Fortunately, the mandolin is easy to learn. Despite featuring eight strings, they are arranged in four sets of two strings tuned to the same pitch and therefore learning mandolin tablature and mastering chord shapes is relatively easy as you’re working with chords covering only four strings – much like a ukulele.

Mandolins are relatively compact and lightweight compared to larger string instruments such as the acoustic guitar or banjo. They are therefore comfortable to handle as they sit close to your body and don’t require too much in the way of stretching while navigating the neck. Their small size also means you can easily carry them to your lessons, rehearsals and performances.

The mandolin fingerboard and frets are also relatively small and many of the fundamental chords can be played using only two fingers – unlike other string instruments with chords that require the use of more fingers and that also dictate your fingers cover a greater distance to achieve them.