Posted on 02/10/2024 7:41:05 PM PST by nickcarraway
Few chords possess the ability to encapsulate an entire genre and ethos. Yet, the power chord, with its primal simplicity, stands as a testament to the enduring essence of punk and rock music. Across generations, musicians have wielded this indispensable tool, shaping and propelling the instinctual force that drives the very heart of musical expression.
The origins of the power chord can be traced back to the early days of rock and roll, where guitarists sought to create a louder, more aggressive sound. By simplifying traditional chord structures and focusing on the root note and fifth, musicians discovered a formula that produced a potent, no-nonsense sound.
This stripped-down approach laid the foundation for the power chord’s rise to prominence and its enduring popularity in rock music. Although the power chord dates back to the early twentieth century, they have been integral components of some of the most iconic guitar riffs in history, gracing songs such as ‘Iron Man’ by Black Sabbath, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana, Elvis Presley’s ‘Jailhouse Rock’, The Kinks’ ‘You Really Got Me’, and The Who’s ‘My Generation’.
In the early days, however, the sound wasn’t necessarily used as commercially as it is now. Electric blues guitarists Willie Johnson and Pat Hare have been credited as the true pioneers of the power chord, specifically Johnson’s guitar work on Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘How Many More Years’ and Hare’s contributions to James Cotton’s ‘Cotton Crop Blues’.
What is a power chord?
A power chord is a type of chord commonly used in rock, punk, and other forms of popular music. It is a stripped-down version of a traditional chord and consists only of the root note of the chord and its fifth. Typically, power chords omit the third, which is responsible for whether a chord is major or minor, giving them a neutral, ambiguous sound.
In terms of guitar playing, power chords are played by placing one finger across two or three adjacent strings on the fretboard. They are often played with distortion or overdrive effects, giving them a crunchy, aggressive sound. Power chords are popular because they are easy to play, especially for beginners, and they provide a strong, driving rhythm commonly associated with rock music.
What was the first song to popularise the power chord?
Although the power chord was used much earlier, the style of chord recognised by contemporary electric guitarists gained prominence through Link Wray’s pioneering efforts. Wray expanded upon the distorted electric guitar tones heard in early recordings, notably through his use of speaker cone tearing techniques in his instrumental track ‘Rumble’ released in 1958.
Prior to Wray’s efforts, the earliest documented use of a power chord for guitar in the 20th century can be traced back to the ‘Preludes’ composed by Heitor Villa-Lobos, a prominent Brazilian composer of the early 1900s. Modern musicians predominantly rely on Villa-Lobos’s interpretation to this day.
Are power chords used today?
Power chords are still widely used in contemporary music, particularly in rock, punk, metal, and various other genres that incorporate electric guitar. They continue to be a staple in the repertoire of many guitarists due to their versatility, simplicity, and ability to create a powerful, driving sound.
While music styles and trends evolve over time, power chords remain an essential element in modern guitar playing, and you can hear them in countless songs released today across different genres.
The Who. “I Can See For Miles.” It was nothing *but* power chords, and the song that introduced the sound to an entire generation of aspiring rock guitarists.
I listen to a great deal of music. I listen very closely and have created songs for my own amusement, but I’m not a musician per se. I’ve been a visual artist but not a music man. Maybe I was in a previous life. For now? I am not worthy!
“...power chords are played by placing one finger across two or three adjacent strings on the fretboard.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay I gotta crank my nitpicker up to 11 for a second...
What he’s describing isn’t a power chord. A textbook power chord uses two fingers on adjacent strings spaced a fret apart. This gives you the root note plus the fifth on top.
When you do the one finger trick across two strings like he describes, you’re playing the fifth plus the root on top. So the notes are sort of flipped. The sound is similar but isn’t technically a power chord IMO.
The riff in Smoke On The Water uses this kind of flipped, quasi power chord. The classic mistake is to play it with true power chords — an easy mistake to make because it’ll sound similar, but it won’t be quite right. Rick Beato actually has an episode about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX0IInspcgg
And if you put one finger across three strings then you’ve got the major third involved which is definitely not a power chord. It’s a major triad. An example of this would be the A chord in Rumble by Link Wray.
No wonder I got nowhere trying to learn to play
...But his hair was perfect!
Be careful not to mix scale degrees and chord intervals.
In a chord, the First (or Root) and the Fifth (an interval of a fifth above the Root), are distinct from the scale degrees.
In the Key of C, C is the first scale degree and G is the fifth scale degree but other chords in the scale can be played as power chords. For example, in the key of C, power chords could be played on:
C - (first scale degree) - power chord played as Root C and fifth interval G.
F - (fourth scale degree) - power chord played as Root F and fifth interval C.
G - (fifth scale degree) - power chord played as Root G and fifth interval D.
and so on...
And referenced here:
https://www.guitarworld.com/features/link-wray-rumble-legacy
It's never too late to start it back up.
I highly recommend 'Theory Notebook Complete' by John Brimhall for those not studying Music Theory as part of a full curriculum and even for those who are studying music theory in school.
https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Notebook-Complete-John-Brimhall/dp/158560755X
The Berklee Music Theory books are also good.
https://www.amazon.com/Berklee-Music-Theory-Book-1/dp/0876391102/ref=sr_1_1?crid=COSWOCCYGFT5&keywords=berklee+music+theory&qid=1707632266&s=books&sprefix=berklee+theory%2Cstripbooks%2C88&sr=1-1
Simplest explanation.
Doe Ray Me Fa Sew La Tea Doe
Doe being the First.
Sew being the Fith.
Play both notes cranked on 11 and you have a power cord.
That's true if the guitar is tuned to standard tuning. For alternate tuning, especially for open-string tuning for slide guitar, since it's tuned to fifths, the Root would be on the "E" string and the Fifth would be on the same fret on the "A" string.
For example, a Power Chord with standard Tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E) at the fifth fret would be:
A D G C E A
A# D# G# C# F A#
B E A D G B
...but with Open or Slide tuning such as Open D (D-A-D-F#-A-D) the same A power chord would be played on the 7th fret of both the "E" and the "A" strings.
G D G B D G
G# D# G# C D# G#
A E A C# E A
Keith Richards in particular like to drop the E string to a D and his power chords were on the same fret across adjacent strings.
(three chord rock&roll...)
Also known as a 1-4-5 progression, and usually with a relative minor chord 🎵🎵🎶🎶🎶🎵🎶
🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
A substantial number of songs are built around this, in various forms
True you can do one finger power chords if you use non-standard tuning but that’s a special case. I don’t think that’s what the writer is talking about.
Keith Richards is known for using open G tuning on certain songs and removing the low E string altogether. That is, he plays with only 5 strings.
Drop D tuning where you lower the E string a step lets you do one finger power chords, but I don’t think Keith Richards is known for doing that. Do you know a song where he uses drop D?
Of course, it’s not a chord at all since it’s only two notes. It’s an interval.
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