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By David Hodge
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Master these easy power chord shapes and learn how to unleash their full potential. With audio examples
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| In one of her favorite songs, CATTY TASSO, who plays guitar in indie rock band the May Fire (www.themayfire.com), says, “I play only one power chord for the whole verse (A) and then the chorus is C–A#–A. That's it.” Photo by Anne Hamersky.
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Practice Plan
Level:
After you play through this lesson once or twice to understand the ideas and sounds, incorporate them into your playing. Focus on one idea at a time, using it in different songs and in different ways to really explore its potential. Then move on to the next idea.
Beginner Tip: If these power chord shapes are too much of a stretch or if you’re getting a lot of buzzing, play them higher up the neck where the frets are closer together (your fingers will be, too).
Play It: “Smoke on the Water” (page 54, Summer 2007 issues of Play Guitar!)
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Tune Up
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Ages ago, when I was learning how to paint, my teacher demonstrated how she could create a beautiful painting with only two colors. By combining them in different strengths she came up with several rainbows’ worth of hues and tints.
When it comes to power chords, many guitarists could use a similar demonstration. Since they’re so easy to play, we often learn them early on in our guitar careers, using them to play rock, punk, or metal songs and little more. Just go into any guitar store, and someone will be playing “Iron Man” or “Smoke on the Water” (which happens to be transcribed on page 54 in case you want to be the person rocking out on it).
But power chords have so much un-tapped potential: They can be sparse octaves or full-bodied four-string chords; their notes can be inverted, augmented (raised), or diminished (lowered) to create cool-sounding riffs. After this lesson, you’ll see for yourself how easy it is to turn these simple chords into interesting and dynamic pieces of our musical adventures.
Power Up: The Basics
You don’t need to know music theory to play power chords, but knowing a little will help you a lot. Major and minor chords contain three different notes: the root, the third, and the fifth of the scale. The third determines whether the chord is major or minor.
Play the E chord below, then play Em. Hear the difference? When you change from E to Em, the third changes from G# (first fret of the third string) to G (open third string). Play these two chords again and listen for how they differ.
Now play the third chord, the E5. Does it sound major or minor? Both? Neither? Exactly. This E power chord is composed of only two notes: E (the open low E string) and B (second fret of the A string). There’s no third in a power chord, just the root and fifth. This is why power chords are often referred to as 5 chords.
When the root is on the low E string, we call it a “root six” power chord. This form can be moved anywhere up and down the neck, as shown in ROOT SIX CHORDS, below. This same shape works when you move the root to the fifth string (ROOT FIVE CHORDS) and fourth string (ROOT FOUR CHORDS).
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Root Six, Root Five, and Root Four Power Chords
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