Hi!
A friend of mine who plays an acoustic guitar asked me if it's possible to play the Am, Em and so on like a power chords? As i don't know the answer i hope some of you guys does And is it possible to play like "normal" songs with power chords? Like beatles and so on
Power Chords (Am)
- Music Junkie
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- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:17 am
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Trichia:
Good question..... My understanding of power chords is that they are just the 1st and 5th of the scale. In order to get a minor chord, you need the 1st, flat 3rd and the 5th. So from that standpoint, I would say probably not since you don't have a 3rd at all......
MJ
Good question..... My understanding of power chords is that they are just the 1st and 5th of the scale. In order to get a minor chord, you need the 1st, flat 3rd and the 5th. So from that standpoint, I would say probably not since you don't have a 3rd at all......
MJ
Most excellent answer Music Junkie. However power chords aren't really chords at all, because as Music Junkie pointed out they don't contain a major or minor 3rd. Power "intervals" is the more appropriate term, but we'll call them power chords anyway as to not seem to snobby :laugh: . These types of power chords are played by only strumming the 6th, 5th & 4th strings. If this "person" is playing power chords using his/her ring finger to barre the perfect 5th and the octave above the root, then there is somewhat no way (without a double jointed ring finger) to add a major or minor 5th. However, in the following example if you consider the 6th string as the root note, if this person is playing the power chord using the ring finger and pinky to play the 5th and the octave, then it is feasible to play a real barre chord by adding the middle finger at the major 3rd on the 3rd string and strumming that 3rd string making it a real major chord, or leaving the middle finger off and strumming the minor 3rd at the 3rd string, making it a real minor chord. This same example works to if the root is the 5th strings, however the resulting chords and the string that the 3rd is on change.
Please someone correct me if any of this is wrong, I hate to give bad advise.
Please someone correct me if any of this is wrong, I hate to give bad advise.
- Music Junkie
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:17 am
- Status: Offline
D:
Power chords can be played anywhere on the fretboard and on any combo of strings as long as you are playing the 1st and the 5th. You will see them called out as 5 lots of times. A5, B5, etc. If you did have the proverbial double jointed finger, and could get that 3rd you are talking about, then you would be back in the realm of a triad and out of the power chord.....If you want to play a minor chord in some rock songs that have power chords, just play the typical minor chord. When you get enough distortion in there, it all starts to sound like power chords anyway....lol
:laugh:
Power chords can be played anywhere on the fretboard and on any combo of strings as long as you are playing the 1st and the 5th. You will see them called out as 5 lots of times. A5, B5, etc. If you did have the proverbial double jointed finger, and could get that 3rd you are talking about, then you would be back in the realm of a triad and out of the power chord.....If you want to play a minor chord in some rock songs that have power chords, just play the typical minor chord. When you get enough distortion in there, it all starts to sound like power chords anyway....lol
:laugh:
Excellent answers MJ and Dog. That's exactly the way I understood it too but most electric guitarist just play an abbreviated Am barre, for example, and call it a power chord. It's good that you guys pointed out that technically it isn't a true power chord without that 3rd.
Not that most electric guitarists care! lol! :laugh:
Pizza karma to you both for making an important distinction that is often overlooked! This site is so great!
Cheers! :cheer:
Not that most electric guitarists care! lol! :laugh:
Pizza karma to you both for making an important distinction that is often overlooked! This site is so great!
Cheers! :cheer:
Excellent answers all. As MJ pointed out they contain only the 1st and the 5th. Since they do not contain the 3rd they are as mentioned "unisex", neither major nor minor. The fact is, an A power chord or A5 can be played over an A maj. or Am chord or any A chord for that matter.
A group of notes does not have to have a third, major or minor, to be considered a chord.
Suspended fourth chords consist of the first, fourth and fifth scale degrees, sus 7 adds the flatted seventh to that, sus 2 are made up of the first, second and fifth scale degrees, etc.
Two note chords are sometimes called diads, a term much less familiar to most people than triads, which refers to the basic three note chords. To add to the confusion, guitarists often call diads double-stops, at least when they are played on adjacent strings!
:blink:
Suspended fourth chords consist of the first, fourth and fifth scale degrees, sus 7 adds the flatted seventh to that, sus 2 are made up of the first, second and fifth scale degrees, etc.
Two note chords are sometimes called diads, a term much less familiar to most people than triads, which refers to the basic three note chords. To add to the confusion, guitarists often call diads double-stops, at least when they are played on adjacent strings!
:blink: