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How to Construct Chords on the Mandolin:
Who needs a chord encyclopedia when you know how to build your own?
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Constructing jazz chords - Here's how
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Variations on the minor chord work the same way
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And you can do flat fives and sharp fives because the perfect
fifth is right there handy
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And the 'nines' can be found on the fourth string
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Constructing Inversions - Here's how
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Mix and match - Build your own!
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Guitar Players - Take Note!
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More Handy Guitar/Mandolin Relationships You Should Know
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Bon Voyage!
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Constructing jazz chords - Here's how:
One consistent and easy way to construct jazz chords:
Take a standard open G major chord, from low to high, G (open), D (open), B (fret 2),
G (fret 3). That would be the 1 (root), the 5 (perfect fifth), 3 (major third), and
1 (root again).
Move that whole structure up at least one fret. That gives us a generic closed
voice major chord and eliminates the open strings so we can make some easy
and consistent modifications to it.
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For 7 chords and ma7 chords, you modify the E string note
(which is the root, the 1) down to the specified 7. What this means is, for the
ma7, lower it a half step (1 fret). For the 7, lower it a whole step (2 frets).
And as you might guess, lower it a step and a half (3 frets) and you get a 6 chord
(a.k.a. ma6 by some).
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If, for example, the chord you're looking for is a Bb ma7 chord, you'd
move the structure with the modified 7 up to the third fret, where there is a Bb
on the 4th string, giving you a Bb ma7 chord.
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Variations on the minor chord
work the same way:
The minor chord works like the major chord, but the 3rd is dropped one fret.
Like the major example above, the purple dots show the same 7ths and 6th on the
first string.
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And you can do flat fives and
sharp fives because the perfect fifth is right there handy:
When a chord calls for a flatted five (b5) or a raised five (#5),
you modify the note on the third string accordingly. (Note that when you see a #11 in a chord name,
it is the same note as a b5. Also note that if you see a b13 in a chord name, it's the same note as a #5.)
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And the 'nines' can be found
on the fourth string:
When a chord calls for a nine (9), flat nine (b9) or a sharp nine (#9),
you modify the note on the fourth string accordingly. This may not sound so great with this 'nine' note on the bottom of the chord,
but with inversions, you can find 3 other ways to play it. (More about this later.)
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Notice that the 'nine' chords as shown here don't have a 'root' because we modified the
note on the fourth string. This is common on the mandolin to sacrifice the root in favor of
other chord tones. The root is still 'understood', and is probably being played by another instrument
anyway. The name of the chord is still named after the 'implied' root, even though that note is not played.
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Constructing Inversions -
Here's how:
Okay, continuing on - How do we get the next inversion of a chord on mandolin?
It turns out on mandolin you can take any voicing at all and, by applying the following
steps, construct the next inversion of that chord. To get the next inversion of any chord:
Play any voicing on mandolin (like G ma7: G, B, D, F#)
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Take the first string fret and add 2 to it. Play the third string on that fret.
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Take the second string fret and add 2 to it. Play the fourth string on that
fret.
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Take the third string fret and add 5 to it. Play the second string on that
fret.
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Take the fourth string fret and add 3 to it. Play the first string on that
fret.
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With a little practice, you can find the next inversion up from any chord on the fly with very little effort:
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Notice that steps 1 & 2 are really the same thing applied to strings 1 and 2.
This simplifies things a bit.
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Notice that step 3 is just getting the third string note on the second string,
only an octave higher.
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Notice the fourth string note is being transferred to the first string two
octaves higher.
Knowing all the inversions of chords allows you to
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play entire tunes in basically one position on the neck with very little
physical movement,
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find better sounding voicings of chords for different purposes, and
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put together chords whose voices lead well from one chord to the next.
For example, when choosing a 7 chord voicing it is often desirable to have the 3rd and the 7th at
the bottom of the chord. This is often found in the first and third inversions of the root position
of the 7 chord.
This formula works on ANY chord.
Of course, once the formula brings an inversion above the 12th fret,
rotate the inversion back down to the bottom of the neck.
