Power chords

Moving power chords

A free guitar lesson · 5 steps · about 8 minutes

One shape, every chord

Here is the thing that makes power chords so popular: one shape plays all of them. Hold the shape anywhere on the neck and it is a power chord. Which one depends only on which fret your first finger is on.

The shape on the low E string

Finger 1 on the low E string. This note is the root, and it names the chord.
Finger 3 on the A string, two frets higher.
Finger 4 on the D string, also two frets higher.

At the third fret, as here, the root is G, so this is G5. Slide the whole shape up two frets and it is A5. Keep the fingers locked together and move your arm, not your fingers.

The shape on the A string

Move the same shape down onto the A, D and G strings and it works just the same, with the root now on the A string.

At the third fret the A-string root is C, so this is C5. Mute the low E by letting the tip of finger 1 touch it lightly.

Which fret is which chord

Until you learn the notes on the neck in a later lesson, this table is all you need.

Fret	Root on low E	Root on A
1	F5	A#5
3	G5	C5
5	A5	D5
7	B5	E5
8	C5	F5
10	D5	G5
12	E5	A5

A progression

G5, C5 and D5 with the shape moving around the neck

e|--------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------|
G|------------5-5-5-5---7-7-7-7---|
D|--5-5-5-5---5-5-5-5---7-7-7-7---|
A|--5-5-5-5---3-3-3-3---5-5-5-5---|
E|--3-3-3-3-----------------------|
    G5        C5        D5

The C5 and D5 use the A-string shape, so your hand hardly moves between them. Play it with short down-strums, one on every beat, and keep the unused strings quiet.