# Power Chords on Guitar: The Complete Guide
> How to play power chords on guitar — root-6 and root-5 shapes, palm muting, and the 10 songs that define the sound. Includes diagrams for every power chord.
Power chords are the sound of rock guitar. Two notes, played loud, through a
distorted amp — and suddenly you are playing Green Day, Nirvana, AC/DC and
every punk band in between.

They are also the single fastest route from "I own a guitar" to "I can play a
song", because they need no barre, no stretch and no more than two fingers.

## What makes a power chord

A power chord is just a root and a fifth (often with the root doubled an
octave higher). Because it has no third, it is neither major nor minor — that
"neutral" quality is exactly why it sounds enormous under distortion, where
full chords turn to mush.

They are written as "5" chords: E5, A5, C5, G5. A C5 is a C power chord, not a
C with something added.

The practical consequence is bigger than the theory. Because a power chord
carries no major-or-minor information, you can play it over a major chord, a
minor chord, or a progression that changes between them, and it never sounds
wrong. That is why a punk band can play one shape through a whole song that
originally had six chords.

## The two shapes that cover everything

**Root on the low E string (root-6):**
Index on the root, ring finger two frets up on the A string, pinky two frets
up again on the D string. Mute the top three strings with the underside of
your index finger.

**Root on the A string (root-5):**
The same shape moved across one string: index on the A string root, ring on
D, pinky on G, and mute both E strings — the low E with your index tip, the
high E with your fretting-hand meat.

From those two shapes, every power chord on the neck is just a position:

| Fret | Root-6 shape (low E string) | Root-5 shape (A string) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 0 | E5 | A5 |
| 1 | F5 | Bb5 |
| 2 | F#5 | B5 |
| 3 | G5 | C5 |
| 4 | Ab5 | C#5 |
| 5 | A5 | D5 |
| 6 | Bb5 | Eb5 |
| 7 | B5 | E5 |
| 8 | C5 | F5 |
| 9 | C#5 | F#5 |
| 10 | D5 | G5 |
| 11 | Eb5 | Ab5 |
| 12 | E5 | A5 |

Two rows, thirteen frets, every power chord in the key of Western music. The
whole family is also collected on one page at
[power chord shapes](/chords/power-chord-shapes) if you want the diagrams
rather than the table.

## Two notes or three?

The two-note version (root plus fifth, strings 6 and 5) is tighter and clearer.
The three-note version adds the octave of the root on the next string, which
thickens the sound and, on a distorted amp, adds a slight chorus-like shimmer.

Use the three-note version for chord work and the two-note version for fast
riffs. When a riff moves quickly between adjacent frets, dropping the octave
note frees your pinky and speeds everything up.

## The essential techniques

1. **Palm muting.** Rest the edge of your picking hand on the strings near the bridge and dig in with downstrokes. That "chug" is the entire sound of metal rhythm guitar.
2. **Tight fretting.** Keep your fingers arched so the strings you *are* playing ring clean.
3. **Muting discipline.** The strings marked X are half the technique — silence them or the chord loses its punch.
4. **Downstrokes only, at first.** Alternate picking is faster but sounds weaker on a power chord. Most of the classic recorded rhythm parts are all downstrokes, played slightly ahead of the beat.

The muting is the part beginners skip. A power chord played with the unused
strings ringing sounds like noise; the same chord with those strings properly
dead sounds like a record.

## Songs you already know, as power chords

The fastest way to hear what power chords do is to take a song you can already
play and replace every chord with the power chord on the same root. The
progression survives, the harmony gets simpler, and the sound gets heavier:

| Song on this site | Original chords | As power chords |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Zombie](/songs/zombie-chords) | Em, C, G, D | E5, C5, G5, D5 |
| [Knockin' on Heaven's Door](/songs/knockin-on-heavens-door-chords) | G, D, Am, C | G5, D5, A5, C5 |
| [Country Roads](/songs/country-roads-chords) | G, Em, D, C | G5, E5, D5, C5 |
| [Three Little Birds](/songs/three-little-birds-chords) | A, D, E | A5, D5, E5 |
| [Sweet Home Alabama](/songs/sweet-home-alabama-chords) | D, C, G, F | D5, C5, G5, F5 |
| [Wonderwall](/songs/wonderwall-chords) | Em7, G, Dsus4, A7sus4 | E5, G5, D5, A5 |

Zombie is the best of these to try first. The original is four open chords in a
slow minor-key loop, and the power-chord version is four shapes on two strings
that you can play at double the tempo without your hand getting tired.

## The recordings that define the sound

Worth learning by ear once the shapes are automatic:

- **Smells Like Teen Spirit** (Nirvana) — F5, Bb5, Ab5, Db5, one shape slid around
- **Blitzkrieg Bop** (Ramones) — A5, D5, E5, three chords at speed
- **Seven Nation Army** (The White Stripes) — an E5 root riff, famously played on one string
- **Basket Case** (Green Day) — Eb5, Bb5, C5, G5
- **Iron Man** (Black Sabbath) — the riff everyone learns first

## Common mistakes

| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Muffled, dull sound | Index finger lying flat across the strings you are playing | Roll the index onto its side so it only touches the muted strings |
| Ringing strings between chords | Not releasing the previous chord before moving | Lift the fingers a millimetre, then slide |
| Thin sound on a clean amp | Two-note shape with no octave | Add the octave on the third string |
| Sloppy fast riffs | Reaching for the pinky on every note | Use the two-note shape and keep the index anchored |

## Drop D: the riffing shortcut

Tune the low E string down a whole tone to D and the root-6 shape gives you a
one-finger power chord: barre the bottom three strings at the same fret and you
have D5, E5, F5 and so on with a single finger. This is why drop D dominates
modern rock and metal — it turns riffing into a single-finger slide.

It also means the top five strings are now a whole tone lower than your open
chords expect, so retune before switching back to a song in standard tuning.
The [online tuner](/tools/online-guitar-tuner) handles both.

## Where to go next

Power chords are also the fastest path for beginners who want to play songs
today: no barre, no three-finger stretches, just one movable shape and a
sense of rhythm.

Once the two-note shapes feel small, [barre chords](/guides/barre-chords) are
the natural next step — the same movable idea with six strings instead of two.
And if you want to hear every root side by side before you play them,
[power chord shapes](/chords/power-chord-shapes) plays the whole family back to
back.
## FAQ
### What is a power chord on guitar?
A power chord is a two- or three-note chord containing only the root and fifth (plus an octave of the root). It is neither major nor minor, which is why it works over almost any rock or punk progression.
### How do you play a power chord?
Place your index finger on the root note, your ring finger two frets higher on the next string, and optionally your pinky two frets higher again on the string after that. Mute the unused strings with the flat of your index finger.
### What is the easiest power chord?
E5 (0-2-2-x-x-x) is the easiest power chord — two fingers on the same fret with the low E string ringing open underneath.
### Why are power chords called power chords?
The name comes from the loud, focused sound of a root and fifth played through distortion — without a third, the chord has no major/minor colour, so it stays punchy and clear even at high gain.
### Are power chords easier than barre chords?
Yes — power chords use fewer fingers, skip the barre, and only require two or three fretted notes, making them the fastest route to playing rock rhythm guitar.
### Can you play any song with power chords?
Any song whose chords have a clear root can be played with power chords — replace each chord with the power chord on the same root. The harmony gets simpler and the sound gets heavier, which is why punk and metal arrangements do exactly this.
Canonical page: https://openguitarchords.com/guides/power-chords