Power Chords Plus

Open String Power Chords

There are 4 commonly used open string power chords. They are the E, A, D, and G. I have them tabbed out for you below: 

    E5               A5               D5               G5
       
E-----           E-----           E-----           E-----
B-----           B-----           B--3-- (m)       B-----
G-----           G--2-- (m)       G--2-- (i)       G--0--
D--2-- (m)       D--2-- (i)       D--0--           D--0--
A--2-- (i)       A--0--           A-----           A--X--
E--0--           E-----           E-----           E--3-- (r)
Compare these chords to the full Major chords. The E and A open string power chords are what you used to form the power chords in my first Power Chords Lesson. The D-shaped power chord is also a movable power chord using the same philosophy. I've given you examples below to show you what I mean. 

    D5               E5               G5               A5
       
E-----           E-----           E-----           E-----
B--3-- (m)       B--5-- (p)       B--8-- (p)       B--10- (p)          
G--2-- (i)       G--4-- (r)       G--7-- (r)       G--9-- (r)
D--0--           D--2-- (i)       D--5-- (i)       D--7-- (i)
A-----           A----            A-----           A-----
E-----           E-----           E-----           E-----
You are using the same fingers (i, r, p) as in the first Power Chords Lesson. The only difference is that the pinky moves up one fret to form the chord. It is a pretty easy transition once you have the E/A power chord shape down.

The last open string power chord I showed you was the G5. You probably won't be using it as a movable power chord like you will with the E, A, and D shaped power chords, but it is a good easy chord to know. What you do is place your ring finger on the 3rd fret of the low E string and then lightly touch the A string with that same ring finger to mute it. Play the E, A, D, and G strings to sound out the chord. I must give credit to AC/DC for showing me these power chords and how to play them. They are the masters of the Power Chord.

MONSTER Power Chords

The first "extra" I will be giving you is a MONSTER power chord that I aquired from the band "White Zombie". I'm sure other bands have used it, but this is where I first saw it. Basically where a standard power chord has 2 roots and a 5th, this MONSTER power chord has 2 roots and 2 5ths. Much heavier. Its looks like this: 

    C5                  D5                  E5      
       
E-----              E-----              E-----               
B-----              B-----              B-----               
G--5-- (r)          G--7-- (r)          G--9-- (r)             
D--5-- (r)          D--7-- (r)          D--9-- (r)          
A--3-- (i)          A--5-- (i)          A--7-- (i)          
E--3-- (i)          E--5-- (i)          E--7-- (i)
What you are doing is taking a standard power chord from your A string and then dropping another 5th on the low E. The fingering is a little harder because you have 2 mini bars, but not nearly as taxing as a full bar. It is still managable enough to slide easily.

Dropped D Power Chord

Dropped D tuning is pretty popular because chords are so easy to make, and it gives you a lower bottom. Set your tuner to D and tune the low E (fattest string) to this D. Tune the rest of the strings normally (A, D, G, B, E). A power chord is made by fretting the 3 lower strings (D A D). If you're used to soloing with patterns/scales, this allows you to keep the rest of the 5 strings tuned regular to keep the riffs familiar. This power chord was used extensively in the 90's by bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and many others. Here are a few examples: 

    F5                  G5                  A5      
       
E-----              E-----              E-----               
B-----              B-----              B-----               
G-----              G-----              G-----              
D--3-- (i)          D--5-- (r)          D--7-- (i)          
A--3-- (i)          A--5-- (i)          A--7-- (i)          
D--3-- (i)          D--5-- (i)          D--7-- (i)


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