Power Chords Guitar Lesson
Power Chords
Many popular rock songs use power chords extensively. David explains how power chords are formed and provides you with their basic fretboard shapes.
Taught by David MacKenzie in Basic Electric Guitar seriesLength: 10:12Difficulty: 1.0 of 5
What is a Power Chord?
The term "power chord" is slightly misleading. By definition, a chord is three distinct notes played simultaneously. A power chord only contains two notes.
The two notes in a power chord are the root and the fifth. Often, the root and the fifth are doubled an octave higher to produce a fuller sounding chord. Power chords are ambiguous in quality. They are neither major nor minor. This is due to the lack of the third chord degree. The third of the chord determines whether the chord is major or minor in quality.
The lack of the third helps when playing with a heavily distorted tone. Full major and minor chords have a tendency to sound muddy and undefined when playing with a high gain sound. In contrast, power chords produce a clean, aggressive sound that is very popular in punk, metal and many other genres that rely heavily on distortion.
Writing Power Chords
Power chords are written with the root note of the chord followed by the number "5." For example a D power chord is written in a musical score as "D5."
The E5 Chord
The first power chord presented in the lesson is E5. Simply place your first finger on the 2nd fret of the A string and play the open E (6th) string. Strum only these two notes. Do not accidentally hit any of the other strings. Notice that this is the E5 chord, and the first note we play is the open E string.
The A5 Chord
The second chord Dave demonstrates is the A5 power chord. The visual fretboard shape of this chord is quite similar to E5. Take your first finger and place it on the 2nd fret of the D string (or 4th string). This power chord only uses two strings - the open A and the 2nd fret on the D string. Simply strum these two notes. Notice the rich, powerful sound that comes out of your guitar with the distortion cranked up.
Practice playing this chord until you have the position memorized before moving on.
The D5 Chord
Up next is the D5 chord. As Dave explains, this chord is fingered by moving your finger down to the second fret of the G string. This leaves the D string open. Play only the G and D strings and these two notes will give you a D5 power chord.
Are you noticing a pattern yet? We are simply going down the neck of the guitar each time. The open string note names the power chord.
The G5 Chord
The G5 power chord is a bit different from the others. Instead of placing your finger on the 2nd fret, you will place it on the 3rd. This chord is fingered by playing the open G String (names the chord) and the D note located at the 3rd fret of the B string. The next chord will move back to the second fret, so remember, G5 on the 3rd fret, the rest on the second.
The B5 Chord
One of the last power chords for today's lesson is B5. To play B5, simply finger the 2nd fret of the high E, or first string and play the open B string.
Open Power Chords
The chords that were taught above are frequently referred to as "open" power chords since they each contain an open string. They are not necessarily used as much as the closed position power chord, which is discussed next. However, they are very useful to know and easy to play.
Closed Position ChordsThe closed position power chord is called "closed position" because it does not use any open strings. The major advantage of using a closed position power chord is that it can be moved up and down the entire fretboard. For instance, the G5 closed position power chord starts on the 3rd fret. If you move it up to the fourth fret, you now have a G#5 Power chord.
The G5 Power Chord
This is the G5 power chord. As you can see, it is played in a closed position, because it uses no open strings. To play this chord, simply place your first finger on the 3rd fret of the low E or 6th string, and place your thirdrd finger on the 5th fret of the A (5th) string. Play the two strings that you have fretted. As mentioned above, this chord can be moved up and down the neck, with each fret creating a new power chord. Try experimenting with this concept. Move the chord shape to the 8th fret, the 6th, then up to the 12th and see how things sound. This demonstrates the power of closed shapes, and why they are used so often.
Have Fun!
This has been a very short lesson that contains much information. Do not worry if you do not yet fully understand what a power chord is, or how it is used. Simply play around with the chord shapes in this lesson and have some fun. See how things sound and feel. Playing around on your guitar is just as important as learning and playing exercises. David will explain more about what chords are in future lessons. He covers how they can be used in a practical musical context.
Supplemental Learning Material
Basic Electric Guitar
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsIn his Phase 1 series, David MacKenzie will walk you through the basics of rock guitar.
Lesson 1
About the Guitar
David discusses the parts of the guitar. He also gives you some basic techniques to get you started.
