Rhythm Guitar. Part 1- Powerchords

In the first installment of rock rhythm guitar you will learn about power chords. How to make them, play them, and even the theory behind them (Theory? Power Chords? What? It's true, even Power Chords have theory). You will also learn some riffs in songs that use power chords, and then how to use common progressions to make your own riffs.

1. Power Chords.
The basis of rock music. The power chord. Power chords are possibly the easiest chord and have a great sound. The only theory behind a power chord is the way you make it. The construction of a power chord is (1 5 (1)). Thats all. Now, lets learn some powerchords! But remember - Power chords are in interval of a perfect fifth- not a chord!

   E5  F5  A5  B5
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|---------(2)-(4)-|
|-(2)-(3)--2---4--|
|--2---3---0---2--|
|--0---1----------|

The first chord is E5 (putting 5 at the end of the note means its a power chord, because all a power chord is, is a root and a fifth). E5 is made of the notes E, and B. The additional note in brackets is the octave of E. It is not needed, but adds depth and a brighter sound to your power chords.

The second chord is F5. Its notes are F and C. This chord is moveable, so if you move each note up 2 frets, it becomes G5. Two more and its A5, get the idea?

The third chord chord is A5. Like E5, it is played in open position, so you can't move it. Its notes are A and E.

The fourth and last chord is B5. Its notes are B and F#. it is a moveable shape, like F5, so if you move it up 1 fret, it becomes C5.

There are three ways you can play a power chord.

I = Index
M = Middle
R = Ring
P = Pinky

  0  1   2   3   4   5 
e|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
B|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
G|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
D|-|---|---|-P-|---|---|-
A|-|---|---|-R-|---|---|-
E|-|-I-|---|---|---|---|-


  0  1   2   3   4   5 
e|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
B|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
G|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
D|-|---|---|-P-|---|---|-
A|-|---|---|-P-|---|---|-
E|-|-I-|---|---|---|---|-

  0  1   2   3   4   5 
e|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
B|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
G|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
D|-|---|---|-R-|---|---|-
A|-|---|---|-R-|---|---|-
E|-|-I-|---|---|---|---|-

The next power chords are not used often (except for the open shape) and are trickier than the other ones.

   D5  E5
|---------|
|-(3)-(5)-|
|--2---4--|
|--0---2--|
|---------|
|---------|

I suggest you make these chords with method 1 of positioning you fingers. Some common ways to play powerchords:

e|-----------3--3-------------3--3--------------6-----6----|
B|--------3--3--3-------------x--x--------6--6--6--6--6-6--|
G|--------x--x--0-----5-----5-5--5--5--5--5--5--3--3--3-3--|
D|-----5--5--5--0--5--5--5--5-5--5--3--3--3--3--3-------3--|
A|--5--5--5--5--x--3--3--3--3-3--3-----3--3----------------|
E|--3--3--3--3--3--3--3----------3-------------------------|
    G5             C5               F5             Bb5

G5 is notes G D
C5 is notes C G
F5 is notes F C
Bb5 is notes Bb

2. Drop D Tuning.
What? We're changing tunings now? I thought this would be easy. Well, it still is. Drop D is very simple (unless you are using a Floyd Rose Trem. If you are, skip this section) tuning to get into, you just lower your 6th string (E- the really thick one) down one step. How do you do this? Well, if you have an electronic tuner, its a breeze. Just plug it in and lower the string to D. If you don't have a tuner, thats not a problem! Lower the string a little and play it at the 7th fret. Continue to do this untill it matches the open A string. Then, you're done! Now in Drop-D, power chords are 10x easier. Play this note:

|---|
|---|
|---|
|---|
|-2-|

Thats E (Every note on the low E string is moved up 2 frets, because you tuned down). To make a power chord, you have to add B. So, lets add B!

|---|
|---|
|---|
|---|
|-2-|
|-2-|

Pretty easy, eh? You can play that with one finger! Now, you can do your power chords, you've made them easier by going into drop D, and you know how to make all the other power chords yourself! Lets look at some songs that use power chords.

3. Power Chord Riffs.
For just two notes, these little buggers are used in almost every genre! Lets look at some songs that use power chords. Still in Drop-D, eh? Lets do some songs in Drop-D before you tune up.

Velvet Revolver - Slither.
This is a great riff. It's also very easy to play! It's made entirely out of power chords. Lets look at the tab, shall we?

