Mandolin Chords

Mandolin chords in G D A E

The mandolin is tuned G D A E — the same as a fiddle, in perfect fifths. That even tuning is a gift: a chord shape you learn in one spot slides straight up the neck to give you other chords, so a little knowledge stretches a long way.

For bluegrass, the three you'll reach for constantly are G, C, and D. Learn those and you can back most of the jam repertoire, then add A, E, and the minors as songs call for them.

Open chords vs. chop chords

Mandolin players use two families of shapes. Open chords let strings ring and are great for gentle backup or singing. Chop chords are closed, four-finger shapes with no open strings, so you can clamp and mute them on the backbeat — that percussive "chuck" that drives a bluegrass band like a snare drum.

How to use the diagrams

1. Open the chord library and set the instrument to Mandolin.
2. Pick the root (G, C, D…) and the quality (major, minor, 7th).
3. The diagram shows which course and fret to hold for each finger.
4. Add the chord to a chart and press play to hear it in a full band, so the shape and its sound stick together.

Moving shapes up the neck

Because the tuning is all fifths, a closed chop shape is movable: play it two frets higher and the chord name moves up a whole step. So once you own one chop shape, you effectively own it in every key — just slide it to the right fret and the diagrams will confirm the name.