Freelance Writing Jobs | Today's Articles | Sign In

How To Play Power Chords

Master The Foundation of Rock and Metal Rhythm Guitar

Dec 9, 2008 James Quirk

Power chords are simple, two-note chords which provide a substantial "crunch." Power chords define the sound of modern and classic rock and metal rhythm guitar.

Power chords, or dyads, create the heavy, resounding "crunch" at the foundation of modern and classic rock and metal rhythm guitar. Involving just two strings in their basic form, power chords are easy to play, and they are also a lot of fun.

Playing Your First Power Chord

To play a power chord, simply place your first (index) finger on any fret of the guitar on the sixth (E), fifth (A), or fourth (D) string. Then, place your third (ring) finger two frets up (toward the body of the guitar) on the next string down. For example, if you place your index finger on the third fret of the E string, your ring finger should be on the fifth fret of the A string. Then, pick both strings together and let the chord ring out. Instant rock!

Moving Power Chords

A major advantage of power chords is that they are movable - that is, they can be played in the same way anywhere on the fretboard. This allows the player to stay in key simply by moving the same finger formation up and down the fretboard. The note held by the index finger is the root of the chord and this note determines its key. For example, a power chord played with the root on the first fret of the E string is a G chord.

With some practice, it will become easy to move the power chord formation up and down the fretboard quickly and effectively. In addition, power chords can have their root on the E, A, and D strings. They cannot include the second (B) string, because it is tuned differently and will result in an out-of-key or dissonant tone.

In addition, power chords played with the root on the E and A strings can be enhanced by adding a third note, which is known as the octave. Adding this note is very easy. The ring finger simply frets the next string down on the same fret, playing two notes rather than one. in combination with the root note, this can result in a satisfying "crunch" with a bit more tone than that standard power chord.

Open Power Chords

Power chords can also include open strings. To play an open power chord, simply pick the open E, A, or D string while fretting the next string down at the second fret. Because of the open string involved, these power chords tend to produce a particularly strong tone, and can be a lot of fun.

Happy picking!

The copyright of the article How To Play Power Chords in Musical Instruments is owned by James Quirk. Permission to republish How To Play Power Chords in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.