Playing & Notation Power Chords

Video Transcript

"Here I will talk about a very popular chord, especially in modern rock music, called the power chord. Also sometimes notated as the five chord. We will see that when we get to notating the chord. But first, let us talk about what a power chord is. Essentially, a power chord is a major chord, a one, three, five, without the three. It is just one and five with the octave. If we had just played these two notes together, it would be a diad. So, you need a third note to make it a chord. So, we put the octave in there too. It is a one, five, one. That is essentially what a power chord is. Now, if you are going to notate that, if you see this in guitar tablature or maybe a chord book for a song that you are reading, you are going to see a power chord written as, if we were in the key of C, C five. And, when you see the five by itself, that is a power chord."