Length: 31:00 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Power Chords
In this lesson, David introduces basic power chords. Great fun for beginners!
Length: 10:12 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Basic Chord Progressions
David introduces some basic chords and chord progressions.
Length: 14:15 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Notes, Chords and Arpeggios
David provides a brief explanation of what notes, chords, power chords, and arpeggios are.
Length: 8:12 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Speed and Coordination
This lesson is all about increasing your speed and coordination. David demonstrates basic picking exercises.
Length: 14:12 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Chord Exercises
David MacKenzie presents a mysterious sounding chord exercise. This exerices is designed to improve right hand technique.
Length: 9:12 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Practice and Discipline
In this short lesson David talks about practice, discipline, and how you should apply yourself when learning and mastering the guitar.
Length: 6:00 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Double Stops
Double stops can bring new life to your rhythm and lead playing. David provides a short tutorial on what double stops are and how they can be used.
Length: 7:12 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
The Major Chords
David covers the basic major chord shapes. Every guitarist must learn these basic chords.
Length: 18:29 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
The Minor Chords
David MacKenzie walks you through the basic minor chords. Expand your knowledge of chords with this fun-filled lesson.
Length: 8:15 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Major Scales
Major scales are an essential component of all styles of music. They can also be used as a great way to orient yourself with the fretboard.
Length: 32:12 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Major Scale Jam
David MacKenzie explains how to practice the major scales along with a fun backing track.
Length: 11:10 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
The Minor Scales
David MacKenzie proceeds to an in-depth discussion of the minor scales.
Length: 15:36 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Scale Jam
David MacKenzie shows you how to play the natural minor scale over a rockin' JamTrack.
Length: 6:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
One String Exercise
David demonstrates an excellent one-string exercise in this lesson. This exercise will improve your dexterity and knowledge of the fretboard.
Length: 16:48 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs
Hammer-ons and pull-offs are techniques that enable you to play with a smooth, legato feel.
Length: 8:27 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Basic Bends
David MacKenzie gives a crash course on bending in this lesson. Bends can add a lot of soul to your playing.
Length: 16:12 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Cool Rock Licks
David MacKenzie teaches two rock licks inspired by Yngwie Malmsteen and Kirk Hammett of Metallica.
Length: 12:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Hammer-On Exercise
David returns to the world of hammer-ons with a fun new exercise. This lesson includes a JamTrack.
Length: 13:56 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Return to Pull-Offs
David returns to the world of pull-offs with a new exercise. This lesson includes a backing track.
Length: 12:50 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Practicing Bends
David MacKenzie returns to bending technique in this lesson. This lesson features a backing track that is designed for bending practice.
Length: 12:18 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Basic Vibrato
Integrating vibrato into your guitar playing is a great way to add emotion and soul. David MacKenzie explains the basics of vibrato in this lesson.
Length: 9:12 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Pentatonic Scale
David MacKenzie introduces the pentatonic scale.
Length: 5:48 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Pentatonic Scale
David MacKenzie introduces the minor pentatonic scale in this lesson.
Length: 4:38 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Full Major Scale
David MacKenzie explains a two octave pattern of the major scale.
Length: 11:31 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Full Minor Scale
David MacKenzie introduces a two octave natural minor scale pattern.
Length: 12:20 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Full Major Pentatonic Scale
David teaches a two octave pattern of the major pentatonic scale.
Length: 6:30 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Full Minor Pentatonic Scale
David MacKenzie teaches a two octave version of the minor pentatonic scale.
Length: 9:20 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Cool Lick
David MacKenzie teaches several licks based on common arpeggio patterns. This lesson also includes a backing track to jam with.
Length: 20:40 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Rhythm Basics
David MacKenzie introduces some important rhythm basics in this lesson. This lesson also includes a backing track exercise.
Length: 14:55 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Power Chord Variations
David MacKenzie explains various power chord voicings. By simply moving a finger or two, new power chords can be formed.
Length: 18:43 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Cool Lick Exercise
David MacKenzie introduces some new amazing licks.
Length: 29:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Tapping Exercise
David MacKenzie introduces the tapping technique and teaches a fun exercise. This lesson includes a backing track.
Length: 22:44 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Tapping Exercise #2
David MacKenzie teaches another amazing tapping exercise.