Main Riff:
E|------------------|-----------------|
B|------------------|-----------------|
G|------------------|-----------------|
D|-0-3-4-0-6-7-0-10-|-0-6-7-0-5-0-3-4-|
A|-0-3-4-0-6-7-0-10-|-0-6-7-0-5-0-3-4-|
D|-0-3-4-0-6-7-0-10-|-0-6-7-0-5-0-3-4-|

Play them all as 8th notes, at a tempo of 140-145 BPM. Pretty cool, huh? Easy too.

The Darkness - Growing On Me.
Also in drop-D, the verse riff to this song is all power chords. Listen to the song to get the right timing.

Verse:
E|---------------|----------------------------------|
B|---------------|----------------------------------|
G|---------------|----------------------------------|
D|---------------|----------------------------------|
A|-0-0--7-7/9-9--|-0-0--7-7/9-9---5-5--4-4--4-0-----|
D|-0-0--7-7/9-9--|-0-0--7-7/9-9---5-5--4-4--4-0-----|

So, now that you have those two riffs under your belt, lets tune back up to standard tuning for some more riffs.

Silvertide - Ain't Comin' Home.
If you've never heard this song, I suggest you listen to it. This song is made up of 3 chords (thats it! Except for the bridge, when a G5 comes in). Lets look at the tab.

Main Riff:
E|----||-------------------------||
B|----||----------------3--------||
G|-0--|o--1----2---2--x-2--2---2-o|
D|-0--|o--2----2---2--x-0--2---2-o|
A|-0--||--2----0---0--x----0---0-||
E|----||--0-----------x----------||

That one is a little thougher, because its a little fast and uses E major. Lets look at a song from the masters of power chords- AC/DC.

AC/DC - Back in Black.
Great Song, with piles of great riffs. I suggest listening to song to get the timing. I will put the entire intro for you to try.

Main Riff:
E|------2-2-2-------------|-3p0----------------|
B|------3-3-3----2-2-2----|-----3p0------------|
G|------2-2-2----2-2-2----|---------2b4r2------|
D|-2----0-0-0----2-2-2----|--------------------|
A|-2-------------0-0-0----|--------------------|
E|-0----------------------|--------------------|

E|------2-2-2-------------|-----------------------|
B|------3-3-3----2-2-2----|-----------------------|
G|------2-2-2----2-2-2----|-----------------------|
D|-2----0-0-0----2-2-2----|-----------------------|
A|-2-------------0-0-0----|-2---2--0-2--1-2--2~---|
E|-0----------------------|---4-------------------|

Chorus:
E|----------------|||-3--2-----------|||----------------||
B|----------------|||-3--3-----------|||----------------||
G|-2-----4--2--4--o|o-0--2--2-----2--o|o-2-----4--2--4--o|
D|-2--2--4--2--4--o|o-0--0--2-----2--o|o-2--2--4--2--4--o|
A|-0--2--2--0--2--|||-x-----0-----0--|||-0--2--2--0--2--||
E|----0-----------|||-3--------3-----|||----0-----------||
                  ^play x2           ^play x2           ^play 2x

So, you can now play some riffs, with power chords. If you want you can even go find the tabs for the songs and learn the rest of the song. Lets try to make some riffs using powerchords.

4. Making Your Own Riffs.
I'll set you off with some chord progressions (used commonly in rock) and those 5 riffs from popular songs.

Chord Progressions - A series of chords put together, that don't sound horrible. The Roman Numeral dictate which scale dgree as your root note. If it's upper case (V) it's major, if it's lower case, it's minor (I). Extensions can be added, like so: vii°7b5, V7, Imaj7m etc.

A D E (I IV V)
G C D (V I II)
G D Am7 (I V VII7)

Those are some popular ones. Feel free to make any up, but try to remember, that a chord resolves best up a fourth (IV, 4) or down a fifth (V, 5). I've chosen A-G-D, (I VII IV) and I changed it around to Asus2 (A B E), Gsus2 (G A D), and D5 (D A). It's arranged for two guitars and a bass for those of you playing in a band situation, if you aren't in a band, just play Gtr I.

