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Check out the video on power chords HERE if you need a (way) better explanation after viewing the lesson

What is a power chord and where is it used the most? A power chord is simply a two note chord made from the 1st and 5th notes of the major scale. It is most commonly used in rock and metal and is most often, though not always, played with distortion.

In order to know what chord you are playing you need to know the root note (the first, and in this case lowest note) because this determines what the name of the power chord will be.

Lets just use 'A' power chord as an example, which looks like this:

If you need help with how to read tablature (the lines below with numbers on it, go here)

|----------------------------------------------------------|e
|----------------------------------------------------------|B
|----------------------------------------------------------|G
|----------------------------------------------------------|D
|7---------------------------------------------------------|A
|5---------------------------------------------------------|E (low)

You will fret the 5th fret on the low E (fattest) string, and then fret the 7th fret on the A (2nd fattest) string and play (strum) them at the same time.

Finding Notes on the fret board

From lowest (fattest) to highest (skinniest), the notes of the strings when no frets are fretted (called "open" strings) are:

(low) E, A, D G, B, and E (skinniest string)

Once you know the notes of each string it is fairly easy to find all of the notes anywhere on the fret board by using this handy little layout of all of the notes in their proper order.

b=flat, #=sharp

Ab - A - Bb - B - C - Db - D - Eb - E - F - F# - G (repeat)

 ::Enharmonic equivalents - Ab is also called G#, Bb=A#, Db=C#, Eb=D#, F#=Gb (you'll come across this in the future)

So we know that the lowest string is 'E' and we want to find which fret 'A' is on. All we have to do is count up starting with E  and stopping on the fret that 'A' is on. Looks like this:

E - F - F# - G - Ab - A
0  1  2   3   4   5

So we know that A is on the 5th fret, E string. Simple huh?

Just memorize this and you got it made.

Here's another example:

Which fret on the B string does 'E' fall on?

Start from 'B' : B - C - Db - D - Eb - E, count up from B and... 'E' on the B string is located at the 5th fret.

Simple really.

NOTE - Remember that when counting up from an open string it is marked as a 0 because you aren't actually on a fret.

OK, so how do you play a power chord?

Now that you know how to tell which chord you are playing, power chords are a piece of cake. Your basic 2 note power chord keeps the same formation as you move around the fret board as long as you are playing on the 4 lowest strings (E, A, D, G)- The B string is the 'Oddball" string and doesn't work this way, but that's okay because you can make every power chord with the first 4 strings.

The power chord formation looks like this, imagine below is the fret board:

|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|------|------|----|e
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|------|------|----|B
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|------|------|----|G
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|------|------|----|D
|-------|-------|---X---|-------|-------|------|------|------|----|A
|---X---|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|------|------|----|E (fattest string)

The X's represent where your fingers would go. Notice that from the root (lowest) note, in this case is on the Low E,  you simply move down one string and over one fret. That's it! You now know how to make a basic two note power chord.

Check out the video on power chords HERE if you need a (way) better explanation.

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