The notes of a mandolin
A mandolin is tuned G–D–A–E, from the lowest pair of strings to the highest. Those are the same four notes as a violin’s strings, at the same pitches, a fifth apart — seven frets from each open string to the next. Fiddle tunes move straight across to a mandolin for that reason.
What is different from every other instrument on these pages is that the strings come in pairs. There are eight of them, in four courses, and both strings of a pair are tuned to exactly the same note. So tuning a mandolin is really two jobs: getting each course to the right pitch, and getting the two strings within it to agree with each other.
Tap a string to hear its target pitch, then match your own to it.
String notes and frequencies
The exact pitch of each open string at concert pitch, A = 440 Hz — the numbers a strobe or a frequency counter would show. The tuner above works from the same targets.
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| G | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| D | D4 | 293.66 Hz |
| A | A4 | 440.00 Hz |
| E | E5 | 659.26 Hz |
Tuning a mandolin, one string of a pair at a time
- Silence one string of the pair. Rest a fingertip on one string and pluck the other alone. A microphone hearing two slightly different strings at once gives a reading that wanders.
- Tune that string to the dial. G3, D4, A4 and E5 are the four targets. Work from the G course up to the E.
- Tune its partner to it by ear. Pluck both together. If they are apart you will hear a slow pulsing — beats. Turn the second string’s peg until the pulsing slows and stops.
- Check the E course twice. The E strings are thin, under high tension, and the first to break. Tune up to the note slowly.
Where the notes are
The first five frets of every string in this tuning. Each fret is one semitone, so this is also how to check a string against its neighbour: find the fret where the lower string plays the higher string’s open note.
| String | Open | Fret 1 | Fret 2 | Fret 3 | Fret 4 | Fret 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A |
| A | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D |
| D | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G |
| G | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C |
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes of the strings on a mandolin?
G, D, A and E, low to high — in full G3, D4, A4 and E5. Each note is played by a pair of strings tuned in unison, so the eight strings are G G D D A A E E.
Is a mandolin tuned the same as a violin?
Yes: the same four notes at the same pitches. The difference is that the mandolin has frets and doubled strings, and is picked rather than bowed. Violin fingerings and tunes transfer directly.
Why do I hear a wobble when I play one course?
The two strings of that pair are slightly out of tune with each other. The wobble is the beating between two close pitches, and its speed is the difference between them. Tune one string until it disappears.
Is a mandolin tuned like a guitar upside down?
In a sense. A guitar’s four lowest strings are E–A–D–G; a mandolin’s courses are G–D–A–E. The same four letters in reverse order, which is why some chord shapes look like mirror images of guitar shapes.
For everything else about tuning the instrument itself — strings that slip, pegs, and what the dial is telling you — see the mandolin tuner.
Common chord shapes in Mandolin Standard tuning
Where the everyday chords fall on a mandolin tuned this way. Each shape is found by searching this tuning’s own strings for the frets that sound the chord — nothing here is copied from a standard-tuning chart — and each plays when you press it.
- G0023
- C0230
- D2002
- A2240
- Em0220
- Am2230
- Dm2001
- F2331
Each line of a diagram is a pair of strings; one finger holds both.