Major Scale: Easy Exercise for Beginners
Scales are the foundation for playing the piano well. Learn to play major scales in no time with our easy practice exercise!
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Do you want riffs that make walls shake? A sound that seems to come straight from your rock heroes’ stacked amps? Then you can’t ignore power chords! They are the heartbeat of rock, punk and metal – simple to learn, incredibly punchy, and the foundation for that unmistakable sound that has shaped generations. Here you’ll learn everything you need to get cracking with learning the guitar and playing power chords straight away.
Table of contents
Basically: A power chord (also known as a fifth chord) isn’t a complete chord because it only consists of two different notes: the root note and the perfect fifth. Usually, the root note is also played an octave higher to fill out the sound.
Important: Because the third is missing, power chords are neither major nor minor. This makes them extremely flexible to use and ensures they sound clear and punchy even with heavy distortion – the cornerstone of any rock sound!
Tip: When strumming, focus only on the strings you are fretting. The remaining strings should be lightly dampened with your fretting hand to avoid unwanted noise.
When you think of bands like AC/DC, The Ramones or Green Day, you’re mostly hearing one thing: the pure, raw energy of power chords. They’re more than just a chord shape – they’re an attitude. Unlike regular major or minor chords, which contain at least three notes (root, third, fifth), power chords deliberately leave out the third.
This clever move strips the chord down to its essence and unleashes a huge impact: the sound is no longer “happy” or “sad”, just pure power.
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The magic of a power chord lies in its brilliant simplicity. It consists only of the most stable building blocks of harmony:
The Root: This gives the power chord its name (e.g. the note G for a G5 power chord) and forms the foundation.
The Fifth: This note lies five scale steps above the root and provides rock‑solid harmonic stability.
To make the sound even fatter and more powerful, the root is often added again an octave higher. That gives you a three‑note power chord. In notation you’ll recognise them easily: the letter of the root plus a “5” (G5, A5, C5). The “5” stands for the fifth.
Here’s the heart of it: why are power chords on guitar indispensable in rock? Because they love distortion. Push a normal major or minor chord through a cranked‑up amp and the sound quickly turns muddy and indistinct. The third produces overtones that clash with heavy distortion.
Because power chords have no third, the opposite happens: even with extreme gain, the sound stays clear, punchy and aggressive. This combination of simplicity and distortion didn’t just create a sound – it defined decades of rock music and is still the backbone of countless riffs.
Enough theory! The best way to master power chords is to play the riffs that made music history. Hardly any rock song gets by without them. Grab your guitar, turn up the amp and feel the energy.
Green Day – "American Idiot"
Deep Purple – "Smoke on the Water"
The Kinks – "You Really Got Me"
Kings of Leon – "Sex on Fire"
Metallica – "Nothing Else Matters"
Black Sabbath – "Iron Man"
Adele – "Rolling In The Deep"
The White Stripes – "Seven Nation Army"
Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
AC/DC – "Highway to Hell"
These and other rock and pop classics can be found in the “Rock Songs & Riffs” module of our guitar course:
Ever dreamed of playing the songs of your heroes? Our "rock songs & riffs" module is your gateway into the world of rock guitar. From timeless rock anthems and grunge classics to modern riffs, our easy-to-follow video lessons show you how to truly rock using essential techniques like bending and slides.
The best thing about power chords? With just two simple shapes you can play any power chord anywhere on the fretboard. Learn them once and you can move them around to play countless riffs. If you haven’t yet, you can also learn how to read guitar tabs with us.
Use this shape for all power chords whose root lies on the lowest (thickest) string.
Index finger (1): Frets the root on the low E string (e.g. 5th fret for A5).
Ring finger (3): Frets the fifth on the A string, two frets higher (7th fret).
Little finger (4): Frets the octave on the D string, also two frets higher (7th fret).
This shape is identical to the E shape, just shifted one string down.
Index finger (1): Frets the root on the A string (e.g. 5th fret for D5).
Ring finger (3): Frets the fifth on the D string, two frets higher (7th fret).
Little finger (4): Frets the octave on the G string, also two frets higher (7th fret).
Tip: Strum only the three fretted strings. Don’t play any open strings (watch out for the few exceptions). The numbers in brackets show the fingering.
To get you up and running, we’ve put together the most common power chords in a handy overview. All chords in the chart include the doubled root note. Just download it and place it next to you while you practise.
Power chords are your ticket into the world of rock. They’re the quickest way to sound big and powerful and to play a huge number of your favourite songs. As always, the key to success is regular practice and the right feel.
Start slowly, focus on a clean, powerful sound and try to switch smoothly between shapes. With the online guitar courses from music2me, we guide you step by step. You’ll learn not only how to play power chords, but also the rhythm and timing you need to sound like a real rock guitarist.
A full chord is made up of at least three different notes (root, third and fifth), which give it its quality (major or minor). A power chord isn’t a full chord, because it consists only of root and fifth and is therefore tonally neutral but full of raw power.
Because the third is missing! The third produces overtones that, under heavy distortion, can lead to a muddy, undefined sound. Since power chords use only the harmonically stable intervals of root and fifth, the sound stays clear, punchy and aggressive even with lots of gain.
Yes, absolutely! Even though they really come into their own with distortion, power chords also sound punchy and direct on an acoustic guitar. They’re perfect for powerful unplugged versions of rock songs and a great alternative to full barre chords.
Power chords are a hallmark of rock, hard rock, punk and metal. You’ll also find them in related genres such as pop‑punk, alternative rock, grunge and even some pop productions whenever a powerful, rebellious guitar sound is needed.
Muting is crucial for a clean, tight rock sound. Your fretting index finger should not only press its target strings, but also lightly touch the strings below to silence them. You can also mute the unused higher strings with your spare fretting fingers or the heel of your picking hand.
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