Power Chords.

Power chords are the hard rock chords. Classic guitar riffs such as Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man', Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the Water', and Cream's 'Sunshine of Your Love' are played using power chords. These chords have a distinct sound and are what made classic rock, hard rock and metal what they are. These chords are used in other styles of music, but when they are played on an electric guitar with distortion through a marshall double stack amplifier it literally screams rock 'n' roll.

Power chords played on only 2 strings at a time. Root 6 power chords are played on the E and A strings, Root 5 are played on the A and D strings and Root 4 are played on the D and G strings.

They all have the same form or shape.
Take a look at some in tab form.

Power Chords

          'F' Root 6         'G' Root 6       'A' Root 6    

E-----------------------------------------------------------

B-----------------------------------------------------------

G-----------------------------------------------------------

D-----------------------------------------------------------

A------3-----------------------5-----------------7--------

E------1-----------------------3-----------------5--------

  - NOTE:  You play the lower note on the lower fret with your 1st finger 

                 and the higher note with your 3rd finger.

Notice the pattern. The shape is always the same. In all power chords your 1st finger lower and your 3rd finger is always 2 frets higher up than your 1st finger.

So here are all the power chords tabbed out:

Root 6

A---2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9---10---11---12----13----14-----------------------------------------------

E---0----1----2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9----10----11----12------------------------------------------------

      E    F    F#   G    G#   A   A#   B   C    C#    D     D#    E

Root 5

D---2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9---10---11---12----13----14-----------------------------------------------

A---0----1----2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9----10----11----12------------------------------------------------

      A    A#   B   C    C#   D    D#  E    F    F#    G     G#     A

Root 4

G---2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9---10---11---12----13----14-----------------------------------------------

D---0----1----2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9----10----11----12------------------------------------------------

      D    D#   E    F    F#   G    G#  A   A#   B     C      C#    D

For these, make sure you are only playing those two strings. Practice playing each of these chords, strum them 4 times each, then slide up to the next chord. Go up and back down for all Root 6, Root 5 and Root 4 power chords. Then, as we did for the major chords in open position, practice moving around from chord to chord. Go from A to B, A to C, A to D, ect. Make sure you go through all the chords like we did with the major and minor chords. This will get you familiar with not only playing the power chords, but their sound as well. 

Remember to practice everyday. Go through the major and minor chord exercises, along with the note exercises and these new power chord exercises. Soon enough you will know enough to play a lot of songs very easily because you will know how to play the chords from those songs.