Power Chords

[Hooligan]

Yesterday in speaking with one of the other guitar players he menioned "Power Chords" to me. I have heard this term used before but for what ever reason I thought they were Barr chords. Today I do some searching on the interent and find out I have been wrong. Now I have questions.....

It seems to me these "chords" lack flavor or harmony. If they had it all I guess it'd be all we used. In a pinch if you didn't know a goofy chord like a C5 or other goofy chord I could just grab this C power chord.....

Who uses them and what purpose do they serve? Or have I already entioned thier purpose....

Just incase, you guys should know that I am not about short cuts. I am stil hungry for doing things the right way. There times though when difficult chord comes up and I need to be able to play the song........tomorrow!

[MadHatter]

what makes power chords so useful in a band setting is that they don't hog too much sonic territory...sometimes you have a keyboard, acoustic, lead singer, back up singer, and then drums yet... and then you want to put an electric guitar and another lead guitar into that...
there's only so much room in a mix... plus you can' be taking away all the fun notes from people...
when I play rythym guitar I usually just play crunchy power chords, but add a minor third and a flatted seventh for the minor chords... to add a touch of flavor

power chords aren't cheating, or even short cuts... they are a huge part of rock guitar...

[MrMike]

The cool thing about power chords is that they are neither major nor minor. They're just the root and the 5th. Sometimes that 3rd, whether major or minor, can really muck things up, especially through a raging tube amp. Think of them as a side dish, not a full course.

[Hooligan]

ok let me get my head around this.

I get a lead sheet from my worship director and theres all kinds of C5, F2, G5 etc.......

All I have to do is play the root power chord and let the lead electric play his deal? The reason I ask is I may be playing "Today is the Day" (again) next week and theres really no need for an acoustic in that song. If I play my electric it might be nice to play these power chords and let the lead shine.

It look like these power chords are mainly rooted on the E and A strings with essentially the same formation. It looks like the E string is muted when the root is taken from the A string. Pretty easy! Just memorize the notes for the E and A string and I should be all set. some one stop me if I'm off base here.

[refin]

The cool thing about power chords is that they are neither major nor minor. They're just the root and the 5th. Sometimes that 3rd, whether major or minor, can really muck things up, especially through a raging tube amp. Think of them as a side dish, not a full course.

Good analogy.
It's the melody that pulls the power chord to major or minor.

[mattd]

The cool thing about power chords is that they are neither major nor minor. They're just the root and the 5th. Sometimes that 3rd, whether major or minor, can really muck things up, especially through a raging tube amp. Think of them as a side dish, not a full course.


great explanation. I think sometimes if you don't play the third then you let the listener decide whether the chord is major or minor as well.

[Hooligan]

Man I can't wait to get home and give these power chords a try. I think the reason I was having such a terrible time with "Today is the Day" in C is that it was written for electric guitars playing power chords not an acoustic.

I always thought there was something different about my electric playing and what I saw every other electric guitar player playing. Now I know what it is.....This is great.

I'm like a kid in a candy store, if only you could see my excitement.

:yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah:

[Wally]

Man I can't wait to get home and give these power chords a try. I think the reason I was having such a terrible time with "Today is the Day" in C is that it was written for electric guitars playing power chords not an acoustic.

I always thought there was something different about my electric playing and what I saw every other electric guitar player playing. Now I know what it is.....This is great.

I'm like a kid in a candy store, if only you could see my excitement.

:yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah:

I mentioned this in your thread about "Today Is The Day"

(http://gpawf4christ.com/forums/showpost.php?p=48918&postcount=4) :cool::)

I was referring to the fact that power chords are often written on the charts as a 5 chord as explained in this Power chord - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Now there is certainly nothing wrong with playing "regular chords" on an electric - I rarely use power chords - but as mentioned some songs call for it and they are essential in rock music.

[Hooligan]

I mentioned this in your thread about "Today Is The Day"

(http://gpawf4christ.com/forums/showpost.php?p=48918&postcount=4) :cool::)

I was referring to the fact that power chords are often written on the charts as a 5 chord as explained in this wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_chord).

Now there is certainly nothing wrong with playing "regular chords" on an electric - I rarely use power chords - but as mentioned some songs call for it and they are essential in rock music.

Yeah, I know but like I have said in other posts, I'm kinda slow! LOL Some times I need to be hit in the head with things bebore I pay attention to what folks are teaching me. When this other guy mentioned power chords I knew that someone else had also said that same thing so I decided to investigate. You guys are the best!

[MrMike]

Sometimes, however, especially if you're playing acoustic, a fully-voiced chord is stylistically more appropriate. You'll develop a feel for this stuff as you develop more experience. On the other hand, power chords played with a touch of overdrive/distortion with a bit of palm-muting and mostly downstrokes on the right hand can really drive a song and add a nice rhythmic feel. Experiment a lot and go with what feels right. Sometimes what sounds cool to us as the guitar players may not necessarily be what contributes most to the feel of the song. And sometimes playing less contributes more, especially in a worship setting.

[Brian]

I normally finger power chords as full barre chords; but voice just the root and 5th. Exceptions are E, A, and sometimes D that I'll play at the first fret to reduce fatigue in long sets, or it's closer to my next chord than 1st or 2nd position barre chord. Sometimes, however, especially if you're playing acoustic, a fully-voiced chord is stylistically more appropriate. You'll develop a feel for this stuff as you develop more experience...If you also asked what should you play (I assume on acoustic) when the chart says C5, G5, etc and the electric guitarist is playing power chords I agree with MrMike. Most of the time when the song calls for an E5 "power chord" I would play the fully-voiced chord that would include the appropriate natural (major) or minor (lowered) 3rd on acoustic.

The exception would be (after listening to the song) my ear tells me to play a "5" chord with an "open chord" voice that sounds great on acoustic.

or on rare occasions

If my ear tells me that I should play a (almost always muted) 2-note "power chord" on acoustic

I would normally play "2" chord (add9) with an open voice on acoustic.

[Crunchyriff]

2nd barre chords usually encompass root, 5th and root's octave, but are not always played as-such.

Another approach is the modal chord, which also works as a minor or major context.

[MusicChad]

Another thought is that "power chords" are often played with techniques like palm muting or more aggressive types of strumming patterns... (as opposed to more "open" or "ringing" types of strumming...) Just a thought...