The Power Chord Has Been Unplugged!

From beginner to professional, there is but one single chord that every guitarist knows.  It's not a G, C or a D.  No... it's the all-wonderful, yet not-so-wonderful, great and mighty Power Chord!  It's neither Major nor Minor, and in fact, it technically isn't even a legitimate chord!  Yet, it's over-use abounds, and has made many wanna-be rock star guitarists seem closer to their goal than where they really are.

For your average bear playing in a bar band, the sound of someone calling out "E Flat Minor" would be a cue for the guitarist to stop playing momentarily until the next "normal" chord came around.  It's at this moment when the guitarist puts on his rock star and gives a flashy show of some sort, covering for the fact that he has no clue how to play an E Flat Minor.  "E Flat..." he thinks.  "Hmmmm... my strings only go down to E...".

Although there is a place for the Power Chord, I have found that too many guitarists have used this simple beginner chord as a crutch.  So, how does one move beyond the mighty clenches of the Power Chord?  Simple!

First, let's realize that there are only 12 Major Chords.  For a guitarist, all 12 Major Chords can be played using the same fingering, yet most bar players haven't realized this yet.  Second, let's realize that there are only 12 Minor Chords.  They too can all be played using the same fingering.  So, if there are only 12 of each, how is it that a guitarist that has played for years doesn't know his basic chords?!  It's because of the crutch called the Power Chord!

It's time to officially unplug the Power Chord!  The most direct way to move beyond the Power Chord is to learn your barre chords.  You can find these all over the internet if you are not familiar with them.  Do yourself and those you play with a big favor and get them down.  There are only two fingerings you will need to learn in order to effectively play all 12 Major and Minor chords.  You will also find that those pesky chords like the E Flat Chord are suddenly an easy task to play!  With very little time and effort, you will be rewarded with the ability to play far better and with more versatility and confidence.

So why is the Power Chord not REALLY a chord after all???  Here's why... it takes three different notes to make a chord.  A Power Chord is made only of two different notes (even if played using three strings).  The first note in a Power Chord is the root note, or the note that the chord is named after.  The second note in a Power Chord is the 5th above the root, also known as the Perfect 5th.  If the Power Chord is played using three strings, the third string is simply an octave of the root note, thus only giving two different notes.

So a Power Chord is made of the root, or the ONE, and the FIFTH.  In order for it to be a true chord, it also needs the THIRD.  These notes come from the Major or Minor scale.  If you take a scale and play only the First, Third and Fifth notes, you have officially made a CHORD!  Two notes are an "interval", not a chord.

So power on ahead, my fellow rock stars!  But do so with more than just a tired Power Chord in your bag!