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1Tune upNext up
Every lesson sounds wrong on a mandolin out of tune. The tuner listens through your microphone and shows which way to turn each peg.
5 minutes
Start here
Learn the mandolin
One path from a new mandolin to playing songs in time. Every step is a working page: the chords sound, and the diagrams are drawn for your own mandolin.
4 steps, in order. Next up: Tune up ›
Start playing
From a mandolin straight out of its case to playing a song in time.
GCDEmA
2Your first chords
The chords most songs need, two at a time, in the order that makes each one easy, with a progression to play along with at every step.
A few weeks
↓1↓2↑&↑&↓4↑&
3Strum in time
Strumming patterns from the simplest down strums up, each counted out and played over a loop of chords at any speed.
A week
GC60s
4Change chords faster
One-minute changes: pick two chords, switch between them for a minute and count. The trainer times it and keeps your best for every pair.
A minute a day
Look things up any time
Library: every mandolin chordChords in every keyChord progressionsMandolin scalesChord finderCapo chartMetronome
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Questions
What should I learn first on the mandolin?
Tune up, then two easy chords and the change between them. Everything else builds on clean chord changes in time, which is why the path starts there and the theory comes later.
How long does it take to learn the mandolin?
With ten or fifteen minutes a day, most people play their first song within a few weeks. A little every day does far more than a long session once a week.
Do I need to learn music theory?
Not to start. Songs need chords and rhythm first; the scale and key pages are there when you want to know why the chords fit.
Is it free?
Yes. Every lesson and tool on this path is free, with no account. The full version adds downloads, saving and live sheets.