| Component intervals fromroot | |
|---|---|
| perfect fifth | |
| root | |
| Tuning | |
| 2:3:4 |
Apower chordPlayⓘ, also called afifth chord, is acolloquial name for achord on guitar, especially onelectric guitar, that consists of theroot note and thefifth, as well as possiblyoctaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly played with anamp with intentionally addeddistortion or overdriveeffects. Power chords are a key element of many styles ofrock,[1] especiallyheavy metal andpunk rock.
When two or more notes are played through adistortion process thatnon-linearly transforms the audio signal, additionalpartials are generated at the sums and differences of thefrequencies of theharmonics of those notes (intermodulation distortion).[2] When a typicalchord containing such intervals (for example, amajor orminor chord) is played through distortion, the number of different frequencies generated, and the complex ratios between them, can make the resulting soundmessy and indistinct.[3] This effect is accentuated as most guitars are tuned based onequal temperament, with the result that minor thirds are narrower, and major thirds wider, than they would be injust intonation.
However, in apower chord, the ratio between the frequencies of the root and fifth are very close to thejustinterval 3:2. When played through distortion, the intermodulation leads to the production of partials closely related in frequency to the harmonics of the original two notes, producing a more coherent sound. The intermodulation makes thespectrum of the sound expand in both directions, and with enough distortion, a newfundamental frequency component appears an octave lower than the root note of the chord played without distortion, giving a richer, morebassy and more subjectively "powerful" sound than the undistorted signal.[4] Even when played without distortion, the simple ratios between theharmonics in the notes of a power chord can give a stark and powerful sound, owing to theresultant tone (combination tone) effect. Power chords also have the advantage of being relatively easy to play(see§ Fingering), allowing fast chord changes and easy incorporation intomelodies andriffs.
Theorists are divided on whether a power chord can be considered achord in the traditional sense, with some requiring a "chord" to contain a minimum of three degrees of the scale. When the same interval is found intraditional andclassical music, it would not usually be called a "chord", and may be considered adyad (separated by aninterval). However, the term is accepted as a pop and rock music term, most strongly associated with the overdriven electric guitar styles ofhard rock,heavy metal,punk rock, and similar genres. The use of the term "power chord" has, to some extent, spilled over into the vocabulary of other instrumentalists, such askeyboard andsynthesizer players.
Power chords are most commonly notated5 or(no 3). For example, "C5" or "C(no 3)" refer to playing the root (C) and fifth (G). These can beinverted, so that the G is played below the C (making an interval of a fourth). They can also be played with octave doublings of the root or fifth note, which makes a sound that is subjectively higher pitched with less power in the low frequencies, but still retains the character of a power chord.
Another notation isind, designating the chord as "indeterminate".[5] This refers to the fact that a power chord is neither major nor minor, as there is no third present. This gives the power chord achameleon-like property; if played where a major chord might be expected, it can sound like a major chord, but when played where a minor chord might be expected, it can sound minor.
The first written instance of a power chord for guitar in the 20th century is to be found in the "Preludes" ofHeitor Villa-Lobos, a Brazilian composer of the early twentieth century. Although classical guitar composerFrancisco Tárrega used it before him, modern musicians use Villa-Lobos's version to this day. Power chords' use in rock music can be traced back to commercial recordings in the 1950s.Robert Palmer pointed toelectric blues guitaristsWillie Johnson andPat Hare, both of whom played forSun Records in the early 1950s, as the true originators of the power chord, citing as evidence Johnson's playing onHowlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years" (recorded 1951) and Hare's playing onJames Cotton's "Cotton Crop Blues" (recorded 1954).[6]Scotty Moore openedElvis Presley's 1957 hit "Jailhouse Rock" with power chords.[7] The "power chord" as known to modern electric guitarists was popularized first byLink Wray, who built on the distorted electric guitar sound of early records and by tearing the speaker cone in his 1958 instrumental "Rumble."
A laterhit song built around power chords was "You Really Got Me" bythe Kinks, released in1964.[8] This song'sriffs exhibit fast power-chord changes.The Who's guitarist,Pete Townshend, performed power chords with a theatrical windmill-strum,[9][10] for example in "My Generation".[11] OnKing Crimson'sRed album,Robert Fripp thrashed with power chords.[12] Power chords are important in many forms ofpunk rock music, popularized in the genre byRamones guitaristJohnny Ramone. Many punk guitarists used only power chords in their songs, most notablyBillie Joe Armstrong andDoyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein.
Power chords are often performed within a single octave, as this results in the closest matching of overtones. Octave doubling is sometimes done in power chords. Power chords are oftenpitched in a middle register.
