Chords for Two Finger Mandolin Chords
Tempo:
120.9 bpm
Chords used:
G
C
F
Em
A
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
My name is Brad Laird and in this lesson I'll demonstrate some very basic and easy two finger mandolin chords.
There are thousands of songs that can be played using only the chords you'll learn in this lesson.
Print out the chord charts from this web page and we'll get started.
The first set of chords consists of G major, C major and D major.
To play the G major fret the A string with your [G] first finger just behind the second fret.
Next fret the E string with your second finger just behind the third fret.
Play each string individually to be sure the notes are clear and then try strumming all the strings at the same time.
For now hold the pick between your thumb and first finger and play a series of steady even down strokes with the pick.
Next let's take the G chord we just learned [A]
and move it over one string.
This means that your first finger will fret the D string at the second fret.
Your second finger will also move over one string so it can fret the A string at the third fret.
[G] Practice switching back and forth between the G and the C [C] chord until you can change smoothly.
[C] [G]
Start by slowly and evenly playing four strums on the G chord.
Then play four on the C chord like [C] this.
Now let's add our third [D#] chord in the group the D major chord.
This chord is made by [D] placing the first finger on the G string at the second fret.
Then place your second finger on the E string also at the second fret.
[Em] With those three chords you'll be able to play hundreds of songs in the key of G.
Now let's talk about how to practice them effectively.
Keep your left hand fingers curved and use the tips of your fingers to press the strings down to the frets.
The upper side of your left hand will touch the side of the neck and the bottom edge of your hand
will be angled away from the neck.
[G] I suggest that you play a chord
then relax your fingers slightly without lifting them.
Then think about the next chord you want to play.
Picture the locations of each finger in your mind before you move the fingers.
Then lift the finger slightly above the strings and gradually move both fingers to their new location simultaneously.
Go really slowly.
The fingers should leave at the same time and arrive at the same time.
Learning to play chords is really about training your subconscious mind.
Perhaps you've heard the term muscle memory.
That term is not very accurate since the muscles really don't remember anything.
The muscles only react to signals sent by the brain.
At first your conscious mind must control the movements of the fingers.
In other words,
you have to think about what you're doing.
In time with proper practice
these instructions will be filed away in your subconscious mind and you'll be changing chords without thinking about each individual finger movement.
The way to train the subconscious mind is to repeat the movements over and over being sure that each and every repetition is
absolutely perfect.
If you can't play them perfectly just slow way down.
I often make the joke with my students that I could play anything on the mandolin if I played it slow enough.
Like maybe one note per day.
The bottom line is this.
You don't want your subconscious mind to store any instructions about how to make mistakes.
So go as slow as you need to and concentrate on accuracy.
Well, I think you get the idea.
Let's try the next set of three chords.
This set will use the C major, [F#] the F major [Em] and the G major.
This set is pretty easy since we already learned the C and the G.
The F major is really easy too since it's shaped just like the C.
You just move it over one string.
[F]
[G] [C] Notice there's an X over the E string on the chord chart.
That simply means you don't play that string.
Practice changing this set of three chords and you'll be prepared to play hundreds of songs in the key of C.
Here's the C,
[F] F,
[G] G,
back to C.
[C] The lyrics and chords for the song Coming Around the Mountain are included on this web page.
I chose this song since nearly everyone is familiar with the melody.
Try it in both keys and see which one suits your voice best.
To demonstrate, I'll play and sing it in the key of C.
Watch my left hand as I change chords on the appropriate words.
She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes.
She'll be coming around the mountain [G] when she comes.
[C] She'll be coming around the mountain.
[F] She'll be coming around the mountain.
[G] She'll be coming around the mountain when [C] she comes.
The Bluegrass Fake Book, which is available on this website,
contains the lyrics, melody, and chords for 150 songs.
Did you know that you can play 87 of these songs using only the chords we just learned?
Once you can play these basic two-finger chords fairly well,
download my other video lessons, which demonstrate more techniques for playing the mandolin.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.
There are thousands of songs that can be played using only the chords you'll learn in this lesson.
