Originally Posted By: floyd jane
Personally, I think you ought to learn banjo chords - as a standard banjo is strung.

It is not hard. It's like chords on a guitar... just different. If a guy hands you his banjo and you start to retune it like a guitar... he's gonna clock ya.... banjo players are a nasty group.

It is best if you know how to finger pick - and wear picks....

http://banjochords.net/chords/chart/

It ain't hard. It's a banjo. Learn a song. Then... move on to the next song...



Mandolin...

A mandolin is strung/tune BACKWARDS from what a guitar is. (So is a fiddle).
So all you have to do is think about playing guitar chords backwards.
Start with the basics. G - C - D. Three chords and the Truth.
It ain't rocket science.

http://mandolinchords.net/chords/chart/





Ditto to what Floyd said. Learn the scales, chords and arpeggios in the tuning that's supposed to be used for that particular instrument. No shortcuts, just basics.