chords chords chords, learning chords.

[stringalong]

Hi! This is an especially good topic for me. I'll try to explain my own process, and experience of where and how to learn chords. I started teaching myself Mandolin in the 1970s. I was not a clean player, and was, for a long time, very, very dissatisfied with my mandolin technique or lack of same. Friends and I created several open jams. Jamming is the best thing in the world!!! It's not only a great "high" but is how to learn new stuff!

After about 2 years of playing fiddle tunes on mandolin, and improvising on them, (didn’t know how to do chords!) I moved to an area where there were no open jams. So I switched to piano, which I'd played for my whole life anyway. Some 20 years later, I took up mandolin again. That was about 5 years ago. My technique was still horrible. Fortunately, I know what great technique FEELS LIKE because of a super wonderful piano teacher I had. He corrected all my piano technical problems, and my piano technique is excellent. I wanted that feel on the mandolin, and I didn't have it, couldn't figure out what to do. Also, the strings buzzed when I fretted them.

If you can find a COMPETENT and excellent mandolin player and teacher, you'll advance fast! In a community college beginning mandolin class (I was very rusty of course, after 20 years), I met a fabulous mandolin player, who also, by some miracle is an excellent teacher. He had the class learning ---arggghhh! -- CHORDS!! I started playing chords then. Since then, every few weeks or months, I have a lesson with him. The way I learn is, I ask questions, and he answers them, and shows me what to do, and waits and advises while I do that technique. Examples: Q: "What is wrong - the strings buzz." His answer/demonstration: "Your fingers are not close enough to the frets. You need to fret as close as possible to the fret." That was 90% of my problem, so things went much, much better from then on. On my octave mandolin, the buzzing was very bad indeed. My teacher actually said (wrongly) that that was "just how it is with the instrument." Not! I took it to a luthier. All he did was put the next heavier gauge strings on it -- no more buzzing.

One final word in this long post -- books very often do not have good, easy to play, mandolin chords. One person told me that's because these book chords are formed "theoretically," by guitar players! It would be so great to have a good chord book written/compiled by a top mandolin player. That said, the way to learn chords is from really good mandolin players. They have cool chords you won't find in any book. Plus, you can figure out your own chords sometimes if you know the names of the notes in that particular chord. (A - C# - E for the A [major] chord, for instance). As for trusting my ear alone to figure out new chord shapes, just want to say I have an excellent ear, but it does not always tell me how to play a chord somewhere I'm not familiar with. Maybe some other people can rely solely on their ear, but that does not work for me, and I've tried playing over the years with a lot of people who use their ears only, but their ears are not that great and the chords they come up with do not "work" with the tunes. So it pays to know the notes in the chords you are likely to use. In Old Time music, which I play, the main chords are in the keys of G, A, D.

[Pilot172000]

I know G,C, and D. That's it

[stringalong]

The basic 2-finger A chord is just as easy as the 2-finger G, C, and D. All four strings are played with these 2-finger chords, as you probably know. With the three chords you know, I'd say that if you sing or accompany, you'd only or mainly play in the Key of G. That's because the most common three-chord progression is the I, IV, and V chords. In the Key of G, you've got these three numbered chords. G=I; C=IV, and D=V. Are you playing music with anyone? Best way to learn. I have to laugh about my first jamming experiences -- There were four or five of us, none of whom had every played with other people. We played at this fiddle player's house once a week. We'd laugh and have a great old time, struggling along with a few Old Time Fiddle Tunes. We'd bog down part way through the tune. After several practice weeks, we finally made it cleanly to the end of a tune!!! We all cheered! After a few more weeks, we were playing along with some great players, who had an open band to play for dances. It was great in that community! The fine players would give us little tips, like this one: "When you play for dances, keep it real simple. Don't add fancy stuff, or you will get tired." I don't know if that advice is true for everyone, but it worked for me. Where I live now, the dance players never invite anyone to join them. Sad.

[mandocrucian]

It would be so great to have a good chord book written/compiled by a top mandolin player.

Niles Hokkanen's Guide To Mandolin Chords (and How To Use Them)
http://www.elderly.com/niles-hokkane...o-use-them.htm

Niles Hokkanen's Pocket Guide To Mandolin Chords
http://www.elderly.com/niles-hokkane...lin-chords.htm

[stringalong]

Dear Mandocrucian, Ah, I looked you up! So you are a well known mandolin player -- I won't "out" you, thouogh!!! Sneaky. I'll definitely buy the chord book, and maybe "up the neck," and the one/s on pentatonic mandolin. Gotta do one thing at a time. Thanks for letting me know!

[jim simpson]

I just want Niles to bring back the Mandocrucian t-shirt!

[keithb]

When playing in BG jams, I usually just use movable two-finger chords based on a common "bluegrass box" scale shape.

For example in the key of G (frets marked on GDAE strings):
I = 75xx
IV = 95xx
V = 74xx
vi = 45xx

[Jen88]

I find that if it's a song I really want to learn/perform, then it's a lot easier for me to learn and then work on the chords.

So far I'm only using two and three finger chords on my OM.

My chord changing and sound could certainly be better at times, but it's certainly getting there.

Sometimes if I'm struggling with a change, I just really slow it down, but keep the correct time signature. This seems to give me more of an idea of what the change should feel like and allows me relax so I can actually do the change.

Tunes is the really big problem for me. I did play guitar on and off (mostly off) while at school and a bit later on, but never really did much melody stuff.

Getting that little finger strong is what I am working on, and making sure I don't bump unwanted strings with the pick etc.

For me anyway, strings take more time than other instruments, such as whistles or squeeze boxes.

So find a song you really want to learn, and just slow everything down.

Cheers,
Jen.