Q=156
... Asus2... Gsus2
... 4/4
... Gtr I
||---------------------|-------------------|
||o--------------------|-------------------|
||---------------------|-------------------|
||--9-9---9------------|-7-7---7-----------|
||o-7-7---7---10-12\---|-5-5---5---8-10\---|
||------------10-12\---|-----------8-10\---|
|
|... Gtr II
||---------------------|-------------------|
||o--------------------|-------------------|
||---------------------|-------------------|
||---------------------|-------------------|
||o--------------------|-------------------|
||--7-7-7---7--7--7--7-|-5-5-5-5-5-5--5--5-|
|
|... Bass
||---------------------|-------------------| 
||o--------------------|-------------------| 
||o--------------------|-------------------| 
||--7-7-7--7--7--7--7--|-5-5-5-5-5-5--5--5-|


.. D5
 
|-----------------|-----------------------||
|-8-8---3-3---3---|-(3)--------------(3)/o||
|-7-7---2-2---2---|-(2)--------------(2)/-||
|-------------0---|-(0)--------------(0)/-||
|-----------------|----------------------o||
|-----------------|-----------------------||
|
| 
|-----------------|-----------------------||4x
|-----------------|----------------------o||
|-----------------|-----------------------||
|-----------------|-----------------------||
|-----------------|----------------------o||
|-0-0-0---0-0-0-0-|--0--0-0-0-0--0-0------||
|
|
|-----------------|-----------------------||
|-----------------|-----------------------||
|-----------------|-----------------------||
|-0-0-0---0-0-0-0-|--0--0-0-0-0--0-0------||

Tuning: Drop-D (low to high- D-A-D-G-B-E)

Its played fast (156 bpm), the root note of the chord is played by Gtr. II and The Bass.

All that from powerchords? Thats a pretty long read for two notes! All you have to remember is that creativity is the key to building riffs and songs out of power chords. Note about tabs: about the tabs above (not directly, the ones of
popular songs), these might not be 100% correct, but it's the way I play them, and they sound right. Thanks a lot to SilentDeftone for "Some common ways to play powerchords," the fingering diagrams, and helping me straighten this out!

Comments

[ProjectDark]

First cool lesson

[Thrice]

good stuff

[StephnG]

Very helpfull.

[KENZI]

good lesson

[Iboseth]

Thanks

[splice]

enjoyed it

[jamesfanais]

it was pretty good although the tab for back in black is a bit slipped up ...dont worry though still impressive

[lp_guitar_girl]

very good - ive been playing for a year and a half and i still learned something!

[gmsje]

I now understand powerchords. Thanks.

[Duff_McGee]

Good lesson.

[mitchell_5150]

ok 4 beginers just back in black is a little off

[C3_Rocka]

kudos

[Jennbello]

Thanks

[noobistic]

wat does e numbers in the ccales represent??? email me at [e-mail] plz

[guitarplayer15]

i liked it good work

[tone E1]

thanks

[xfreakonaleash0]

dude do u think ne body who does kno wut a power chord is will kno wut the hell the interval of perfect 5ths are?

[xfreakonaleash0]

doesn't kno****

[numbfinger]

good article but i have a question still

what are these chords then

e ---..
B ---..
G --3---..
D --4---..
A --4---..
E --2---..

[numbfinger]

PM ME!!!

[slash_pwns]

barre chords.

[numbfinger]

ohhh.. ok thanx man

[dingo jones]

awsome lesson dude

[breaknahabit]

most ive learnt on ug for ages

[Baza14]

this is good for beginers...but if u dont know this and u've been learning for more than a year and a half...well, u know wot i mean. good work though

[jeff_7890]

not bad buddy good job It's just I don't know tabs yet so yeah it didn't really help me much but it was well put together. Awesome

[cilliano]

do u think people wouldn't know what a power chord is, but they would know what the interval of a perfect 5th is

[cilliano]

=)

[Gandalf_90]

This is good lesson rythm guitar!!!

[flipfox_redoubt]

piece of cake
i was using power chords before i even knew it
hahahaha

[Do_the_dew910]

Good lesson for starters, and maybe something in there for the intermediete players

This has been out a while..when is Pt.2 comming?

5 stars..

[Do_the_dew910]

err..10.. whatever the highest is

[simeonov16]

prety cool

[swordsofplague]

very helpful. been playin for a year and a half and i still learned something. keep up the good work!

[StanelyRichard]

Uhm there is an error I believe. You say ALL power chords are followed by the 5. (example, E5 or A5 etc.)
This is not true. Any chord that is the root note and it's fifth and nothing more (except for an octave) is a Fifth chord. The chord you put for C5 is not a c5 because it doesn't have the fifth of the root note. I believe.
Oh well, it's not like I could say anything dumber than anyone else that has posted here.

