Metal Guitar Lessons

What is a power chord?

Definition

A power chord is a root note plus the note a perfect fifth above it, often with the root doubled an octave higher. It's written with a 5, like E5 or A5. It has no third, so it's neither major nor minor.

Why metal is built on them

Distortion adds extra overtones to every note. Play a full major or minor chord with high gain and those overtones clash into mush. A root and fifth stay clear and punchy. Power chords also leave the major-or-minor decision to the melody, which is why the same riff can sound dark or triumphant depending on what goes over it.

The three shapes you need

Root on the low E string (G5 at the 3rd fret), two-note and three-note versions:

   G5  G5 (with octave)
e |----------|
B |----------|
G |----------|
D |------5---|
A |--5---5---|
E |--3---3---|

Root on the A string (C5 at the 3rd fret):

   C5  C5 (with octave)
e |----------|
B |----------|
G |------5---|
D |--5---5---|
A |--3---3---|
E |----------|

Open E5, the most-used chord in metal:

   E5
e |------|
B |------|
G |------|
D |------|
A |--2---|
E |--0---|

Keep the strings you're not playing quiet. Let the underside of your fretting finger lightly touch the string below, and palm mute for chugs. In Drop D, the low-string shape becomes a single finger across all three strings.

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