Shown above are four examples of an F5 chord. The letter names above the chords only indicate which different voicing is being used, and should not be conflated with the chord names typically used in popular music (e.g., C Major, B minor, etc.) A common voicing is the 1–5 perfect fifth (A), to which the octave can be added, 1-5-1 (B). A perfect fourth 5-1 (C) is also a power chord, as it implies the "missing" lower 1 pitch. Either or both of the pitches may be doubled an octave above or below (D is 5-1-5-1), which leads to another common variation, 5-1-5 (not shown).
Thespider chord is aguitar technique popularized during the 1980sthrash metal scene. Regarded as being popularized and named byDave Mustaine ofMegadeth, it is used to reducestring noise when playing (mostlychromatic)riffs that require chords across severalstrings. Thechord or technique is used in the songs "Wake Up Dead", "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due", and "Ride the Lightning".[13]
D5 Bb5e|-------|B|-------|G|-------|D|-7-----|A|-5--8--|E|----6--| 3 < 1 4 <--Spider chord fingering 2 <
As seen in the abovetab, the two power chords may be played in succession withoutshifting, making it easier and quicker,[13] and thus avoiding string noise. The normalfingering would be for both chords, requiring a simultaneous shift andstring change. Note that the two power chords are amajor third apart: if the first chord is thetonic the second is the minorsubmediant. The spider chord fingering also allows access to amajor seventh chord without thethird:[13]
AM7e|------|B|------|G|------|D|--6---|A|--7---|E|--5---| 3 4 2
The spider chord requires the player to use all four fingers of the fretting hand, thus its name. This technique then allows one to run down theneck playing either of the two chords.[13]
Perhaps the most common implementation is 1-5-1', that is, the root note, a note a fifth above the root, and a note an octave above the root. When the strings are a fourth apart, especially the lower four strings instandard tuning, the lowest note is played with some fret on some string and the higher two notes are two frets higher on the next two strings. Using standard tuning, notes on the first or second string must be played one fret higher than this. (Abare fifth without octave doubling is the same, except that the highest of the three strings, in brackets below, is not played. A bare fifth with the bass note on the second string has the samefingering as one on the fifth or sixth string.)
G5A5D5E5G5A5D5A5E||----------------------------------------------(10)---(5)----|B||--------------------------------(8)----(10)----10-----5-----|G||------------------(7)----(9)-----7------9------7------2-----|D||----(5)----(7)-----7------9------5------7-------------------|A||-----5------7------5------7---------------------------------|E||-----3------5-----------------------------------------------|
An inverted barre fifth, i.e. a barre fourth, can be played with one finger, as in the example below, from the riff in "Smoke on the Water" byDeep Purple:
G5/DBb5/FC5/GG5/DBb5/FDb5/AbC5/GE||------------------------|----------------------|B||------------------------|----------------------|G||*-----3-—5--------------|-----3-—6---5---------|D||*--5—-3--5--------------|---5—3--6—--5---------|A||---5--------------------|---5------------------|E||------------------------|----------------------|
|-----------------------|---------------------|||-----------------------|---------------------|||------3—-5--3—--0------|--------------------*|||---5—-3--5-—3---0------|--------------------*|||---5-------------------|---------------------|||-----------------------|---------------------||
Another implementation used is 5-1'-5', that is, a note a fourth below the root, the root note, and a note a fifth above the root. (This is sometimes called a "fourth chord", but usually the second note is taken as the root, although it's not the lowest one.) When the strings are a fourth apart, the lower two notes are played with some fret on some two strings and the highest note is two frets higher on the next string. Of course, using standard tuning, notes on the first or second string must be played one fret higher.
D5E5G5A5D5A5D5G5E||-----------------------------------------------5------10----|B||---------------------------------10-----5------3------8-----|G||-------------------7------9------7------2-----(2)----(7)----|D||-----7------9------5------7-----(7)----(2)------------------|A||-----5------7-----(5)----(7)--------------------------------|E||----(5)----(7)----------------------------------------------|
With thedrop D tuning—or any other dropped tuning for that matter—power chords with the bass on the sixth string can be played with one finger, and D power chords can be played on three open strings.
D5E5E||----------------B||----------------G||----------------D||--0-------2-----A||--0-------2-----D||--0-------2-----
Occasionally, open, "stacked" power chords with more than three notes are used indrop D.
E||--------------------------5---B||--3-------5-------7-------3---G||--2-------4-------6-------2---D||--0-------2-------4-------0---A||--0-------2-------4-------0---D||--0-------2-------4-------0---
