Movable Power Chords

Lesson 4/97 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Beginner Electric Guitar

Movable Power Chords

Power chords can be categorized by the string their root note appears on, i.e., E5 is described as a root 6 chord because it’s root note is the open 6th string. A5 is called a root 5 chord because its root note is the open 5th string, while D5 is called a root 4 chord because its root note is the open 4th string. By using the first finger at the 1st fret and the third finger at the 3rd fret, it is possible to create movable power chords.

This means they can be moved along the strings to create many different power chords. The transition from open power chords to movable power chords is shown in the following diagrams. The root 5 movable chord shown is called A#5 or Bb5 as it is a semitone (one fret) higher than A and a semitone lower than B.

Root Six

E⁵

F⁵

Root Five

A⁵

A#⁵ or Bb⁵

Here is an exercise for changing between open and movable power chords. The open chords are played here with the open string and 2nd finger.

Right Hand Damping

When playing power chords, it is common to damp the strings slightly with the right hand. This results in a tighter, more chunky sound. Rest the heel of the hand on the strings at the bridge and then pick the strings you want to sound. It may take a bit of practice to get the desired sound: it all depends on the exact position of the right hand and the amount of pressure used on the strings. Try this technique using this example.

Rest heel of right hand on strings near bridge

A power chord can be formed on any root note by selecting the note with the 1st finger and then adding the 3rd finger two frets up on the next (higher) string. Because the formation remains the same regardless of where on the fretboard the chord is played, you don’t need to think about the name of the higher note. As long as you know the root note, you can easily find the right chord. The following example uses various root 5 and root 6 power chords built on notes you have already learned, along with A5 played as a root 6 chord at the 5th fret and D5 played as a root 5 chord at the 5th fret.

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1- Using the Whole Fretboard 2- Notes on the First String 3- The 12-Bar Blues 4- The Eighth Note 5- The Triplet 6- Notes on the Fourth String 7- Sixteenth Notes 8- Playing Two Strings Together 9- The Minor Pentatonic Scale 10- Chords 11- INTRODUCTION 12- The Half Bar 13- Rests 14- Ties And Syncopation 15- Using the Guitar Pickups 16- Minor Chords 17- The Major Scale 18- Arpeggios 19- Learning All the Notes 20- Using Guitar Effects 21- Vibrato 22- How to Read Music 23- Scale Degrees 24- Moving to Different Keys 25- Slurs 26- The Trail Off 27- Five Forms of the Pentatonic 28- The Release Bend 29- Moving Between Forms 30- Getting Your Hands Moving 31- Bending Notes 32- The Slide 33- The Trill 34- Analyzing What You Play 35- Reverb 36- C Major Scale in Open Position 37- Sliding Pattern 2 38- Electric Guitars 39- Identifying Scale Patterns 40- The Lead-in 41- The Full Bar 42- Notes on the Sixth String 43- Vibrato With Bent Notes 44- Sixteenth Note Groupings 45- Slight Bends 46- Swing Rhythms 47- Chords I IV and V in all Keys 48- Tones and Semitones 49- Right Hand Technique 50- Overdrive and Distortion 51- Alternate Picking 52- Notes on the Fifth String 53- Power Chords 54- Chord Symbols 55- Tablature 56- Rests With Chord Playing 57- Playing Two Strings With the First Finger 58- Pickup Selector Switches 59- Visualizing 60- The G Major Scale 61- Picking the Open Strings 62- Pentatonic Blues Solo 63- Notes on the Second String 64- The Shuffle 65- The Chromatic Scale 66- Delay 67- Notes on the Sixth String 68- The Symbols 8va and loco 69- Music Notation 70- Harmonizing Scales With Power Chords 71- Movable Power Chords 72- Left Hand Technique 73- Rhythm Notation 74- Riffs 75- Electric Guitar Pickups 76- Learning the Notes on the Staff 77- Jam Along Progressions 78- Amplifiers 79- Notes on the Third String 80- Left Hand Technique 81- Chorus 82- Learning the Whole Fretboard 83- Strumming 84- Keys and Key Signatures 85- The Open Position 86- Listening 87- The Open Strings of the Guitar 88- Notes on the Guitar Fretboard 89- Flanger 90- Types of Amplifiers 91- Major Chord Formations 92- More titles by LearnToPlayMusic.com 93- Understanding the Control Knobs 94- Bar Lines 95- Strings 96- Time Signatures 97- Chord Symbols

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Movable Power Chords