How To Play Power Chords

By Author: Jonathan Dykerman
Total Articles: 5
Comment this article

Ok. So you have your electric guitar, your plugged in to your distortion pedal going into your amp on the highest volume setting possible, but your still not sure how to rock the bejeezus out of it. Well the answer is with power chords.

A power chord is a very simply chord. Most guitarists are used to playing these big chords that use every guitar string, but power chords on the other hand only use 2 or 3 strings. But the great thing about power chords is not that they are easy to play, but how great they sound when playing loud with distortion. Go ahead and play any of those open position chords that use all 6 strings you first learn when beginning to play the guitar. On an acoustic guitar or a clean electric signal they sound great, but once you turn up the distortion, unless you have a perfectly tuned guitar, will sound HORRIBLE. Power chords, on the other hand, will sound kind of dull and boring on an acoustic guitar or clean electric signal but with distortion they sound unbelievable.

So What Exactly Is A Power Chord? (Warning, Contains Some Theory)

A simple major chord is built from the ...
... 1st, 3rd and 5th degree of a major scale. A power chord is the same as a simple major chord but the 3rd degree is taken out, leaving just the 1st and 5th degree. Why you ask? Well I'll try to make is as simplistic as I can. A note is basically just a sound wave that vibrates at a certain frequency. In the case of a power chord, you have two notes vibrating at two different frequencies, but those two frequencies have a stable relationship. When you add the 3rd degree of a major chord you're adding another frequency. Now the relationship between all three frequencies has become much more complex. The chord still sounds great on a clean sound, but unfortunately when you add distortion, the distortion seems to magnify the differences between those frequencies. The end result is this huge wobbling sound that just turns the ear off. But power chords don't have this wobbling effect which makes them so useful when playing with distortion.

How To Play Power Chords

Power chords are really simple to play. Start by playing any note on the Low E string of the guitar with your 1st finger. Then play the next string up (in this case the A string), but 2 frets higher on the neck with your 3rd finger. That's it. This is the infamous power chord. Do you even want a more beefy sound? Add a note on the next string up (in this case the D string) on the same fret as the previous string with your 4th finger. You can use these two shapes anywhere's on the neck on the first 3 strings or the next set of 3 strings. The root of these shapes is always the bottom note, so if you want to play a G power chord, place your 1st finger on the 3rd fret, 6th string; your 3rd finger on the 5th fret, 5th string; and your 4th finger on the 5th fret, 4th string.

Power chords are extremely easy to play but they are also extremely useful to use especially if you are the type of guitar player that loves playing loud and loves playing with distortion. With just one shape you can play any power chord in any key anywhere's on the neck with the root on either the 6th or 5th string. Some people make out music to be hard, but power chords are really that simple.