Cross Chords

It is possible to greatly expand the chord possibilities on a DG melodeon by combing a bass note and chord from any of the available left hand buttons. This technique is known as cross-chords or cross-chording. The chart below shows the most useful and musical chord possible on a DG melodeon with the Bm variation of the standard Saltarelle layout.

All chords are designed to be played with the 3rds removed, and as such chords are referred to by their name on this layout rather than their actual harmonic sound eg. the Em chord actually sounds as a neutral E chord, neither major nor minor, but is referred to as Em regardless.

Various combinations on the chart are available on a standard 8 bass DG box such as a Hohner Pokerwork/Castagnari Tommy/Dino Bafetti Black Pearl, and as such, can be used with these sorts of instruments.

This is not an exhaustive list, but one containing chords which could be used in every day playing. Some possibilities have been omitted due to sounding discordant, eg. B bass + C chord. These could feasibly be incorporated into a tune with careful thought and planning, but generally have little use.

G Major Scale, D, & G Chords for the Mandolin

This is a very basic mandolin lesson designed to cover the G major scale and two chords.

The G Major Scale

It is very important to have a firm knowledge of the various scale shapes used to play the Mandolin as forms the foundation of almost all the pieces you will play. Try playing up and down the scale slowly and smoothly, insuring all the notes come out sounding nice. Avoid making any buzzing noises by pressing too lightly, or fretting the notes too heavily causing them to go out of tune and making your hand seize up!

The diagram below shows the scale shape in what is called tab. Each line represents a pair of strings from low G, through D, then A up and to the high E. The number on each line indicates the frets to be pressed to give the complete ascending scale. 

For every fret 2 note use finger one

For every fret 3 or 4 note use finger two

For every fret 5 note use finger three

Start by playing the open G with a down stroke with your pick. The second note should be played as an up stroke, and the rest played following this picking pattern of alternating your down and up strokes.

The Chords

The G major chord is played using finger one on the 2nd fret of the A string and finger two on the 3rd fret of the E string. This can be written as 0 0 2 3 (open string, open string, 2nd fret, 3rd fret). Hit all the strings together to produce the chord.

The D major chord is played using finger one on the 2nd fret of the low G and finger two on fret 2 of the high E string. This can be written as 2 0 0 2 (2nd fret, open, open, 2nd). Again, hit all the strings together to form the chord.

Practice strumming the chords by holding the shapes down and moving the pick alternately up and down across all the strings. Insure all the notes are being fretted properly by playing the chords one string at a time.

The Video

Hopefully the video will make the concepts described above clear!