Length: 13:07 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Tapping #3: Adding Open Strings
The third tapping lesson elaborates on the previous lesson by adding open strings.
Length: 12:59 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Tapping #4: Diminished Lick
The fourth lesson in Dave's tapping series deals with a monster diminished lick.
Length: 11:02 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Tapping #5
In lesson five of his tapping mini-series, DMac provides backing tracks that you can tap over.
Length: 8:04 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Tremolo Technique
In lesson 38, DMac demonstrates some tremolo techniques to add to your repertoire.
Length: 13:54 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Tapping #6
DMac returns to his tapping instruction with more advanced techniques.
Length: 19:54 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Chord Structures
In lesson 40, DMac teaches you how to play various D chords all the way up the neck.
Length: 9:20 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Octaves
In lesson 41, David discusses the octave and its uses while playing.
Length: 17:09 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
About David MacKenzie
View Full Biography
Dave MacKenzie has been playing guitar for 30 of his 45 years on this earth. Starting back when he was 14 years old, Dave picked up the guitar and started to learn from his oldest brother, who had played some guitar as well. Dave was hooked, and couldn't learn fast enough! Everything from the Beatles, Chicago, Ted Nugent, The Eagles, you name it, Dave was trying to play it.
Then as with a lot of players out there, Eddie Van Halen came along and changed the way guitar was played! Dave has been influenced by anyone he has heard play guitar, literally! Always keeping an open mind and a humbleness about him has helped him to keep learning new things on, and about the guitar.
Dave has mostly played in top 40 rock, country, and pop bands. He is most recently playing guitar and keyboards in a 80's metal band called Open Fire. They have opened for Warrant, Firehouse, Winger, and LA Guns
within the 3 and a half years they have been together, and are now jumping into original music.
Dave believes you should have internal motivation, and passion to play guitar, and most definitely, it should be fun!
As with his playing, Dave will find new ways to show you how to get the most out of your time learning guitar!
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.could you slow down the Megadeath riff
Could you slow down the lick you play on this. I would like to practice it. I been playing a five months with a private instructor and I can't play that so hmm
Thanks for explaining the 5th note in the scale thing, that actually makes a lot of sense :)
Hi David, Absolute newbie here, I'm going to rest up at this point and practice, 'til I can do it easily, or until I get bored of repetition. Its the finger exercises I need to crack, going up easier than down. No idea why ???. Thanks for your time, bear with me.
What kind of amp do you have?
Hi Dave, What are you using for gear in this lesson to get that great sounding distortion?
that was jeff's little Marshall amp. just a little MG series i think? that was a while ago.
that flat black and gold guitar is gorgeous! What kind is it? I see a Ltd at the headstock.
I want to practice more but my finger say another thing. Is there anything you can use to put on your fingers so when I am practicing chords' will allow you to keep practicing with less pain.
Yah, you're building up your calluses! In a month, they won't bother you at all.
Well, I wanted to practice so I was searching the site and came to another teacher and it pertain to callus. So basically what I did for practice was do my scales. What a great site JamPlay is......
Hi Dave, im ok with all this lesson except i think im missing something fundamental to my understanding. You say the power chords are based on a scale. I just don't follow that part. Is this theory explained elsewhere or can you give me a little more as to what this means ?
Dave calls them 5 cords, when I prefer to call them 'fifth' cords... You play the root note and the 'fifth' note of the scale. The low E5 power chord is the E open string, plus the 5th note of its scale, which is the 2nd fret on 5th string (the note is B). So, a 7th chord plays the 7th note of the root note scale.
Good lesson. There wasn't anything in the supplemental for the two and three finger power cords to print out. Could you include these?
Great lesson. Now I'll go for the 3rd =)
I am so glad I got this and I find it easy to understand I just wanted to say thanks for making what I thought was hard very simple for me
I thought its necessary to mute the lower E string with the left thumb if i play the open A5 chord ? If i dont do this , i think i would get more noisyer. Can you please explain ?
It's not necessary as long as you don't hit the open E string.
For B5, if We are using the 5th why it falls in F# ?
Hi Dave...anywhere I can see the two and three finger power chords...it is hard to tell in the lesson where the placement might be..I got the 1 finger ones but not the 2 or three down...though I know I have played them just like to see...if possible..by the way your lessons are great!