[duffmansweenie]

i could not figure out back in black...this is awesome

[the.iron.maiden]

thanx 4 the info, man, i needed it.

[punkzaparom]

WHATTA!!!! GREAT LESSON!! INSTRUCTIONAL!!!!

[binksy45]

Great tute
Good for novices also showed me a thing or two.

[Rockchild]

Good stuff. Covers the basics and gives some ideas for future creation. Keep it up.

[dragonforcerule]

That was the best lesson I have read up so far it really teaches you the basics of Power Chords

[delondcosta27]

good one

[9_11_4]

good lesson, i like the language you used.. hahaha power chords are so easy, maybe i can trick my student into learning them without realising hes playing chords

[strattyrudge]

Thanx that helped me alot, better than other lessons i have read.

*spam check

[fender strat37]

sweet lesson thanx 5*s

[Jeal]

dude do u think ne body who does kno wut a power chord is will kno wut the hell the interval of perfect 5ths are?

I can't even finish reading this. Put down your guitar and pick up a grammar book.

[binskidudel]

dude nice to learn by your lessons now i can slightly play powerchords =) hope to have been more beginers lessons thanks man

[Valedicta]

Thanks, that was a great help

[Froggy McHop]

Total shit, the lessons on these don't make any sense at all, and i've been playing for a year and a half, if i was a newbie on here I'd ****ing give up guitar and play piano cause it would just all be too overwhelming, and most stuff I wouldn't get.

[guitar-7777]

dude you learn this stuff in 3 weeks of guitar lesons when u learn cords they go in depth with roots and all that.

[cam201]

it doesnt really help if the back in black tab is wrong. powerchords are probly the easiest aspect of guitar playing

[Qaphela]

xfreakonaleash0 wrote:

dude do u think ne body who does kno wut a power chord is will kno wut the hell the interval of perfect 5ths are?

Could you please repeat this in English?

[Jadedfrog]

Wow i suck ass at guitar, but this helped alot thanks

[maximumrenegade]

nice one!

[rzorblde]

if your having troubles after a year and a half of playing power chords and reading tab... theres something wrong with you

[Dancing Fool]

What does he mean by "moving" the chord/shape down? Down the fretboard the the higher frets?

[simonzwaan]

xfreakonaleash0 wrote:

dude do u think ne body who does kno wut a power chord is will kno wut the hell the interval of perfect 5ths are?

read the guitar theory part or something

[mcrgirl]

man, i didn't get it at all. i got frustrated when i couldn't do it right. it didn't help me and it didn't make sense to me. sorry. :
(

[metallica_man2]

same didnt get it at all

[CanCan]

Well, I beg to differ. A chord is three or more notes played in unison. Therefore, your definition of powerchords =/= powerchord. The powerchord is the root, 5th and octave. The interval between the root and the fifth is just that, a mere interval, a way to increase speed and move around the fretboard powerchording.

[simonjw87]

ive been playing for two years and found that this sparked some creativity with my songwriting. Good lesson on something so basic.

[SimpleandClean]

awesome! this really helped me a lot!

[rockmachine666]

dude! way better than the other lesson at least. gr8!!!

[drinkingbeers]

Good lesson, I followed along nicely until you started with the whole 'scale degree' and roman numerals came in. Further explanation about what this means would help. Thanks

[Billie236]

Fantastic

[Dzr]

I have a silly question.. now I know what to do with my left hand... but what about the other one?

[Tackarama]

thanx, fantastic lesson, helped me a lot

[louisjones]

good lesson, but i have to say back in black a bit off

[oli_wiltie_2006]

Good lesson, but beginners may be confused..

[jrasmussen1206]

I thought it was a good lesson, as I am a beginner to guitar. I understand all the basic chords, but moving them off the basic open position is still tough for me. I think this lesson helped me to see how to use powerchords to get off the open chords. Thanks!!

[gamejokerr]

im a beginner of playing guitar, lol

[Shabalaba]

Well ive bin playin 8 months now n i hit a rut where i cudnt find nothing to play, but this has helped alot
THX

[jcpogi_27]

astig men.....cool

[SGibson666]

i salute you
i salute you

[Thomas Paul]

This lesson helps me genuinly.

