The first way to play the A power chord is starting with the root note on the 6th string (low E string).
#Easy power chords how to
I am going to be showing you how to play each power chord using 3 fingers, however if you want to start off playing them with only two fingers, simply exclude the note which is an octave higher from each chord position. Each power chord sub-section below will show you where to play the chord using the 6th string (low E) as well as the 5th string (A). Just learn your guitar fretboard and you’ll easily be able to find any note for which you want to play a power chord over. Remember power chords are moveable and you can play them on any fret (they are most often used on the 6th and 5th strings). The following section will go through how and where to play power chords for each of the natural notes. Once you become more comfortable with power chords, you can then move on to using 3 fingers. This will allow you to change your power chord positions faster and with greater ease. However, if you’re just starting out with power chords I would recommend sticking to using 2 fingers for the time being. I personally prefer playing power chords with 3 fingers as I think it sounds slightly more full. One of the major differences in power chord positioning is deciding whether you want to play the chord with 2 or 3 fingers. The finger positionings for all power chords are more or less the same. Knowing the positioning of a few basic power chords will allow you to not only learn a bunch of new songs but also create new music. Here are a few exercises you can play through to listen to the sound that a few power chords generate along with their major barre chord counterparts. While barre chords offer a more dynamic combination of notes, power chords offer a more muddy, raw sound. The image below shows an example of an A5 power chord (fingers 1 and 4 are playing the same notes, just in different octaves)Īn A barre chord, on the other hand, uses your index finger to barre all the strings on the fifth fret, along with other finger placements depending upon whether you wish to play an A major or minor.Īs you play each individual chord separately you can really hear the difference in harmonic quality between each. It is dependant upon the sound you are looking to achieve which will determine whether you want to use barre chords vs power chords.Īs previously mentioned, a power chord consists of two notes, maximum.
Although power chords are easier to play, barre chords offer more harmonic tone quality. A power chord on the other hand, is actually just a fragment of a barre chord, however is much easier to play. A barre chord is a type of chord which makes use of the index finger to press down on all six guitar strings at once, forming in essence, a bar across the fretboard. You may have heard of the term barre chord before but weren’t really sure what the difference was in comparison to a power chord.
Similarly, a G power chord may be referred to as G5. For example, a C power chord may also be called C5. Power chords are technically not chords but dyads as they consist of only 2 notes.Īs power chords use only the root note and the fifth note, they may also be identified by adding the number 5 to the root note. This is because they lack the presence of the third note in the scale which gives a chord their major or minor quality. The interesting thing about power chords is that they don’t have a major or minor quality them, unlike their full-version counterparts (the barre chord). Therefore a guitar power chord can be played with 2 or 3 fingers. In the example above, this would correspond to the C note in the 8th position (this is optional). Consider reading through what is a guitar chord for more information about how a guitar chord is made.Īdditionally, some power chords also include a second root note, which is an octave higher. If you don’t know what I mean by fifth interval, it is in reference to the fifth note in the major scale. A power chord (also known as the fifth chord) is basically a chord consisting of a root note and the fifth interval note. In a guitar, especially electric guitar, power chords are vital. Whether you play an acoustic or electric guitar, you are going to come across power chords.
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