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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → power chords- help!!
ive just learnt tabs, but im new to it all and really need help on power chords!! what are they, when do you use them and what relation do they have with tabs?? and can anybody tell me a simple tab for the guns n roses song sweet child o mine please?? i have never had lessons and finding it really hard to teach myself!!! (being 14 i don't have any money either to get a tutor!!)
thanks
welcome to the site hcullis!
someone much smarter than I will answer about fifth chords...something about only playing the first and fifth notes of a chord, sometimes the third. Mostly used in rock / metal music--mostly on electric.
I hate tabs--I think they have value for lead parts, but if you're just learning, I'd suggest just learning the chords.
And sweet child of mine, for the most part, is a lot of D C G...easy song...no barre chords--good one to learn if you're just starting out. You can look up the whole thing in the song section.
I don't think I've been much help here--but welcome to the site!
thanks, i kind of understand.. i know basic chords but im just stuck on fancy tabs!! but thhnaks thats helped!
Power chords are used in place of a normal major or minor chord, they are used because they sound better with distortion. Almost all rock and metal uses power chords.
Try the two-finger version first, then work up to the three-finger.
If you need any more help just post, I learnt power chords a few months ago (5 or 6, can't remember). If you need a good song to learn them try "American Idiot" or "Jesus Of Suburbia". A little advanced but you can at least play part of them.
First off let's check the basics, have you gotten open chords E A D G C sorted out? Now how about F and B, yep the difficult ones (stay with me there's a point to this). There's a simplified F and then there's a harder version that uses all four fingers with your index way back behind it. Same goes for Bm which is one down and one forward same shape. That basic shape is like open E but with your first finger making where the nut (fret zero) should be. These are barre chords, move barre F up two frets and you have a G, move up another two and you have A. This way you could play a F G A song part real quick, even work a bit of that sliding up the frets sound in.
OK now if you have an amp, turn the gain (overdrive/distortion) full on up. Now try that barre chord again. Aaargh! It's a heavy, heavy sound but it's too cluttered, not focused enough. Now try just playing two strings of the chord, it should sound better, metal but with tightness. Now you don't need to make all your fingers into a tiring barre shape. You can just use two fingers on just the strings you are playing... and that's powerchords. The distortion creates 'intermodulation' which means to you and me that two strings sound as good as three, there's a phantom third string (really). So now you can make the same moves but easier. Look for powerchords in metal and punk but don't expect them always to be there, some metal is really quite sophisticated (tricky chords).
COOL! I HAFTA SAY, THIS HELPED ME ALOT!
Dear Tibernius and Cytania.
I love power chords, even on an acoustic guitar.
I want to tell you, that even loving a power chord, I use MORE THE USUAL chords, pulling/picking the strings resulting in a similar power chord.
Probably the risk to "destroy a string" is present, a lot more than using a power chord.
Example:
- Honky tonk woman (Rolling Stones), if you play this song acoustic and slower, you have the song
COUNTRY HONK
This song starts in G, followed by C and D. I played that song with power chords, and also with the classic G, C and D, strumming down, and back. When strumming back up, I pull on 2 or 3 strings, providing me a kind of power chord.
Do you remember Frijid Pink's interpretation of the HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN? They used power chords, distortion included.
Tibernius, do you consider that interpretation of that song as a power chord song?
____________________________________________________________________________
GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: PLAY IT LOUD SAM
- Honky tonk woman (Rolling Stones), if you play this song acoustic and slower, you have the HONKY TONK BLUES. This song starts in G, followed by C and D. I played that song with power chords, and also with the classic G, C and D, strumming down, and back. When strumming back up, I pull on 2 or 3 strings, providing me a kind of power chord.
Do you remember Frijid Pink's interpretation of the HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN? They used power chords, distortion included.
Tibernius, do you consider that interpretation of that song as a power chord song?
I'm no expert, I only started about a year ago, but I suppose that any song where you play a 5th chord or power chord is technically a power chord song.
A power chord is described in some of the books I've read as the two lowest notes of a regular chord.
Strangely enough, I don't think I've heard either of those songs. A bit before my time I suppose (I was born in 1990).
ive just learnt tabs, but im new to it all and really need help on power chords!! what are they, when do you use them and what relation do they have with tabs??
I'll see if I can draw a diagram for them.
In tab a power chord at the 5th fret, 6th string looks like this:
-
-
-
7
7
5
Your finger position should be this. Fret numbers at the edge, and the number finger to use on the strings.
5 1 - - - - -
6 - - - - - -
7 - 3 4 - - -
Once you can recognise power chords they are really easy to play. I'll post a link to a few basic songs.
Here's one:
Smells like teen spirit
http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/www.g … 21919.html
And here's another:
Basket case
http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/www.x … t_case.txt
Now, I am studying guitar every day about 12 hours. To tell you the truth, I just start to learn but I dont have a book that guide me to learn guitar, especially indonesian song, please help me.
Tibernius, I am surprised that you never heard about this song. I agree, it is located in the late sixties: HONKY TONK WOMAN" by THE ROLLING STONES.
I made a HUGE mistake, I wrote the chords you can use, G, C and D, and play it acoustic.
The mistake is: it is not HONKY TONK BLUES BUT, "COUNTRY HONK" and the chords and melody are the same, except that Country Honk is acoustic and slower.
I will correct this immediately.
I am 100% sure that you know this song, maybe you can find it on myspace or youtube.
I wrote the correct song title
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → power chords- help!!
