Contents
The Parts of the Guitar
How To Hold the Guitar
How To Play Notes on the Guitar
How to Tune Your Guitar
Guitar Chord Basics
Open-Position Chords
Barre Chords
Power Chords
How to Play Songs with Tablature
Chord Progressions
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Power Chords
Popular in hard rock, power chords get their name from the full blast of sound you can achieve when playing them on an electric guitar with distortion. Distortion is one of dozens of guitar effects—devices that alter the sound of a pure guitar signal, often referred to as a clean tone. Though most guitar effects can be achieved only through the use of separate electronic devices, nearly all amps include a distortion option that turns the clean tone of a guitar into a loud, crunchy roar. The sound of most modern rock—from Nirvana to Green Day to many others—derives from playing power chords on an electric guitar with distortion.
Like regular chords, power chords come in two major types: open-position chords and barre chords. All power chords require that you play just 2-3 notes, which makes power chords a great transition step for beginning guitarists who have mastered open-position chords but are having trouble with full barre chords.
Open-Position Power Chords
There are three open-position power chords, each of which is a variation on its standard open-position chord: E, A, and D. One good thing about open-position power chords is that you don’t need to use many fingers to play them.
- E and A open-position power chords: Require one finger
- D open-position power chord: Requires two fingers
Also, power chords require you to strum just two or three strings. The combination of needing at most two fingers and two or three strings makes playing power chords relatively easy. It also makes switching between chords a breeze compared to shifting between barre chords and regular open-position chords.
Power Chord Versions of Barre Chords
Barre chords can be converted easily to power chords.
- For E-form barre chords: Drop the barre entirely and use fingers 1, 3, and 4 to fret the bottom three notes of the original barre chord.
- For A-form barre chords: Follow the same method as for E-form barre chords but be careful not to play the 6th string.
Power-chord versions of barre chords have a few important properties:
- Like regular barre chords, they can be played at any fret from the 1st to the 12th. The root notes are the same as those of regular barre chords.
- They create a somewhat raw, flat sound that’s neither major, minor, or 7th.
- Though the diagram indicates that these chords should be played with three fingers, with practice you’ll be able to play them with just two fingers. Simply form a barre with your 3rd finger to fret both notes played by your 3rd and 4th fingers in the diagram.
When to Play Which Type of Chords
How can you tell when to play power chords, open-position chords, or regular barre chords? The best way to answer this is to listen closely to how the guitar sounds in recordings of the type of music you’re trying to play.
- Play power chords: If the guitar sounds loud and crunchy, as in most hard rock music
- Play open-position chords: If the guitar sounds bright and ringing, as in folk and other acoustic music
- Play barre chords: If the guitar sound is somewhere in between, as in most rock and pop music
Keep in mind that mixing two, or even all three, of these chord types is possible within the same song.
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