Power chords

[Loraine]

It takes practice. Pay attention to your hand and wrist positions. You want them to be positioned so that you can lay your fingers basically flat to fret, and only play the strings that are fretted. My personal suggestion is to drop the third finger. It really isn’t always necessary to make a song sound good.

[Philb]

They are difficult. Everyone has problems with them. Keep at it, no matter how slow the progress, and you will improve. It has taken me a long time to get them to some degree, though I still have a long way go.

[Bill_Brown]

Hello @rose_lady and welcome to TAC. If you can make an E chord with using just your middle, ring and pinky fingers, then you can do power chords. Place your middle finger on the G string (3rd string), 1st fret. Then place your ring finger on the A string (5th string), 2nd fret and your pinky on the D string (4th string), 2nd fret. Just let your index finger wave up in the air. You are now making an E chord. I’m asking you to do it this way so you can see the relationship between your finger placement and the chord shape – “shape” being the key idea here. Now, lift your middle finger off of the fretboard and let it wave up in the air with the index finger. Now, move the ring and pinky fingers up to the 5th fret, gently sliding on the A & D strings, like they’re a pair. At this point, I want you to drop your index finger on the loE string (6th string) at the 3rd fret, keeping your ring & pinky pair where they are (A & D strings, 5th fret), just let that middle finger wave hi to everyone (lol). Just strum those 3 strings (loE, A & D strings), you are now making a “G power chord”. Take a moment to look at the “shape” your fingers are making – it’s important, because that “shape” is moveable. You can take that same shape and bump it up 2 frets and you will be making an “A power chord”. Move it up 2 more frets and you have a B power chord and so on, following the musical alphabet along the notes on the loE string (6th string) or root string – the name of the note on the root string = the chord name.

Now, you can also move that same shape to a different set of strings. Put your index on the 3rd fret of the A string and place the ring pinky pair on the 5th fret of the D & G strings – just strumming those 3 fretted strings, you are playing a “C power chord”. Notice that your fingers are holding the same “shape” even though they’re on different strings. Staying on those 3 strings, move the “shape” up 2 frets, and you have a “D power chord”. Now follow the musical alphabet using the note names along the A string (root string) to name the chords.

hope this helps, good luck!

[That_Guy]

I’ve always barred them with two fingers the way you play five string bar chords except move it to the 6th string. Just try not to hit the high 3 strings. With power chords its all about those bass strings.

If you’re playing plugged in or an electric turn the overdrive to 11 and the mid range off