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Chapter 1—Getting Started 13
11Chapter 1—Getting Started
Practice saying the music alphabet forward and backward. Remember that as you go for-
ward through the alphabet, the notes get higher in pitch. As you go backward, the notes
get lower in pitch.
POP QUIZ:
What is the pitch between A and B called? A sharp (A
) or B flat (B
)
What is the pitch between C and D called?
Fill in the note names:
Check your answers by looking at the 2nd string on the chart at the bottom of this page.
Great Danes Are Enormous
Start on any open string and follow the alphabet series up the neck. Check your answers
on the chart at the bottom of the page.
For example: Ascending the 1st (E) string:
THE STRINGS
Your strings are tuned to the following pitches, low string to high:
Note: G D A E
String: 4 3 2 1
One fun way to remember this is to use the first letter of each word in this sentence:
A B C D FE G
Example
B
#
b
Note:
Notice that the 12th fret brings you back to
where you started. You have gone an octave
(distance of twelve half steps)—one cycle
through the alphabet! This is why we say the
mandolin neck “starts over” at the 12th fret.
Here are all the notes on the mandolin from the open string to the 12th fret:
7th fret =
8th fret =
9th fret =
10th fret =
11th fret =
12th fret =
Open =
E
1st fret = F
2nd fret = F
#
or G
b
3rd fret = G
4th fret = G
#
or A
b
5th fret =
6th fret =
G A B C D EF
/G
G
/A
A
/B
C
/D
D
/E
A B C D E
A
/
B
C
/
D
D
/
E
F GF
/
G
E F G A B
F
/G
G
/A
A
/B
C D
C
/D
B C D E
C
/D
D
/E
F G
F
/G
A
G
/A
E
G
D
A
F
G
/
A
D
/E
A
/B
Whole Step
Half Step
Enharmonic
Equivalents
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1st string
4th string
Frets
Open
Strings
pg 10-17 mm1_use.p65 12/19/2003, 2:34 PM11
12 Chapter 1—Getting Started
&
T
A
B
4
4
œ
œ
œ œ
2 4
0 0
Left-hand fingers: 1 2 0 0
œ#
œ
œ œ
4
0 2 2
2 0 1 1
œ
œ
œ
œ#
5 2 0
4
3 1 0 2
œ œ
œ œ
2 2 0 0
1 1 0 0
LESSON 3: READ SOME TAB, PLAY SOME TUNES
Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to play!
TABLATURE
Mandolin tablature, called TAB for short, is a system of writing music just for the mandolin.
It tells you what fret to play, and what course to play it on.
The long horizontal lines represent the four string courses. The top line is the 1st course (E)
and the bottom line is the 4th course (G). The numbers indicate which fret to play.Try
fingering the notes indicated using any left-hand finger.
SECRETS OF THE MASTERS
The dots, or fret markers, on your mandolin neck will help you keep track of the
frets. The dots are usually on frets 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12. Look at your mandolin and
familiarize yourself with where the dots are. Often there is a “double dot” at the
12th fret.
TAB is often attached to written music, so the player will know how long the notes last and
when they occur. As you become accustomed to reading standard music notation (Chapter
2), this will be more and more helpful. The following examples show TAB and standard
music notation. If you do not yet read music, do not panic. If you like, you can look ahead to
Chapter 2 (page 18) for information about reading standard notation. Or, just play the frets
and strings indicated in the TAB in a slow, steady rhythm, giving each note an equal amount
of time. The numbers under the TAB indicate the left-hand fingers (see page 8).
Track 2
T
A
B
5
1st String,
5th Fret
2
2nd String,
2nd Fret
4
3rd String,
4th Fret
3
4th String,
3rd Fret
1st String
4th String
RIVER’S UP, CAN’T GO ACROSS
pg 10-17 mm1_use.p65 12/19/2003, 2:34 PM12
TAB is often attached to written music, so the player will know how long the notes last
and when they occur. As you become accustomed to reading standard music notation (see
Chapter 2), this will be more and more helpful. The following examples show TAB and
standard music notation. If you do not yet read music, do not panic. If you like, you can look
ahead to Chapter 2 (page 19) for information about reading standard notation. Or, just play
the frets and strings indicated in the TAB in a slow, steady rhythm, giving each note an equal
amount of time. The numbers under the TAB indicate the left-hand fingers (see page 9).
12 Chapter 1—Getting Started
&
T
A
B
4
4
œ
œ
œ œ
2 4
0 0
Left-hand fingers: 1 2 0 0
œ#
œ
œ œ
4
0 2 2
2 0 1 1
œ
œ
œ
œ#
5 2 0
4
3 1 0 2
œ œ
œ œ
2 2 0 0
1 1 0 0
LESSON 3: READ SOME TAB, PLAY SOME TUNES
Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to play!
TABLATURE
Mandolin tablature, called TAB for short, is a system of writing music just for the mandolin.
It tells you what fret to play, and what course to play it on.
The long horizontal lines represent the four string courses. The top line is the 1st course (E)
and the bottom line is the 4th course (G). The numbers indicate which fret to play.Try
fingering the notes indicated using any left-hand finger.
SECRETS OF THE MASTERS
The dots, or fret markers, on your mandolin neck will help you keep track of the
frets. The dots are usually on frets 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12. Look at your mandolin and
familiarize yourself with where the dots are. Often there is a “double dot” at the
12th fret.
TAB is often attached to written music, so the player will know how long the notes last and
when they occur. As you become accustomed to reading standard music notation (Chapter
2), this will be more and more helpful. The following examples show TAB and standard
music notation. If you do not yet read music, do not panic. If you like, you can look ahead to
Chapter 2 (page 18) for information about reading standard notation. Or, just play the frets
and strings indicated in the TAB in a slow, steady rhythm, giving each note an equal amount
of time. The numbers under the TAB indicate the left-hand fingers (see page 8).
Track 2
T
A
B
5
1st String,
5th Fret
2
2nd String,
2nd Fret
4
3rd String,
4th Fret
3
4th String,
3rd Fret
1st String
4th String
RIVER’S UP, CAN’T GO ACROSS
pg 10-17 mm1_use.p65 12/19/2003, 2:34 PM12