I forgot, I really like yor lessons! :)
Hi Dave, I saw that you, like other guitarists I have seen, use the 1st and 4th fingers for 2 finger Power chords often. Does it have any advantages for you? or is there not much to say about it? Thank you.
I'm struggling with the 3 finger power chord.....And there are not any supplements to print to show me those directions!!! HELP!!! Please
Dave, I'm having some difficulty with reaching the 3rd note on a 3-note chord. Any suggestions ?
Or even any Power Chord practice Jam that sounds cool that utilises the various Power Chords. Thank You, Rob
Hey David, great lesson! Don't know if anyone has asked this but could you teach us that Jam your rockin in the begining of the lesson for a practice jam? Thanks in advance, Rob
My issue is that i can still hear too clearly that i am actually hitting two strings. Some delay effect on THE amp helps but i can not get good distortion from my little Roland cube. I guess THE distortion takes away that two string sound split ?
hard to tell without being right there to hear it myself. but tubeless, or smaller amps of the modeling kind do lack some warmth, and you get crappy distortion sometimes. do work on your finger approach like jeff said though. that touch is important.
this may be totally off, but are you really ramming the strings extremely hard? Even though you want the power chord and a metal feel striking the strings on a power chord should be pretty gentle in order to get a nice, smooth sound. Again maybe that's not your issue but that's my experience so far.
Hmm, could be right. Maybe the name 'power cord' makes me do that. Will try, thanks.
I think I might be fretting the notes too tightly. When I change chords I get this weird sound as I drag my fingers across the strings. Am I supposed to take my fingers off the strings completely as I change from chord to chord? I imagine this takes a lot of practice to develop a technique? Any tips? Overall I like your lesssons - I just wish your lesson on closed power chords was a bit slower. You went too fast for me.
you probably do need to use a lighter touch on the fretboard. it does require some time and repeatitions to get the hang of it. keep at it. you can let off the fretting hand and lightly use your picking hand to mute strings ever so lightly to amke the changes.
i still dont get the power cordes is theres another section like i can do the 1 finger cords but after the 2 finger cords i didnt understand how to do it
this is probley a real dumb question, but i just pick up a guitar 4 days ago. i turn my overdrive button on my amp on and it dont sound anything like urs. should i be useing a pedal to get that kind of distortiom. thanks
try to add gain lol
turn your drive knob all the way up.also it could be the amp itself.some blues amps have more of a crunch than a distortion
I'm having trouble reaching the different frets with my fingers. How do I work on stretching out my hand so I can reach the frets. Also it seems like my fingers are too fat and I'm touching the strings next to the one I"m supposed to have my finger on and the string doesn't play right. How do I avoid this?
nothing is a dumb question here. just remeber we use really good mics on the amp which i think i used my little vox DA-5 watt on one of my favorite distortion channels, and it would'nt suprise me if the film guys did some bass, mids, and treble touch up on the overall sound. really, tone just varies from amp to amp.
How can I finger the power chords better? It seems that my pinky always bends the string it's on (when I play three-fingered power chords), which messes up the overall tone of the power chord. I always try to mute the unused strings with my index finger...does that affect the unintended string bending my pinky is doing? How can I stop my pinky from doing that? Thanks.
I wish that the "supplemental content" contained the three finger versions of these chords. By only watching the video it is hard to know where your fingers are, especially when you get to the B string, where things are different. Also - scales. You kind of gloss over the scales that give us the root foundation for the chords. It would be nice if the scales were also in the supplmental content.
Same problem as above... Any answer on which 3 finger power chords he was using and which scale(s)
It's really easy, lets use the G5 power chord for an example. In the G5 you would have your index finger (1st finger) on the 3rd fret of the 6th (e string) and your 3rd finger (ring finger) on the 5th fret of the 5th (a) string. To play the 3 string version simply drop your pinky onto the 5th fret of the 4th (d) string. The same holds true to power chords that start on the 5th string as well.
Too easy thanks!
"Melting people's faces off" Love it! :D
On the INFO Page the A5 chord graphic is not correct. It has the open D muted.
this is the second time i have gone through this lesson. It is a little hard to follow along after you get into two and three fingers. There are no corresponding print outs or tablature to help with the other fingerings. Am i missing something? Sorry but for a true beginner it is difficult to figure out where you are putting your finders on the fret board without having something to fall back on. Thanks,
I was thinking the same thing! True beginner here and I`ve watched this lesson 3 times trying to get it down.
hey dave and all of jamplay i was wondering do you teach how to Read music it would help alot thanks.