Print out the chord charts from this web page and we'll get started.
The first set of chords consists of G major, C major and D major.
To play the G major fret the A string with your [G] first finger just behind the second fret.
Next fret the E string with your second finger just behind the third fret.
Play each string individually to be sure the notes are clear and then try strumming all the strings at the same time.
For now hold the pick between your thumb and first finger and play a series of steady even down strokes with the pick.
Next let's take the G chord we just learned [A]
and move it over one string.
This means that your first finger will fret the D string at the second fret.
Your second finger will also move over one string so it can fret the A string at the third fret.
[G] Practice switching back and forth between the G and the C [C] chord until you can change smoothly.
[C] [G]
Start by slowly and evenly playing four strums on the G chord.
Then play four on the C chord like [C] this.
Now let's add our third [D#] chord in the group the D major chord.
This chord is made by [D] placing the first finger on the G string at the second fret.
Then place your second finger on the E string also at the second fret.
[Em] With those three chords you'll be able to play hundreds of songs in the key of G.
Now let's talk about how to practice them effectively.
Keep your left hand fingers curved and use the tips of your fingers to press the strings down to the frets.
The upper side of your left hand will touch the side of the neck and the bottom edge of your hand
will be angled away from the neck.
[G] I suggest that you play a chord
then relax your fingers slightly without lifting them.
Then think about the next chord you want to play.
Picture the locations of each finger in your mind before you move the fingers.
Then lift the finger slightly above the strings and gradually move both fingers to their new location simultaneously.
Go really slowly.
The fingers should leave at the same time and arrive at the same time.
Learning to play chords is really about training your subconscious mind.
Perhaps you've heard the term muscle memory.
That term is not very accurate since the muscles really don't remember anything.
The muscles only react to signals sent by the brain.
At first your conscious mind must control the movements of the fingers.
In other words,
you have to think about what you're doing.
In time with proper practice
these instructions will be filed away in your subconscious mind and you'll be changing chords without thinking about each individual finger movement.
The way to train the subconscious mind is to repeat the movements over and over being sure that each and every repetition is
absolutely perfect.
If you can't play them perfectly just slow way down.
I often make the joke with my students that I could play anything on the mandolin if I played it slow enough.
Like maybe one note per day.
The bottom line is this.
You don't want your subconscious mind to store any instructions about how to make mistakes.
So go as slow as you need to and concentrate on accuracy.
Well, I think you get the idea.
Let's try the next set of three chords.
This set will use the C major, [F#] the F major [Em] and the G major.
This set is pretty easy since we already learned the C and the G.
The F major is really easy too since it's shaped just like the C.
You just move it over one string.
[F]
[G] [C] Notice there's an X over the E string on the chord chart.
That simply means you don't play that string.
Practice changing this set of three chords and you'll be prepared to play hundreds of songs in the key of C.
Here's the C,
[F] F,
[G] G,
back to C.
[C] The lyrics and chords for the song Coming Around the Mountain are included on this web page.
I chose this song since nearly everyone is familiar with the melody.
Try it in both keys and see which one suits your voice best.
To demonstrate, I'll play and sing it in the key of C.
Watch my left hand as I change chords on the appropriate words.
She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes.
She'll be coming around the mountain [G] when she comes.
[C] She'll be coming around the mountain.
[F] She'll be coming around the mountain.
[G] She'll be coming around the mountain when [C] she comes.
The Bluegrass Fake Book, which is available on this website,
contains the lyrics, melody, and chords for 150 songs.
Did you know that you can play 87 of these songs using only the chords we just learned?
Once you can play these basic two-finger chords fairly well,
download my other video lessons, which demonstrate more techniques for playing the mandolin.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.
Key:
G
C
F
Em
A
G
C
F
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ My name is Brad Laird and in this lesson I'll demonstrate some very basic and easy two finger mandolin chords.
There are thousands of songs that can be played using only the chords you'll learn in this lesson.
Print out the chord charts from this web page and we'll get started. _
The first set of chords consists of G major, C major and D major.
