Power Chords
- Power chords are the fundamental building blocks of rhythm guitar. If you don’t know what power chords are, or if you don’t know how to form them and invert them, be sure to review my chords lesson. Also, be sure to know how drop tuning affects all of these shapes and samples.
- You should practice forming power chords with different fingers. You should use your pinky or ring finger, and you should be able to barre them too. I prefer using my pinky, but you should do whatever is comfortable for you. Also, I prefer to use only two fingers for power chords, and using barring to play three note power chords, rather than using both the ring finger and pinky at the same time. The reason for this is because forming power chords with three fingers may slow you down a bit.
- Usually, power chords are played using two notes, but you can add as many roots and fifths as you want. Here’s a few examples of adding notes to a power chord:
---|---|--- ---|---|--- ---|---|-4- ---|-2-|-2- -2-|-2-|-2- -0-|-0-|-0-
- You can also invert power chords. To do this, all you need to do is remove the low note. Here’s an example, with a non-inverted power chord first, and then the same chord inverted:
---|--- ---|--- ---|--- -2-|-2- -2-|-2- -0-|---
You can also invert power chords the other way by adding low notes to make your power chords sound a little heavier. Here’s another example, once again with a non-inverted power chord first, and then the same chord inverted in reverse:
---|--- ---|--- ---|--- -9-|-9- -7-|-7- ---|-7-
- For palm muted parts, experiment with palm muting multiple strings. That can give your rhythm sound a nice crunch. Also, try playing inverted power chords (the fifth and the high root) for both palm muted and non palm muted parts for a nice “classic metal” type of sound.
- One song that uses inverted power chords (the first type, where you remove the low root) can be seen in the song Iron Maiden – Two Minutes To Midnight. Here’s the main riff as it would be played with normal power chords:
------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- -----5-----7-----5-----7-7~-----5-----7-----5-----2-2~- -0-0-3-0-0-5-0-0-3-0-0-5-5~-0-0-3-0-0-5-0-0-3-0-0-0-0-- -------------------------------------------------------
Here it is using inverted power chords:
------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- -----5-----7-----5-----7-7~-----5-----7-----5-----2-2~- -----5-----7-----5-----7-7~-----5-----7-----5-----2-2~- -0-0---0-0---0-0---0-0------0-0---0-0---0-0---0-0------ -------------------------------------------------------
- Some power chords, like E and A power chords can be played with an open string. For these, be able to play the fretted notes using your index finger or your middle finger. The reason is so that you can jump to other power chords quickly and efficiently.
- Practice switching from power chords with an open string to normal power chords. Also, practice going the other way.
-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----- -----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----- -----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----- -----|-----|-----|-2-3-|-2-4-|-2-5- -2-3-|-2-4-|-2-5-|-0-1-|-0-2-|-0-3- -0-1-|-0-2-|-0-3-|-----|-----|-----
-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----- -----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----- -----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----- -----|-----|-----|-3-2-|-4-2-|-5-2- -3-2-|-4-2-|-5-2-|-1-0-|-2-0-|-3-0- -1-0-|-2-0-|-3-0-|-----|-----|-----
Also, practice switching between power chords on different strings, but on the same (or close to the same) frets.
-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----- -----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----- -----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----- ---2-|---3-|-2---|-3---|---3-|-3---|---4-|-4---|---3-|-3--- -2-0-|-3-1-|-0-2-|-1-3-|-2-1-|-1-2-|-3-2-|-2-3-|-4-1-|-1-4- -0---|-1---|---0-|---1-|-0---|---0-|-1---|---1-|-2---|---2-
- Sometimes, switching between these chords is made easier by playing power chords in a different way than you are used to. This is why it’s important to practice forming them using different fingers. For example, if you are like me, and you like to use your pinky, you can perform this particular chord change easily if you form the second chord as a three string power chord with your ring and pinky fingers:
------- ------- ------- -4-4-4- -2-4-2- ---2-2-
- As always, these exercises are intentionally extremely easy and simple. Anyone can pick up a guitar and play power chords in succession. That’s not the point of the lesson though. The point is that you should be able to switch between the chords quickly, cleanly, and exactly on beat. That’s what separates a novice guitarist from a master shredder.
Really helpful, but could you tell me put up aloof the power chords and give an example of how they would change once you move them up or down a fret. Please and thankyou.
Really helpful, but could you tell me or put up all of the different power chords and how they would change moved up or down a fret. Please and thankyou.
@Kira
Well sure man there are many examples of the shape in this lesson. You can see that the shape doesn’t change from fret to fret.
How does a d power chord look like? I live your site by the way. Really helpful, especially your YouTube videos.
Thanks man I appreciate it. Anyway, a D power chord can be played in many different places. A very common version is on the fifth fret on the A string, and the seventh fret of the D string. So the reason that is a D power chord is because the first note is a D, and the second is it’s fifth, which in this case is an A.