What is a power chord?

Answer 1

In rock music, a power chord is a bare fifth, or a similar chord, usually played on electric guitar with distortion. It was pioneered by Link Wray ([1]).

Although the use of the term power chord has, to some extent, spilled over into the vocabulary of other instrumentalists, namely keyboard and synthesiser players, it remains, essentially, a part of rock guitar culture and is most strongly associated with the overdriven electric guitar styles of hard rock, heavy metal, punk rock, and similar genres.

Answer 2

A power chord is formed by playing the root note and its fifth together. It can be used anywhere a major, minor or dominant chord are used. It is much easier to play than any of those kind of chords because it only requires two notes. Often the root note is repeated an octave higher to give the chord a full sound.

Answer 3

A power chord is a two/three note chord, played on the electric guitar, featuring the root note (for example, G on the bottom E string) played with the index finger, and the fifth of the root, (so D on the A string, played with the ring finger). The thrid note would be the octave of the root, so the G on the D string, using the little finger. I suppose the power comes from the electric guitar - up the distortion, up the gain, and bobs your uncle!

Rock on!

Answer 4

A power chord is composed of usually three primary notes in thirds or fifths and can be moved up and down the fretboard (Chromatic Scale) to obtain the three major chords in a song.

They're usually formed from the sixth, fifth, and the fourth string of a guitar as in: 335 (C) 557 (D) and so forth.

Such chords provide strong platforms in melodies for rock and many other genres.

Answer 5

A power chord is a chord that you play on the guitar. It is where you combine 1 threat on one string to 2 threats after that on the 2nd string then finally the next threat after the last one you chose on the nest string.
Still confused?
combine G with D then F flat... then play all at once!
It produces a powerful chord.
They use this cord in Smoke on the Water

Answer 6

I see from the other four answers nobody here really knows so I'll answer for it being that I'm a little bit of a guitarist and know what it means. A power cord is a chord that implies covering all the strings with your index at once while your other three available fingers or less form a chord. And remember rock on dude.........................

Answer 7

A chord that uses just the first few top strings on the guitar. They have a heavier sound, they are easier to play, and used in a lot of rock songs. They are not quite the same as bar chords.

Answer 8

A type of chord on the guitar. It's also sometimes called a bar chord. Basically, it's where you use your index finger to push down all of the strings at a specific fret, and form a chord above it with your other fingers.

Answer 9

A power cord goes into a wall. BUT, a power chord is an expression in music for a certain way of barring (holding your fingers) on a guitar neck. It makes a sustaining sound that is louder and closely harminized. Hope this helps!

Answer 10

The term power chord is used to refer to a perfect fifth (or its inversion, a perfect fourth), with or without octave doubling, in rock music, especially when played on electric guitar with distortion. The same interval is also found in traditional and classical music, played by instruments such as classical guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, harps and xylophones; but in that context, it is not usually called a power chord, but just a bare fifth.

It is sometimes notated 5, as in C5 (C power chord).