand to behave, complete with pictures.

A faster searcher than me could post a few links.

[AlanN]

And then there's our beloved Jethro, who said this about the chop shape:

This is a boring, dead, overworked chord

(talking about 7-5-2-3)...harumph.......

Yet, here he is, go figure...

[Tavy]

With regard to 2-finger chop chords - take a look at Sam Bushes playing - I confess I hadn't studied it before, but watching what he was doing on the Transatlantic Sessions DVD (also on youtube I bet, but a very good watch wherever you get it) he seems to use just the first two fingers to make the chord, and then uses the third and forth fingers as mutes on the open strings. For example there was one song where I'm pretty sure he was mostly playing a one-finger D chord 200x (low to high), and then using the third and forth fingers to mute as required. The effect certainly sounded like a darn good chop to me - much better and more percussive than the "baying donkey" effect I sometimes get!

[Tim2723]

Tim, this is really useful info! I use simple chords, too, for the most part. I've felt like maybe it means I'm not a good player, but I perform, with my band, maybe 50 really beautiful fiddle tunes, and can chord them all. Mostly they are from 3 keys: A, D, and G. There are a few minor key ones. I'm learning "Lord, I Wish I Was a Single Girl Again," using the Ddim chord (3rd fret). I'm gradually getting more chords down. I so glad to hear that you are paying your rent with easy chords! What kind of music do you do?

Hi Marian,

I play Irish folk (the pub songs, not the jigs and reels). While I can play some of the more complex chord forms (like the four-finger G chop chord) I find I just like the ringing sound of the open, first position chords for that music. I play the basic major, minor, and dominant seventh chords 99% of the time. There's one song in our whole act that needs a diminished chord, another that uses an augmented chord, and one lonely major seventh chord in my entire repertoire. I also shamelessly use a capo up to the third fret.

I too often feel quite intimidated by the company we keep. There are many of the finest, most accomplished mandolinists in the world right here at the Cafe. Sometimes I'm ashamed to admit that I've never progressed beyond the skills of a first year student while so many first-rate musicians struggle to perform a few times a year.

[Capt. E]

There are alternate 4 finger chords that are easier to fret for every note. They may be near an octave higher and will not "sound" exactly the same as the "bluegrass" form, but will certainly be in tune with the song.
One other book suggestion is "Fretboard Roadmaps - Mandolin" for a great summary of moveable chord forms etc. I have found it quite enlightening.

[jim simpson]

Jim, do you have any students with hands or a little finger that are too small to do the full chop chords? My little finger won't reach. It is quite short. My hands are small, too. Is there a way I can play them?

Marion,
My student's issue was more of comfort than finger size. I don't have a problem with chords played with less fingers, I like to use some for effect. I once attended a workshop by Roland White where he demonstrated a number of 2 and 3 finger chords and how one could transition easily from each position.

[CES]

Marian,

"Music Theory for Modern Mandolin" has a pretty exhaustive chord section, and also teaches the theory behind their construction. The book is quite dry and dense and probably best used as a reference, but to date I've always been able to find the answers I'm looking for in there, even as a quick, "So how the heck do you finger a -insert weird guitar chord here-" reference...

4 finger chop chords can be tough, but with practice you should be able to pull them off (or at least get the 3 finger versions down). I have pretty average sized hands and fingers, and I had trouble cleanly fretting a G chop at first but can do so without difficulty now. In working on that form I used 2 tools...first, I started practicing that form higher up the neck (say, 4th fret A or 5th fret Bflat), which requires less stretch. Over a period of a few days I gradually moved that form down the fretboard and eventually got to the point I could fret it without issue. Secondly, I made myself play the 4 finger chord every time I came across a G or A in a song, whether the song really called for the closed form or not. You don't have to always chop those and can let them ring out, btw.

That said, I don't play in a band, and so it didn't matter if I sounded like crawfish until I could fret them cleanly...now that I have an OM, I'm rediscovering the joys of 2 and 3 finger chords, which, as Tim has demonstrated, you can do A LOT with!!

Good luck!

[pglasse]

Hey folks,

Mel Bay Deluxe Encyclopedia Of Mandolin Chords was written by a real mandolin player: John Baxter of MandoZine.com -- with chord usage input from MandolinCafe's Scott Tichenor. This is a really good book -- lots of chords here, with a nice layout. Highly recommended!

Niles' book is a good one as well -- certainly more compact, with some excellent usage tips.

These are great resources. That said, the right teacher can help boil things down to meet your specific needs, so you're not overwhelmed by having too many options. I find certain voicings vastly more useful than others. A bit of hands-on help with this can make a big difference.

All the best,

[JLewis]

I really like this one.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Octave-Man...5922622&sr=8-1

It's kind of expensive at least to a grinch like me, but I bought it anyway after seeing the same book for Mandola. It has 3 voicings for the 32 most used chords of each key and 2 voicings for each of 36 advanced chords (X7add13, Xm9-5, etc.). Ignore the "Octave" in the title, the chord shapes are the same.

[Pete Martin]

If you are looking for Jazz voicings and how to use them, check out my Jazz Chording for Mandolin book, available as a free pdf file at my website.

[Beanzy]

Best lesson I had yet was the last day of Rex Preston's class as Sorefingers. He totally opened up the world of double and triple stopping for us. Dare I say it, if you practice your apreggios (sound like mum) you'll have the location of all the I, III & V notes already, so you can build your chord from what ever note in the melody you're on with about three shapes for starters. Since practicing this a bit I've begun to stop thinking of what chord I'm playing and am getting the hang of just building notes around the melody. If I only have three fingers in use (ie double-stopping with one finger or muting with the pad) and keep a spare little finger handy to mute I can get a really snappy chop out of 3 finger chords.

The four finger chords may be one to do in jams and playing once you've already got the ligaments stretched, unless your hands are incredibly tiny you'll get the stretch for the 4 finger patterns as long as you keep trying for them.

I found the HalLeonard book really good as it 'flavours' the chords depending on which key is being played, but I find learning so many different patterns a bit confusing at this stage.

[Paul Edwards]

Actually got the Mel Bay Deluxe Encyclopedia Of Mandolin Chords for my birthday.. just haven't had time to pick it up yet..

getting it on Saturday.. very excited.

It's shocking how far behind my strumming/chords are compared to my picking, etc.