[morganite14]

Yes i know im retarded but I have a question just to make sure about tab stuff. For most power chords you only play three strings unless it specifically says to leave a note open and to play it right?

[Apoc112]

thanks for the lesson w/ tabs, man... it really brings practice to an interesting level. btw, i LOVE silvertide - awesome choice

[punksmystyle]

very help full lesson

[KingLear87]

great lesson - 5 stars!

[BennyStruggle]

numbfinger wrote:

good article but i have a question still

what are these chords then

e ---..
B ---..
G --3---..
D --4---..
A --4---..
E --2---..

a major power chord has the g string fretted in the middle of the root and a/d strings

[akolyte123]

Well, I beg to differ. A chord is three or more notes played in unison. Therefore, your definition of powerchords =/= powerchord. The powerchord is the root, 5th and octave. The interval between the root and the fifth is just that, a mere interval, a way to increase speed and move around the fretboard powerchording.

ummmm thats also wrong lol. if you have a chord with the root note a fifth and an octave the octave dosent count as part of the chord. so if you were to play a 4 part chord such as c7. it would be c, e, g, b, but you could also add another c on top of it and make the chord c, e, g, b, c, but since the two c's are an octave it means it still stays as a 4 part chord and not a 5 part chord.

[crimson._rose]

xfreakonaleash0 :
dude do u think ne body who does kno wut a power chord is will kno wut the hell the interval of perfect 5ths are?

Well, I know what a power chord is, I know what the interval of a perfect 5th is (and i can remember it with twinkle twinkle little star :P), and i can post a message in correct english, gee, isn't that just plain amazing?

[neeber]

many thanks...was just about right for me.

[Coheed/Cambria]

It was ok i didnt understand much of it though.....


=)

[iTzMaTT]

Sweet
Now I'll be more of a use in my band haha.

[texzephyr]

nice

[Joe.Retherford]

helpt a lot thanks

[dodee]

hey i get just about everything except the chord progressions... could someone please explain??

[BlitzApocalypto]

Hey, definately appreciate the lesson man...

[Duranis]

I have only been playing for a week with very little previous music knowledge and no lessons so far. I have no idea what the "interval of a perfect fifth" is and no idea what the difference is between something played in an open position and one that is moveable (other then the fact one is moveable, I dont know how to tell them apart).

However there is also a LOT of information in here that I do understand and it gives me something new to add onto my "need to learn" list

Thanks a lot for the good lesson!

[Clancy 13]

thanks for the awesome lesson, i really got something out of it

[cwtg911]

Thanks

[bodan]

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
I don't know what the notation ||o means - what is the small circle on a string at the beginning or end of a tab?

[max v]

most power chords will have open strings in them and, at least one set of octaves ( two of the same notes in it ) involved. And when hit hard with a good over driven sound ... will ring out like they should last forever.....

[viku.shekhar]

kool stuff dude .....

[BloodBodom]

WELL MAN, THERE'S NO MUCH LESSON UN THIS...
AND BACK IN BLA IS WRONG, THE CORRECT VERSION IS THIS:
E|-----|-3p0-----|
B|-----|-----3p0-----|
G|-----2- 2-2----2-2-2----|-----2b3r2-----|
D|-2----0-0-0----2-2-2--- -|-----|
A|-2-----0-0-0----|-----|
E|-0-----|-----|

AND DUDE, YOU SHOULD PUT THE MOST BASIC POWER CHORDS WITH 3 NOTESOR WITH 2, NOT WITH 4 OR 5,AND I THINK THE SAME AS xfreakonaleash0,YOU SHOULD REALISE THAT A PERSON WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT A POWER CHORD IS WILL HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT THE INTERVAL OF THE PERFECT 5TH IS

[BTKA]

Nice work, enjoying the benefits already

[Sy_B]

Hey dude, beginner here, I'm trying to play Slither thanks for the tabs....but no matter how hard or fast I try to play, it just never sounds right...it sounds somewhat like it, but it just never sounds right. I even looked at other tabs of it to check. I must be doing something wrong, but it seems to sound a little more like the riff if you switch the last chords around to 4 and then 3. Help on this please??

[homegrown419]

sometimes I just play with myself cuz its cool. the lesson made me not play with myself mustn't be cool

[Sy_B]

homegrown419 wrote:

sometimes I just play with myself cuz its cool. the lesson made me not play with myself mustn't be cool

The hell?