To play the G major fret the A string with your [G] first finger just behind the second fret. _
Next fret the E string with your second finger just behind the third fret.
Play each string individually to be sure the notes are clear and then try strumming all the strings at the same time. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
For now hold the pick between your thumb and first finger and play a series of steady even down strokes with the pick. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Next let's take the G chord we just learned [A]
and move it over one string.
_ _ This means that your first finger will fret the D string at the second fret.
Your second finger will also move over one string so it can fret the A string at the third fret.
[G] _ Practice switching back and forth between the G and the C [C] chord _ until you can change smoothly.
_ _ [C] _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Start by slowly and evenly playing four strums on the G chord. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Then play four on the C chord like [C] this. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Now let's add our third [D#] chord in the group the D major chord.
This chord is made by [D] placing the first finger on the G string at the second fret.
Then place your second finger on the E string also at the second fret. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Em] _ With those three chords you'll be able to play hundreds of songs in the key of G.
Now let's talk about how to practice them effectively.
_ _ _ Keep your left hand fingers curved and use the tips of your fingers to press the strings down to the frets.
_ _ _ _ _ The upper side of your left hand will touch the side of the neck and the bottom edge of your hand
will be angled away from the neck. _ _ _ _
_ [G] I suggest that you play a chord _
then relax your fingers slightly without lifting them. _
Then think about the next chord you want to play.
Picture the locations of each finger in your mind before you move the fingers.
_ Then lift the finger slightly above the strings and gradually move both fingers to their new location simultaneously.
Go really slowly.
The fingers should leave at the same time and arrive at the same time. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Learning to play chords is really about training your subconscious mind.
Perhaps you've heard the term muscle memory.
That term is not very accurate since the muscles really don't remember anything.
The muscles only react to signals sent by the brain.
At first your conscious mind must control the movements of the fingers.
In other words,
you have to think about what you're doing.
In time with proper practice
these instructions will be filed away in your subconscious mind and you'll be changing chords without thinking about each individual finger movement.
_ _ The way to train the subconscious mind is to repeat the movements over and over being sure that each and every repetition is
absolutely perfect.
If you can't play them perfectly just slow way down.
I often make the joke with my students that I could play anything on the mandolin if I played it slow enough.
Like maybe one note per day.
The bottom line is this.
You don't want your subconscious mind to store any instructions about how to make mistakes.
So go as slow as you need to and concentrate on accuracy.
_ _ _ Well, I think you get the idea.
Let's try the next set of three chords. _ _
_ This set will use the C major, [F#] the F major [Em] and the G major.
This set is pretty easy since we already learned the C and the G.
The F major is really easy too since it's shaped just like the C.
You just move it over one string.
[F] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ [C] Notice there's an X over the E string on the chord chart.
That simply means you don't play that string. _ _
_ Practice changing this set of three chords and you'll be prepared to play hundreds of songs in the key of C.
_ Here's the C,
_ _ _ [F] F, _ _ _
[G] G,
_ back to C. _ _
[C] _ _ The _ _ _ _ lyrics and chords for the song Coming Around the Mountain are included on this web page.
I chose this song since nearly everyone is familiar with the melody.
Try it in both keys and see which one suits your voice best.
To demonstrate, I'll play and sing it in the key of C.
_ _ _ Watch my left hand as I change chords on the appropriate words.
_ She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes. _ _
She'll be coming around the mountain [G] when she comes. _
_ [C] She'll be coming around the mountain.
[F] She'll be coming around the mountain.
[G] She'll be coming around the mountain when [C] she comes. _ _ _ _ _
_ The Bluegrass Fake Book, which is available on this website,
contains the lyrics, melody, and chords for 150 songs.
Did you know that you can play 87 of these songs using only the chords we just learned?
Once you can play these basic two-finger chords fairly well,
download my other video lessons, which demonstrate more techniques for playing the mandolin.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ My name is Brad Laird and in this lesson I'll demonstrate some very basic and easy two finger mandolin chords.
There are thousands of songs that can be played using only the chords you'll learn in this lesson.
