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Find chord shapes
Find chord shapes
"Power Chords" are chords chords without thirds. As said in the relative minor lesson, the difference between major and minor is that major has a major third and minor has a minor third. When power chords have no thirds, it means that they are neither major nor minor. Strictly speaking, they are not really chords, only intervals of fifths, and that is why I call this little lesson "Power of 5". But the term "power chord" is accepted, and I will use it.
Power chords is a result of heavy distorted guitar. Try to play a major or minor chord on a guitar with distortion at some volume, and you will hear that they do not sound well. The power chords do. At the other end of the spectrum, you can hear the same chord giving a more fragile harmonic basis for folk music of various kind. The droning sound of a Scottish bagpipe is a "power chord", but it does not give us associations to hard rock.?
Power chords might be used in any progression, and as they are neither major nor minor, they might substitute both major and minor chords. This means that I will not give any specific progressions in this lesson, only a few examples of power chords.
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