Mandolin Chord Notation
a resource For composers and orchestrators
I score a lot of music for mandolin. Its distinct double-stringed timbre helps it cut through a wash of other instruments, and its violin tuning is intuitive for composers and players alike. I love the way it brightens up a song, how it adds ping and drive and attack. And the tremolo effects of the mandolin are famously lovely.
However, when I’m scoring for mandolin, I find there are sections of chucking, strumming, and block-chord notation to slog through. Melodic sections are a breeze, but it’s hideously slow to figure out each string’s individual pitch for every chord in the song, especially when transcribing by ear. I searched online for a resource, but all I could find were endless TABs.
So, I sat down and made my own chart. This time, in sheet music form.
I gathered the most intuitive voicings for a slew of common chords (after consulting my good friend and mandolin player Sam De Roest, and the people at mandolinchords.net), then carefully transcribed them onto staff paper. Because of open strings, voicings will change depending on the root, and the sheet music reflects this. The result is a menu of chord options for mandolin, in sheet music form, free for your personal or professional use. As a warning, this won’t include many jazz chords, but it is possible to figure them out relatively quickly. For Augmented and Diminished chords, you may want to visit mandolinchords.net and see how it works. (due to the rather interesting fretting shapes, this can be tricky to intuitively notate in some cases).
Good luck and happy writing!
