Chords for Mandolin Blues ( using movable shapes )

[Gm] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ [Gm] _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ [Dbm] _ _ [Cm] _
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Here's a little more [F] mandolin blues.
These are sort of positions that you can move around
the neck.
_ _ [C] And I'm going to [A] show you, [Ab] excuse me, I'm going to adjust this thing [G] here. _ _ _ _
_ _ A
couple of really simple little things to do.
So we'll start in the key of G and then we'll
try [Db] a couple of different keys.
If you take a regular G chord [G] like this, _ [Gm] _ _ and if you want
to make it a seventh, there's a couple of ways of doing that.
You can take this and
just go [G] backwards like that. _
_ _ What I'm going to do [Gm] is leave this _ _ note on the A [G] string
and then I'm going to go add this F note here on the D string.
_ _ So that's my G seventh chord.
_ [N] So in the key of G, which is where we are, we need a G chord, _ is what they call the one
chord, a C chord, the four chord, _ and I'm sorry, yes, a D chord, the five chord.
You
get those by counting up the scale.
_ G is the first note of the scale, C is the fourth
note of the scale, _ and D is the fifth note.
And so the chords are named after those notes.
_ You don't have to know this, but it's a handy thing to know.
So if we have a G blues, it's
going to start in G [G] _
_ and go to C [E] seventh.
So you just [G] drop down [C] _ [E] like that.
[G] Now there's
a C seventh, right?
Here's [C] a C, _ _ _ [Gm]
there's a C seventh.
_ _ _ _ [N] _
So we've got _ [G] G seventh and _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ [Em] _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ [G] _ _ [E] C seventh.
_ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _
[Ab] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ [F] _ _ _ [C] _ [G] _ _
_ You [Gb] just move up one fret and you get a D seventh.
_ _ _ _ [Fm] _ _ _ [Gb] _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ [Gm] _
_ _ [Bb] _ _ [Cm] _ _ [G] _ _
_ So what's that?
That's the A string, _
[D] fifth fret, D [Gm] string, third fret, [Bb] _ _
_ _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ _ _
[Ab] _ _ _ [Gb] and finish off with the open [G] D and a B note on the A
string, which is the second fret. _ _ _ _ _
So let me play that through one more time, then we'll
do it in a couple other keys.
_ So here's [E] [G] G, _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ C, _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ [F] _ _
_ _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ _ _
[E] C seventh, _ _ [F] _ G.
[Db] _ _ [Cm] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ So that's the key of G.
Now
if we [C] want to do the same thing in C, _ _ _ [E] move over, here's our C seventh that we use with
this, _ _ what they call an inversion.
_ [Eb] So now I'll do it in C, and the chords in C [E] will
_ _ be C seventh, these are all sevenths, [Eb] then F seventh, which is down here.
_ _ _ Just move the
whole figure that way one [Bb] fret _ and back to [Gb] C seventh, and [A] then up one [F] fret and you get
a G seventh.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] So it's really kind of cool.
So [F] here we go for C.
[A] So the [C] same _ _
_ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ [Gbm] _ _ [Fm] _ [Em] _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ [A] [Abm] fingering
as the G one, the turnaround, but [Bb] moved over to the G string [Gb] and the [Gm] D string.
_ [Gbm] _ [Fm] _ [C] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [B] Now if you _ _
_ [D] go here, if you want to do a [N] D, we did a D earlier, but this is a different D [Gb] blues.
If you go [G] like this, _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [G] on the first and second string, _ it's all the same shapes [D] we've been
doing.
_ That's it, [Abm] here's a D seventh chord.
Again, [D] you should know _ your chords first or
this is going to be sort of confusing.
_ _ _ _ So there it is, _ the D seventh, [G] we're taking just
those top two.
[C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Db] _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _ [D] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ _ That's an A seventh, [Gm] first and third string.
_ [F] _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ [G] _
[A] _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Gm] _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ Now you can take those and
move them around.
You could go to, _ _ _ so that was [C] D seventh, _ _ [Ab] _
move it up two frets, we [Db] can
do an [Ab] E. _ _ _
_ So that would be E.
_ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _
[C] _ [G] _ _ These are just [Gm] two finger licks.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _
[Gm] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[N] So once you know those,
you can move them anywhere.
So this C seventh, _ [C] _ _ [Dbm] _ _
[Am] _ _ [Gb] C seventh here for [Bb] example, _ _ _ _ move it up two,
[G] _
_ [C] _ D.
_ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ [C] _ [Ab] So [G] you follow that pattern, you'll get a blues _ [A] in any key you choose.
The ones I
showed you are the ones that work well in open position, but you can move that all the
way up.
So once again, if you're looking at this shape, _ [F] here's, _ _ this [G] is what they call
your one chord, your key chord.
_ _ In this case it's a G.
[Fm] You move one [G] fret this way, lower,
it becomes your [E] four chord. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [F] Back to your one, [G] and one fret this way, [C] it becomes your five
chord. _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
That's a little lick, you can try to figure that one out.
_ _ [C] Go play the blues.
[N] _ _ _