When working with these things, we have to
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know that all the 4 notes don't need to be played at one time,
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watch how the 3 and 7 move from chord to chord at all times, because that tends
to be the essence of the chord, and
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be aware the sound is the bottom line.
If you try this with Monroe chop G, D, etc. chords,
technically it works, but it may not be esthetically pleasing,
and the inversions are pretty uncomfortable to finger.
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Mix and match - Build your
own!
Mix and match these alterations as required by the tune you're playing - like try a C7(#5b9), a.k.a. C7(b9b13).
Don't be afraid to omit the root.
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Chances are really good that you won't encounter a chord that you can't build on your own this way.
(Allowing for naming conventions, personal taste, and other idiosyncrasies.)
Also be on the lookout for for chord shapes that, when used in various positions, yield multiple chord types.
For example, the 7(#5b9) above will also serve as a m6 chord in another context, and as a 7(b5) in another.
With a limited number of learned chord shapes you can cover the vast majority of musical territory.
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The Mando ModeExplorer demonstrates all of this for you, and much, much more.
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Guitar Players - Take
Note!
If you haven't already noticed, mandolins are tuned in 5ths where the lower four strings on the guitar are tuned in 4ths. This provides certain
advantages to guitar players and mandolin players alike when crossing over from one instrument to the other instrument...
Taking the low strings of any guitar chord shape and reversing them gives you a chord shape on the mandolin of the same name.
Taking the four strings of any mandolin chord shape and reversing them on the lower four strings of the guitar yields a chord
shape of the same name. For example, a B7 on mando might be configured this way...
... But on guitar, by reversing the mando shape and applying that to the lower 4 string, you get
a wonderful guitar voicing of B7 chord...
This is more than just a curiosity, because typical mandolin voicings applied to guitar this way produce extraordinarily rich and
tight low chord voicings on the guitar. That means that any mandolin chord shape you learn can be applied to guitar, and any guitar shape that uses the
lower four strings can be applied to mandolin.
Taking this mando-to-guitar application a step further, if you move the voicing over one string and compensate for the
B-string tuning, you get yet another powerful, midrange set of tight, rich voicings. The B7 again, this time
moved over to the 5th string on guitar and up to the 12th fret...
The magnachops ModeExplorer for guitar
calls these voicings "middle 4 strings" and demonstrates all its chords this way. (And three other voicing types, too!)
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More Handy Guitar/Mandolin Relationships You Should Know
A pattern like this on guitar -
...|-0-|---|-0-|---|-0-|...(E)
...|-0-|---|-0-|---|-0-|...(A)
...|-0-|---|-0-|-0-|---|...(D)
...|-0-|---|-0-|-0-|---|...(G)
...|---|---|---|---|---|...(B)
...|---|---|---|---|---|...(E)
... becomes this on mandolin....
...|=0=|===|=0=|===|=0=|===|===|===|===|===|...(G)
...|===|===|=0=|===|=0=|===|=0=|===|===|===|...(D)
...|===|===|===|===|=0=|===|=0=|=0=|===|===|...(A)
...|===|===|===|===|===|===|=0=|===|=0=|=0=|...(E)
<--bridge nut-->
Everything moves over 2 frets from string to string.
You might be thinking in patterns of 3 notes per string on guitar. On mandolin you would probably think more in terms of 4 notes per string. The same pattern above, extended (in orange):
...|===|===|=0=|===|=0=|=0=|===|=0=|===|===|...(G)
...|===|===|=0=|===|=0=|===|=0=|=0=|===|===|...(D)
...|===|===|===|===|=0=|===|=0=|=0=|===|=0=|...(A)
...|===|===|===|===|=0=|===|=0=|===|=0=|=0=|...(E)
Notice the pattern on the D and G course repeats on the E and A course 2 frets toward the nut.
Also note that a note on the G string can be found an octave higher on the A string 2 frets toward the nut. Similarly, a note on the D string can be found an octave higher on the E string 2 frets toward the nut.
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Bon Voyage!
We hope these clues, tips and tricks have helped map out your musical journey on mandolin. To get an even more in-depth,
and extensive lay of the land of mandolin and music theory, check out the Mando ModeExplorer!
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