Nine Pound Hammer

Jumping In

The Barre chord chop is a great addition to your rhythm vocabulary for mandolin. It's a shape that is very comfortable for your fretting hand and produces a full sound for backup. There are only two shapes we are using here. Click on the chord bubble above the tab. A chord diagram will display. Cycle through the shaped until you see the chord diagram being used in the video.

For the A chord we are using, the first Finger lies on the G and D string at the second fret, ring finger on the A string at the 4th fret, and pinky on the E string at the 5th fret. You could also do middle finger on the A string and ring on the E string as a different fingering option for this chord. For the D chord all we are doing is moving the fingers on the A and E string to the D and E string. For this chord shape you can lay your pinky flat and also cover the E string at the 5th fret, or just leave that string muted. It really just depends on the sound you want to produce.

The E chord is this exact same shape moved up two frets. When someone is taking a solo on this song this progression is played at least twice through. Some may play it four times. For each verse when someone is singing it's played twice, so is with the chorus.

Nine Pound Hammer - Barre Chord Chop

Listen to many different recordings of this song. These chord shapes are move-able. If the song you want to play along with is in B, then move these chord shapes two frets up the fret board. Two frets back would have you in G, although at that point you are playing open chords. Chopping with open chords is doable, but requires a left hand muting technique pioneered by Sam Bush. That's a a different lesson. Next up, let's check out Turkey in The Straw!