Best guitar teacher ever....
ah you are too kind!!! i am humbled by your compliment!
Lots of fun - had an electric guitar for about 20 years and never really played it as I figured I was an acoustic guy. For an easy song to practice this stuff on check out Smells Like Teen Spirit - some easy tutorial vids on YouTube and also a Song lesson here on JamPlay
Hi Dave im new at this but im not giving up this time and I like the way you teach..and you have some good stuff..but im having trouble trying to make my guitar sound like yours which is messing me wayyy up.Why do you use distortion all the time sounds great but hard to learn from. I have a LTD DELUXE like your black one, what should I get so I can get the same sounds as you put out maybe that will help me. As you say stay tuned up,, but my tuned and your tuned are way different. Yours sounds so much better, just hard to keep going when my sounds are so much different then yours. thanks bob
this is the first time I look at your lessons, I am far from being a hard rock player..took a chance on watching this one...never played power cords before .. to my surprise I had fun..might have to look on finding myself little, not too hard rock songs to practice..thanks for the boost in making me see that I could have fun with this kind of sound
Yeah! A 440 face melt off - sweet :) Great job Dave ... always love our videos!
New and improved for your viewing pleasure! We re-shot this lesson and made sure DMac was in standard 440 tuning!
Wow I loved this thank you so much!
how do i tune my guitar to sound like yours. i have a prs and a boss chromatic tuner. its tuned perfect but sounds higer
Hi Dave, First - amazing! The power chords are so easy, and yet it is the best fun I had since I started learning. One problem though - I have the guitar tuned properly to EADGBE (tuned with my Roland Cube 20X). But the chords the I produce sound very different than the ones you play. I double checked the finger positions. Why is there such a difference? Is it because of the video or is your guitar tuned differently or am I totally off?? Thanks!
In this lesson I believe dave's guitar is tuned down 1/2 step, which means everything will sound lower, but the fingerings are all the same. Sometime in the future I plan to redo this lesson with dave playing in standard tuning.
I am brand new to Jamplay. I like what I see and YES I have read the comments about the tuning issues. Let me just say this should have been corrected ACROSS THE BOARD on all lessons immediately. Fortunately I have played bass guitar for many years and tuning down to match the instructor is no big deal.. HOWEVER I feel you are betraying what is otherwise a top quality site with top quality instruction by failing to correct this issue. What seems like "no big deal" to you, the instructors and many users of the site may be EXTREMELY confusing and frustrating to many other new users. Fis the problem before accepting money from new people eager to learn and searching for a path of enlightenment rather than more frustration and confusion.
His guitar is tuned down a half step, so 6th E string is tuned to Eb. Kinda confusing til you figure it this out.
Dave is tuned down one hole step. e is d, a is b and so forth.
"whole" step
When you redo this lesson, it would be great to have some riffs tabbed out for us rookies to play along with. Thanks!
YES. I agree. Dave was playing some riffs in the middle, and it was a little distracting from the core lessons, but wouldn't be if there was some instruction around them or some notation, etc.
Thanks for the info!
i don't get it!?!?! Please help
David, what is the reason that only the g5 is played on the 3rd fret and all others on the 2nd fret
thanks for the question! glad you asked this. basically if you click on supplemental content for this lesson, you'll see the form or shape of these chords. the E5, B5, D5, and A5 are all rooted at the second fret on the neck. the G5 has to start, or its root note is at the 3rd fret. i showed these chords in specific to allow the brand new beginner a chance to make easy and fun sounding power chords. so i chose alot of second fret chords. i hope that makes sense. please feel free to email me if you need more info, as i am all to happy to try and help you understand it more.
