The mandolin is a stringed instrument that has eight strings and is tuned in perfect fifths like a violin (G, D, A, E). Since the mandolin is tuned in perfect fifths, generally the chord shapes that you learned on guitar (if you have prior guitar experience) won't be of any help when you go to pick up a mandolin.

Is it easier to play mandolin than guitar?

Is mandolin easier to learn than guitar? ... The mandolin has more strings than the guitar but the strings are tuned in pairs which should make the left-hand fingering role easier than on the guitar. On the other hand, the mandolin string pairs are slightly harder to pick with the right hand than the guitar.

Is it easy to learn mandolin if you play guitar?

Fortunately, the mandolin is not a difficult instrument to learn. ... It also has less strings than many other instruments, like the guitar, which makes reading tablature much easier. The mandolin is just unusual enough that people will be curious as to what instrument you're playing.