There are many positions (ways, variants etc.) to play the C major (triad) mandolin chord.
In this article you can find the most common chord positions – displayed on the slideshow above, fingered for your convenience.
To help you understand how to play them, I have included step-by-step instructions, describing where to place each finger and what note this will produce. Finally, the article includes a chord chart with all possible chord positions for future reference, feel free to print it.
What is a C major chord?
See how the C major chord is written on sheet paper:
If you need a blank sheet paper to write it down in order to understand it, you can download one from theMandolinTuner free blank music paper sheet.
Two-finger C/G “open” Major Chord
This is how you place your left hand on the fretboard:
Note that because the first note is G, we call this chord C/G, meaning that this is a C Major with the first note being G.
Four finger C Major mandolin chord
This is how you place your left hand on the fretboard:
Note that because the first note is C, we call this chord (just) C, meaning that this is a C Major with the first note being C.
Four finger C Major mandolin chord, higher on the fretboard
This is how you place your left hand on the fretboard:
Note that because the first note is C, we call this chord (just) C, meaning that this is a C Major with the first note being C.
C Major Mandolin Chord Variants
As with all chords, there are many variants of the C Major chord for the mandolin. I have included nice-looking photorealistic descriptions of the four most common ones on top of this article for your convenience. Nevertheless, if you want to explore more, see below a Chord Sheet that presents all eight variants for you to practice.
How to Practice chords on the mandolin
There are many good articles here at theMandolinTuner for practicing chords. I suggest you start with:
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Ok, it is now time to practice. Grab your mandolin and play these chords, you can make it!
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