arrgh, let me rephrase that answer!! i ment to say that the 5th note is fretted at the second fret. sorry for that other answer. i read that and got totally stupid for a moment!!! so i was trying to create easy places for the beginner to put their fingers and instantly create power chords. E5, A5, and D5 all start on the open E,A,and D strings. B5 starts at the second fret. G5 starts at the 3rd fret. okay, think i got over my stupidness there, and i hope THAT makes proper sense now! lol! i am not going to wake up anymore and start answering questions, haha. i will get up for a bit first from now on. :)
Hi Dave, what kind of amp did you use when recording this lesson? Can't get my amp to get that deep and cool sound you're producing. I'm using a basic beginners amp, don't ask me what brand, I have no clue (got it second hand). The only thing I can say that the type seems to be EG-506. I should probably get a better amp to get a better sound? Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, JD
i use either my Vox valvetronix 5 watt amp, or jeff's Marshall 15 watt MG15 amp. both amps for as little as they are are huge on sound, and a lot of fun to play on. the big trick is not to turn the treble up too high, so 3/4 or less. we also record with sennheiser e609 guitar microphones, and they make stuff sound really nice. so either one of those amps will help get you in the ballpark soundwise. you'll have try different settings to get the sound your looking for. they are'nt super expensive either. $130-$150 range i think. well worth it for practising!!!
Just joined JamPlay last night..this lesson really frustrated me, I loved what David was saying...but likes others have said, my chords just didn't sound right. That mention of the tuning is critical information. Being the persistant cus that I am I watched the video 3 times fought through it and figured out I needed to hold 2 strings not one. I use E minor fingering an move those 2 fingers up and down the different strings...as well as move between the 2nd, 3rd and 5th frets. I"m making music!! Loved it when I went to the 12th fret, then open, then to the second fret with my E...striking just 2/3 strings at a time. For the next hour it was the most fun I had since I've started learning. I figured out chord patterns/tempos for at least a dozen old rock classics. Maybe someone will tell me what I'm doing is wrong...but it sure sounds good to me.
sorry for any confusion or frustration that tuning has caused you. i am happy though you are making music and figuring songs out! that is awesome! great job! rock on!!!!
To clarify 2 things: 1) What I refer to as E is the traditional Eminor chord. (2nd fret 4th and 5th strings) 2) When I talk about going up and down the strings I mean vertically as well as horizontally.
Thank you for this. Today is the first time I have held a guitar...although I can play the keyboard and clarinet. I imediatley worked on the scales and picking exercise you showed inlesson 1. I jumped into the power chords and I was amazed at how easy it was to start creating something that just sounds awesome! I still have alot of difficult reaching with my ring finger for the G power chord, but the single finger chords you showed at first I think I got them down. Thank you so much for taking your time and demonstrating this lesson. One thing I would love to see, though...that intro stuff you do, I would love to see it played a bit slower so I can see the movements you use as you change positions. For myself, I love to start by working really slow..and some things you throw in there I just can't catch what exactly you are doing. Thanks again!!
the intro stuff is basically just an E5 power chord, followed by D5, and A5 respectively. almost like Judas Preist's "livin after midnight". the little added single note stuff is the 5th string open A, and to the 3rd fret of the 6th string fretting the G. this is the sequence...A,G,A,G,A,G. hope that helps. give it a whirl! thanks for the compliments as well. i love teaching to you all.
I think im rilly starting too get something to work with. I have been jumping around alot but seams like im starting to pick some things up.great lesson thx
Hi Dave, Enjoying your lessons very much! Thanks for taking the time to pass on you talent! I'm trying to stick to plan, but have jumped around a bit...actually, the thing that convinced me to sign up with Jamplay was your free lesson on Black in Black. I can play the chords you show in the free lesson ok and sort of do the progression. However, I can't get the sound right because after playing each note the strings are still ringing out and when you play, the notes are short and crisp. What am I doing wrong? Do I need to stop the strings somehow with my palm? Is there another lesson out there that might show how to do this portion? thanks!!!!
hey thanks for comment! yes you want to palm mute with your strumming hand. just keep working on that until you feel your getting close to the way it sounds. let me know how your doing!!
very cool dave, this site is going to be great learning tool
Hi I'm Jave I'm with DamPlay dot com, hahahaah! D-Mac you rule!
yeah, can you tell i was pretty new to the whole dang thing. could'nt talk worth a damn! lol! i should of just had a re-do on that one. oh well!
I thought it was sweet, haha ya got to keep us on our toes.
how do you get that sound? cause i increase the gainer or whatever it's called but doesn't get the sound that you have. so i wonder if you have something else as well ecept for the amplifire
nice it sounds nice and to get it to sound like that i put my gain up to full. Thanks
I know that Alright Now by Free is played by power chords, but unfortunately I don't have the tabs for it.
