Lessons

Short and ordered. Start at the top; each lesson builds on the last.

• 1. How to play mandolin: a beginner's roadmap

  What to learn, in what order, from opening the case to your first fiddle tune.

• 2. Holding the mandolin: sitting, standing, and the strap

  How to hold a mandolin so both hands are free to do their jobs: sitting, standing, and why a strap helps even when you sit.

• 3. Tuning your mandolin (without the frustration)

  What G–D–A–E means, how to use a clip-on tuner, and why your mandolin goes out of tune.

• 4. Your first three chords: G, C, and D

  The two-finger chord shapes that unlock hundreds of songs, and how to practice switching between them.

• 5. Holding the pick and your first strums

  The relaxed pick grip, why your wrist (not your arm) does the work, and the first strumming pattern worth learning.

• 6. How to read mandolin tab

  Tablature is the fastest route from page to fingers. Here's the whole system in five minutes.

• 7. Your first fiddle tune: Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine

  A step-by-step plan for learning your first real tune on mandolin: the chords, the shape of the melody, and how to play along with moving tab.