Print out the chord charts from this web page and we'll get started. _
The first set of chords consists of G major, C major and D major.
To play the G major fret the A string with your [G] first finger just behind the second fret. _
Next fret the E string with your second finger just behind the third fret.
Play each string individually to be sure the notes are clear and then try strumming all the strings at the same time. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
For now hold the pick between your thumb and first finger and play a series of steady even down strokes with the pick. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Next let's take the G chord we just learned [A]
and move it over one string.
_ _ This means that your first finger will fret the D string at the second fret.
Your second finger will also move over one string so it can fret the A string at the third fret.
[G] _ Practice switching back and forth between the G and the C [C] chord _ until you can change smoothly.
_ _ [C] _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Start by slowly and evenly playing four strums on the G chord. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Then play four on the C chord like [C] this. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Now let's add our third [D#] chord in the group the D major chord.
This chord is made by [D] placing the first finger on the G string at the second fret.
Then place your second finger on the E string also at the second fret. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Em] _ With those three chords you'll be able to play hundreds of songs in the key of G.
Now let's talk about how to practice them effectively.
_ _ _ Keep your left hand fingers curved and use the tips of your fingers to press the strings down to the frets.
_ _ _ _ _ The upper side of your left hand will touch the side of the neck and the bottom edge of your hand
will be angled away from the neck. _ _ _ _
_ [G] I suggest that you play a chord _
then relax your fingers slightly without lifting them. _
Then think about the next chord you want to play.
Picture the locations of each finger in your mind before you move the fingers.
_ Then lift the finger slightly above the strings and gradually move both fingers to their new location simultaneously.
Go really slowly.
The fingers should leave at the same time and arrive at the same time. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Learning to play chords is really about training your subconscious mind.
Perhaps you've heard the term muscle memory.
That term is not very accurate since the muscles really don't remember anything.
The muscles only react to signals sent by the brain.
At first your conscious mind must control the movements of the fingers.
In other words,
you have to think about what you're doing.
In time with proper practice
these instructions will be filed away in your subconscious mind and you'll be changing chords without thinking about each individual finger movement.
_ _ The way to train the subconscious mind is to repeat the movements over and over being sure that each and every repetition is
absolutely perfect.
If you can't play them perfectly just slow way down.
I often make the joke with my students that I could play anything on the mandolin if I played it slow enough.
Like maybe one note per day.
The bottom line is this.
You don't want your subconscious mind to store any instructions about how to make mistakes.
So go as slow as you need to and concentrate on accuracy.
_ _ _ Well, I think you get the idea.
Let's try the next set of three chords. _ _
_ This set will use the C major, [F#] the F major [Em] and the G major.
This set is pretty easy since we already learned the C and the G.
The F major is really easy too since it's shaped just like the C.
You just move it over one string.
[F] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ [C] Notice there's an X over the E string on the chord chart.
That simply means you don't play that string. _ _
_ Practice changing this set of three chords and you'll be prepared to play hundreds of songs in the key of C.
_ Here's the C,
_ _ _ [F] F, _ _ _
[G] G,
_ back to C. _ _
[C] _ _ The _ _ _ _ lyrics and chords for the song Coming Around the Mountain are included on this web page.
I chose this song since nearly everyone is familiar with the melody.
Try it in both keys and see which one suits your voice best.
To demonstrate, I'll play and sing it in the key of C.
_ _ _ Watch my left hand as I change chords on the appropriate words.
_ She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes. _ _
She'll be coming around the mountain [G] when she comes. _
_ [C] She'll be coming around the mountain.
[F] She'll be coming around the mountain.
[G] She'll be coming around the mountain when [C] she comes. _ _ _ _ _
_ The Bluegrass Fake Book, which is available on this website,
contains the lyrics, melody, and chords for 150 songs.
Did you know that you can play 87 of these songs using only the chords we just learned?
Once you can play these basic two-finger chords fairly well,
download my other video lessons, which demonstrate more techniques for playing the mandolin.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time. _ _ _ _ _ _ _