David, what does a person do who does not have "long" fingers like most guitar players do? I'm sure if kids with small hands can learn to play guitar, then surely I can as well with my short stubby fingers. Any suggestions?
yeah, mingo, i think we discovered you can play according to your video! haha!! no worries!!!
Hello, I'm sure dave will respond too! In my experience most people who think their fingers are too short are mistaking lack of hand strength for hands that are too small. It really does take time and practice to build up strength in your hands, and until they are in shape it really can feel like your hands are just not "meant" to play guitar, but very rarely is that the case :) Keep it up!
Thanks Jbooth, I definately need to hear something along that line, I wasn't sure if I would even qualify as a guitar player with short stubby fingers! Now I know it just takes stretching and lots of practicing.
I'm having great difficulty stretching my 1st and 3rd fingers over 3 frets as in the first 2 finger power chord, I literally can only do it if I place my fingers independently. Are there any good stretching exercises normally used for guitarists or that you guys suggest? I'm getting discouraged :)
Cover me in eggs and flour and bake me for 40 minutes... sh*t, this is amazing. Pulling off some cool riffs, and thats with the video not even working. Just looking at the supplementary content. What a great lesson.
Hi David, I'm really impressed with this site. I have used several others, and they are not "nearly" as good as the instructions on Jam Play. I do have a question, since I'm a beginner. What is this A440 everybody is talking about? Dumb me!! lol
A440 is basically just standard tuning. The 440 is the frequency of the A note. All you need to remember is that A440 = standard tuning though :)
Cool Jbooth, thanks for explaining that. I'm just the type of guy who wants to understand the whole picture. :-)
David your guitar is tuned down to E-Flat in the power chord studies. Do you play much Blues? I love blues.
Hi Dave; In your tuning the guitar session, the reason ther is a shift to the forth fret on th G-B (3rd to 2nd string) is because the interval is a Major 3rd while all the others intervals are 4th's, (E-A, A-D, D-G, -*-, B-E)
Dave my guitar sounds like its off from yours when I go through the lesson. my tuner is set at 440 should I be lower? What do you tune yours at?
Hello, A440 is the standard tuning, so make sure to use that. If the sound is off it is possible Dave's guitar was tuned down in this video. I'm not completely sure though, I will look into it :)
If you want another practice song for 5 chords, try You Really Got Me (Kinks version). If anybody has other song suggestions, please post! http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/k/kinks/you_really_got_me_tab.htm
Hey, David. Thanks for teaching us power chords. I just have one question though: I didn't understand how the notation of the chords were made... Root note? Like, the G5 looks to have nothing in common with the G5 Alternate. Is it important to learn these notations?
Hello, Basically on the 6th / low E string the 3rd fret is a G note, making the chord a G5 power chord. The alternate one uses the open G string as the first note also making it a G. Hope this helps.
Great lesson David, I'm having fun already. Thanks
excellent! glad your enjoying it!!!!
figured the bridge out didnt adjust when changed strings moving along. great lessons.
oh cool, glad you figured it out okay!! i do that sometimes too!!lol!
and the bar connected to the bridge i took off aggrivated the problem is this ok thanks
hi dave im bran new at guitar having fun with the lesson already one problem my ibanez rg series guitar im playing with when i pick it it wahs ( bridge goes up and down )are what ever thats called ..is this guitar to advanced for novice
Hey David, thanks for the Power Chords, it's only the second lesson and i am already having fun (playing them). It really sound great. Just a little question for a detail: for the A5 Power Chord in "Info about this lesson", i think it's X 0 1 (see "supplemental content") instead of 0 1 X ? One last question: as a totally beginner, i have a Fender Squier and a Frontman 15 R ampli, and plan to go to my music store next week. I would be most grateful if you could recommend which material should i buy to obtain a guitar sound closer to yours in this video. Sorry if i ask you a question that maybe you have already answered and as a beginner i understand that it is not important how you sound but how you train :-) Best regards.
hey thanks for the question. the amp sound you hear is either a marshall mg series, or my vox valvetronics amp, i dont remember on that day we filmed which amp i used. if your looking to change amps anything like a little Marshall, vox or even line 6 will do the trick. if you want a distortion pedal, check out the boss pedals, or the digitech hotrod distrotion pedal. those will all get pretty close to what your looking for!
ouch!!! is pro audio pretty expensive???? yikes!!!!
