How to Play Electric Guitar Power Chords

Playing power chords on electric guitar is a favorite technique for both beginners and experienced musicians, especially in the genre of hard rock and heavy metal, where the musical focus is on power rather than melody, or sometimes a play between both. Making power chords on an electric guitar is not difficult, but there are a lot of variations and fun ways to use them to create great songs. Read on to learn how to play electric guitar power chords.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Start with a finger anywhere on the low E string.

2. Add your ring and pinkie fingers two frets above your index finger on the A and D strings (the two strings above the bottom E string).

3. Place your middle finger on the G (fourth) string, on the fret in between the other two you've selected.

4. Use your index finger to mute or bar the other two top strings. To mute them, just let your finger rest against the strings lightly: to bar them, hold your finger down firmly on the fret.

5. Strum all of the strings at once. You should hear a powerful major chord in whatever key your index finger is on.

6. Experiment with sliding your power chord around the guitar fretboard. As a barred chord, the power chord can be played in any key by moving it up and down the neck.

Tips & Warnings

• Try a simpler power chord. Use just your index and ring fingers on the E and A strings, and only hit those two bottom strings with the pick. This will produce a clearer, leaner power chord that you can slide around to form any chords in the chromatic scale.
• Move up to the A string. If you want a greater range, you can use the A string as a base for a higher power chord. The fingering will be slightly different for the full chord, but if you're just doing a "power" two-note chord, use the same positioning: index finger on the A, ring finger two frets above on the G, and only play those two strings.