Guitar Power Chord Lesson ...there's more than 1 way to play a power chord!
This is a cool guitar power chord lesson and video for those of you starting out with rock guitar. Find out how to play power chords on electric guitar and make them sound great! Not only that, but we'll explore a couple of other ways to play power chords that even some more advanced players may not know.
Who's This Rock Guitar Lesson For?
If you have a burning curiosity and desire to find out how to play power chords on guitar, then you're in the right place :-) Even if you know the basic ones that everyone learns in the beginning, I'm certain that you'll learn at least a couple of new things in this lesson.
Important Guidelines
Have your amp set to a good rock sound. If you're not sure, see amp settings for some basics to get you started.
Make sure your guitar is comfortable. I know, your favorite rock star might wear his or her guitar really low...but they've been playing a long time. For now, learn to get a clear sound. That means your hands will need to be in a good position to play the guitar power chord. You can gradually get used to playing standing up and after a year or two start to experiment if you want to.
Continuing with the above point...the headstock of your guitar should be somewhere around shoulder height. I'll demonstrate in the guitar video lesson.You'll also be able to see the positioning of my hands.
Make sure your pick is not too floppy. A Fender Medium is a good place to start if you're not sure.
Strings go E A D G B E from low to high. Thick to skinny. Ceiling to floor ;-)
As usual, I cover all the points in the guitar video lesson. It's very helpful to read over this though. There are also guitar power chord diagrams below. The number at the top of the chart is the fret position. On the A5 chord you'll see a 3. That means the chord diagram starts at the 3rd fret. Got it? :-)
Basic Guitar Power Chord
These are the guitar chords that you see called G5 or C5, etc.
Put the pad, not the tip, of your index finger on fret 5 of your low E string.
Have your thumb positioned lower at the back of the neck as I show in the guitar video lesson.
Put the pad of your 3rd finger on the 7th fret of your A string.
This guitar power chord is called A5 because the root of the chord is A. This is the note on fret 5 of your low E string.
Press down only as hard as you need to. Don't bend the strings.
Use down strums for now. Make sure to not allow other strings to ring. In the video lesson I demonstrate 2 ways to achieve this.
Practice pressing down and releasing the guitar power chord without taking your fingers off the strings.
If you can do this, try sliding your fingers along the strings as if they were train tracks down to the 3rd fret. Now press straight down and play G5 power chord. This is not the G5 in the diagram above. It's the same shape as the A5 you have been playing, 2 frets lower.
If your really new to this, don't worry about the rhythm yet. Just get used to grabbing these guitar power chords in different places. Make them sound as clear as you can.
Also try moving from A5 to D5. D5 is rooted on the 5th fret of the A string. Your 3rd finger will be on fret 7 of the D string.
When changing between these 2 guitar chords, kind of "drag" you finger across the strings. I show you in the guitar video lesson.
Be alert of which 2 strings you are strumming.
A Little Guitar Theory
A power chord such as a G5 is necessary in rock guitar. It has something to do with the way sound waves work. This creates the Overtone series which is where our musical chords and scales come from. It's also why we can play "harmonics" - the bell like sounds - on our guitars. The Overtone series is kind of like the ripples in water when you drop a pebble in it.
Some waves "harmonize" and others clash. When you're using overdrive or distortion on your amp certain waves will clash. The 3rds that are in Major or Minor chords are sweet when you have a clean sound. They don't usually blend well with a lot of distortion. The roots and 5ths (the first degree of the scale and the 5th degree) are in a simple relationship so they still work well with distortion. Hey, guitar power chords :-)
BIG Power Chords
These are the biggest sounding guitar power chords. The kind you let ring out and you see rock stars do windmills with. I'll demonstrate how to safely do a windmill in the video. I learned the hard way and sliced half of my fingernail off many years ago practicing them. Be careful. It's not necessary to do them. I'm just showing it for fun.
The great thing about these power chords is that you already know them. They are just slightly modified basic guitar chords that you (hopefully) already know. If you don't, make sure you learn them as soon as you can.
Here's How...
For these chords you can have your hand in a relaxed "diagonal" position with your thumb over the top of the neck.
We'll do a G5 and an A5 like above.
For G5, play a G major chord in open position. For this one, you'll need to also get your 3rd finger on fret 3 of your B string. It's in the guitar video lesson and also in the diagrams above.
Don't play your index finger on fret 2 of the A string. This string is muted because it's the major 3rd and doesn't blend with distortion.
Give a quick firm brush across all 6 strings.
For A5 you'll only need your index finger. It will cover fret 2 on your A and D strings. This is called a mini- barre.
Use your thumb to lightly touch the low E string so that it's muted. That way you can strum firmly without the E ringing. Make sure that E string string doesn't ring!
Strum firmly and quickly down. There you go :-)
See the guitar video lesson for the 2 types of guitar power chords described above. I think I also briefly show a couple of other more "advanced" ways to play a guitar power chord. I don't show the diagrams or go into detail about them here. If you're ready, you'll be able to catch what I do in the video and figure it out for yourself. When you find out a few things on your own, you really learn it. I'm just pointing you in the right direction :-)
I hope this lesson helped you. Thanks for tuning in and allowing me to be a part of what inspires you to keep dusting off your guitar.