I've used Audacity myself as well, it's a great piece of free software for those of us who cant afford a $700 dollar copy of pro audio software =)
wow james8, i checked that youtube video demo out. very cool!! great way to augment guitar learning. another tool to enhance ability. very cool.
Thanks for all Dave! Here's a small video how Audacity can help improving guitar playing for beginners and masters! [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHhXQu3knco[/url]
awesome! audacity? sounds like something i need as well! lol! i have one of those tascam slower downer thingys, but sometimes its a pain in the butt!!:rolleyes: but it does help to slow stuff down to 50%. except for the yngvie malmsteen stuff, nothing works slow enough for that!! lol!!:rolleyes: :mad: james8, just keep working at it!!! you'll be awesome! little bit of ear training(look at jim deemings lessons, and read his bio), work with tab, and jam with us here on jamplay, and you'll be kickin major guitar butt!!!! lol!!! thanks for all the questions too. hope i am helping you all to one degree or another.:cool: :rockout:
Hi David, Thanks for boosting my motivation. I'll not give up. From fingertraining over getting familiar with the song by listening over and over up to play the song with a lower speed. By the way, a little recommendation to all beginners out there: There's a freeware called Audacity. It allows to mark a part of a song and reduce the speed of it without changing the tones! Works reasonable down to -50% Speed. Check it out!
very cool! great to see so many people really getting some good out of this site. i actually take in lessons too from other instructors when i have time!:rockout:
no it's its okay, as long as you still work on the traditional way of power chording too. drop-D tuning as they call it is one way to accomplish power chords, but can limit you in some respects. our band actually has specific guitars tuned that way when we play certain songs that are drop D. once i get to a place in my lesson's where we can all explore this together, i will show you guys/gals some cool chord structures to use in drop-D.:)
thing you have to remember is kirk hammet was somewhat taught by joe satriani himself! lol! so it would'nt be easy. depends too of course on your skill level too. if you really want to learn the solo, this is a great time to work on memory and ear training. do this-listen to the solo several times without a guitar in your hands. then when you feel you can hear the solo in your head, pick up the guitar. start sounding out the first few bars on the guitar, and see how far you can get. try it, it can frustrating, yet fun too.:cool:
By the way, nice website. I just joined a few days ago and I've already noticed an improvement, also I'm more motivated. Thanks guys!
Hi Dave, how are you? I just had a question. Before I joined Jamplay, I was self taught for about a year, and I didn't really know where to start. One of my friends who used to be in a garage band told me about power chords simplified, which I'm sure you know what it is, but for other readers, it consists of tuning the E string down to a D so that all combinations of the same fret on the 2-3 bottom (big)strings make a power chord. I was just wondering, is this bad practice? As a beginner it helped me get motivated to play because it's so easy to make your guitar sound amazing when heavy distortion is involved, and I've seen such guitarists as Trent Reznor and Dave Navarro use those tunings, so I was wondering, is that a question of personal taste or a setup for a lazy fretting hand? Thanks in advance for your input.
yes, thats not a bad i idea james8, i will look into that!!:rockout:
Hi Dave, Power chords is a big win for all beginners. Its rather easy to play and sounds great. I'm learning Metallicas Seek&Destroy from a "play guitar with..." book and found out, that the whole song is mainly power chords. That brought me to the idea, to link sessions with songs which contain the topic learned in the lesson. In this specific case: Why not adding seek&destroy to the song list and mention in the lesson, that this song will allow to practice the topic "power chords" a lot? I think, that would be good for all lessons too. Regards Heinz p.s. Playing Seek&Destroy doesn't include the solo. Its so fu%รง* fast! Guess you don't have a quick fix to handle that solo, haven't you?
Hhhmm? if i understand you correctly redcoat, you might just need to use your pick hand and mute the string that way. most of the time i use the meatier portion of my palm where my thumb is, yet still leaving me the ability to pick strings. try it and see if that helps. thanks for the question.
Whats up Dave Great lesson! it seems that I am having a problem with my 6th string ringing when I am switching to the 5th string and so on should I be mutting with my thumb? Thanks Dave