Electric Guitar Power Chord Chart
Movable root-and-fifth shapes · 6th, 5th and 4th string roots · the engine of every rock riff
How to play
- A power chord is only two notes: the root and the 5th (often with the root doubled an octave up, making three). It is written C5, G5 and so on — the 5 tells you there is no 3rd.
- No 3rd means it is neither major nor minor. That is exactly why it works on an electric guitar with distortion: a full major or minor chord turns to mush through a high-gain amp because the overtones clash, while a bare root-and-fifth stays clean and enormous.
- The shape is movable — no open strings, so slide it anywhere and the chord simply renames itself to whatever note the root lands on. Learn one shape and you have all twelve.
- Palm muting is half the sound: rest the edge of your picking hand lightly on the strings right where they leave the bridge, and the chord turns into a tight percussive chug. Lift off for the big open ring.
- Tip — in drop D tuning the bottom two strings are a perfect 5th apart, so a power chord becomes a single finger laid flat across them. That is why so much heavy music is written in drop tunings.
- A power chord (written with a 5, e.g. G5) is just the root + 5th — no third, so it's neither major nor minor. That's why it sits so well under distortion.
- Pick the root string (6th or 5th), the fret, and whether to add the octave (3-note shape). The gold dot is the root; red dots are the fifth and octave.
- The shape never changes — slide it up a fret for a chord a semitone higher. That's the whole trick.
- Play sounds the chord with a bit of grit. Vol sets volume. Keyboard: Tab + Enter/Space.
This is an interactive chart of electric guitar power chords. Select from two- or three-note voicings, pick a fret then the root string. The diagram will update each time as well as you hearing it played back with simulated distorted sound. It’s made to be quickly experimented with, controlled entirey via your mouse/trackpad.
In this case, controls at top of page control the chord structure. By selecting the root string, you select either the A string or lowest E string. This adjust where the shape starts from. Then there is option of just a root and a fifth interval (the basic version) or adding an octave doubling above this. These are two most commonly used shapes in rock music and the octave addition makes chord sound fuller and wider.
How to Use the Power Chord Tool
The fret selector is below the string selection. By clicking on a number between zero and nine you’ll jump the chord shape up the neck of guitar. A lower number takes it nearer to the nut (open strings) while a higher number will take it further up the neck. As you click on a number the diagram update to display which fingers should be placed where. You can see that the root note is highlight by gold dot. The optionals include the fifth and an octave which are marked in red.
The main area displays the chord diagram and the note information. The play button let you hear how the chord sounds; there’s some grit added to make it sound like it is coming from a amp connected to an electric guitar. Use volume slider to the right of the play button to control the playing level. This is useful if you’re sharing the room with someone else and don’t want it too loud.
The guide also gives tips for using drop D tuning. It teaches you some palm muting techniques and explains how power chord works well when distorted. If you’re interested in a more focused view, there’s the fullscreen button that takes up more of your screen giving you additional space for the diagram and controls. On a smaller screen this can be nice, but even just wanting a clean view can benefit off it.
There’s also help button that you can click to expand a guide.
Slide this shape along the guitar neck and listen as the pitch go up one note for every fret. Compare which set of root strings sounds best than you, then add the octave and notice how it makes chord sound wider and fuller. There are endless possibilities, so try different things until you find something that works for you.
The widget will react instantaly to any changes you make. It’s a rapid-fire method of hearing and visualising variations on a power chord. It doesn’t require you have a guitar available to tinker with these shapes either. Try them out as you learn to place fingers and get an idea for moving around chords.
Enjoy exploring the different ways to play them when you have time and let me know what you think they sound like by trying them out for yourself right now.