Today's Guitar Lesson: Power Chords!

Okay, I was wrong last time when I said that chords are not important. They are VERY important. Although you don't have to remember the name. Being able to play them is important. but an alternative to chords are the power chords i.e. easier versions of the chords.

Power Chords

What Are Power Chords?

Power chords can be fun and easy to play. You can hear them in all types of music, but most people associate them with hard rock styles of music.

Power chords are not really chords. Chords are 3 notes or more, whereas power chords only have 2 different notes. A more correct name would be "power intervals" because they only contain two different notes. Usually power chords are composed of the root, a perfect 5th interval, and the root note doubled at a higher pitch (called an octave). Basically they are just like playing perfect 5th intervals and doubling up a note or two.

Power chords are easy to play just about anywhere on the neck, but lend very little harmonic texture to a song. They do not have a major or minor third interval. A chord needs this interval in order to make it a major or minor chord.

If you're playing a song with a lot of distortion, strumming a full chord might create too much dissonance. Plus if you have a fast chord change, it's often easier to use power chords for the really fast part.