Power Chord Shapes – E String Root

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Master More Essential Power Chord Shapes

as used by all the great rock & metal bands!

 

If you want to play rock and metal rhythm guitar, then you must know Power Chord shapes. These are chord shapes used by all rock and metal guitarists and classic bands such as Metallica, Guns n’ Roses, AC/DC and much more. Here I’ll show you these chords and how to use them

In this lesson we are going to see:

  • Basic Power Chord shape. We’ll see how to play an F5 Power Chord at the first fret and moving it around the neck to get other chords.
  • Control string noise. you have to be careful with your fingers so you can get the desired sound, mostly when you are using distortion or overdrive pedals.
  • Sharps and Flats

With these chords, you can play almost any metal and rock song. Don’t forget to download my awesome free POWER CHORDS GUIDE With TAB and chord boxes for this and the other Power Chord Lessons!

 

Power Chord Shapes – Learn the Essential Rock and Metal Power Chords used by bands like Metallica, ACDC, Black Sabbath, Guns’n’Roses and more!
Get my awesome free POWER CHORD GUIDE With TAB and chord boxes for this and the other Power Chord Lessons!

 

More Essential Guitar Power Chord Shapes

Power chords are essential knowledge if you want to play rock and metal rhythm guitar, songs and riffs. In this guitar lesson I’ll show you ‘must know’ chord shapes used by all rock and metal guitarists and classic bands such as AC/DC, Guns’n’ Roses, Metallica and more. Plus you’ll learn how you can use these to play ANY power chord!

Here’s a breakdown of what you learn in this video:

0:38 Basic Power Chords Shape

We’ll start by learning how to play an F5 power chord at the 1st fret. Then in a minute we’ll start moving it around the neck to get other chords using the same shape. Notice the two different options for fingering this chord shape.

1:28 Controlling String Noise

Watch your 1st finger position when you play this shape – it should be slightly flat so it mutes off any unwanted strings. This little tip is essential for getting clear and punchy power chords without unwanted string noise!

1:52 The Moveable Power Chord Shape

By moving the shape up the neck it can be used to play any chord you might need. This is all to do with the root note, which is the note you play with your 1st finger on the low E string. Whatever this note becomes as you move the chord shape around determines which chord you are playing. The chords you get are: 1st fret-F5, 3rd fret-G5, 5th fret – A5, 7th fret – B5, 8th fret – C5, 10th fret – D5, 12th fret – E5. Make sure you learn this – very important!

3:05 Alternative Fingering

You can also play the power chord shape without the D string note to get a 2 string power chord shape. These can be used interchangeably with the 3 string version and are basically the same thing. They can also be moved around the neck to get different power chords.

4:20 Sharps and Flats

Make sure you can also play power chords with a sharp(#) or flat (b) root note. These are all played at the frets in between the ones we played the shape at earlier. See the lesson for details and demonstration.

5:15 Chord Connecting Exercise

This simple exercise uses the shape played as A5, C5, F5 and G5.
I’m using the 3 string shape here although you could use the 2 string form if you prefered. Notice how I’m using ‘palm muting’ to gives the chords a more chunky, tighter sound. Lightly rest the flesh of your picking hand on the strings to ‘palm mute’. On the final A5 chord I release the palm muting slightly to let the chord ring out a little more.

 

 



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