Topic: Open Chords to Power Chords.

Hey. Learning mostly power chords at the mo.

Would i be right in saying, that for example, if a song pattern goes |D / E / | G / A / | F / E / |  That could quite easily be transferred to Power Chords in exactly the same pattern? (so two for D power chord, two on E power chord etc etc?)

My other question, is how do minor chords relate to power chords? I mean a barred F# could easily be played on power chords as one up from an F power chord, but how do minor's etc translate?
For example if the chord pattern is |A / Bm / | How what that be translated to power chords?

Thanks (hope its easy to understand my question!)

Dr.

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2 (edited by Russell_Harding 2008-10-22 17:26:45)

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

The |D/E| would be a bar D posistion on the fifth and sixth fret the |G/A| would have to be either a bar on the third and fifth frets or a bar D posistion on the tenth and twelfth frets as far as how minor chords relate to power chords or translate each key has a root and the steps from the root are intervals I,IV and V are always major ii iii and vi are always minor the viith is diminished most minor power chords are bar D or bar A posistions or a part of the bar at least the |A/Bm| woud be a bar A on the fifth fret to a bar Bm on the second fret or a bar A on the twelfth fret to a bar Bm on the 7th fret there are other ways to play any of these chords these are only a few smile and how did you draw that cool tank lol

ApeDoctor wrote:

Hey. Learning mostly power chords at the mo.

Would i be right in saying, that for example, if a song pattern goes |D / E / | G / A / | F / E / |  That could quite easily be transferred to Power Chords in exactly the same pattern? (so two for D power chord, two on E power chord etc etc?)

My other question, is how do minor chords relate to power chords? I mean a barred F# could easily be played on power chords as one up from an F power chord, but how do minor's etc translate?
For example if the chord pattern is |A / Bm / | How what that be translated to power chords?

Thanks (hope its easy to understand my question!)

Dr.

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

The E barre would be up one fret to the 7th(not 6th, 6th fret is D#/Eb) fret in a D form barre.

And to answer your question regarding minor chords in barre chord shapes as long as the differentiating string is not played( example; Bm X24432 and B X24442/ the differentiating string is the G string , 3rd fret on the Bm 4th fret on the B major) the first 2(A shape), or 3(E shape)(from your chin to your knee) strings of the "power chord" will work with a major and/or a minor chord progression.

A shape barre chord; X02XXX or X022XX, x24XXX or X244XX, etc...
E shape barre chord; 02XXXX  or 022XXX, 24XXXX or 244XXX, etc...

Give everything but up.

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

sorry bout that it is the 7th my mistake sad most of the D form bars like a 5th fret D only 4 of the tones are played X5777 this form is a moveable shape with the root on the 5th string as long as the distance of 2 frets is kept example: C chord X355 ect.

SouthPaw41L wrote:

The E barre would be up one fret to the 7th(not 6th, 6th fret is D#/Eb) fret in a D form barre.

And to answer your question regarding minor chords in barre chord shapes as long as the differentiating string is not played( example; Bm X24432 and B X24442/ the differentiating string is the G string , 3rd fret on the Bm 4th fret on the B major) the first 2(A shape), or 3(E shape)(from your chin to your knee) strings of the "power chord" will work with a major and/or a minor chord progression.

A shape barre chord; X02XXX or X022XX, x24XXX or X244XX, etc...
E shape barre chord; 02XXXX  or 022XXX, 24XXXX or 244XXX, etc...

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

A "Power chord" is really just an interval of a perfect 5th.  You can take that shape anywhere down the neck, or across it to the B string, and you're playing a "power chord."

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

jerome.oneil wrote:

A "Power chord" is really just an interval of a perfect 5th.  You can take that shape anywhere down the neck, or across it to the B string, and you're playing a "power chord."

Uhm nope ...........

2 problems here.

1) it's up the neck, not down the neck ( going from fret 3 to fret 9 is an upward ascent, going from fret 9 to fret 3 is a descent)

2) playing the b string on an A shaped barre chord will work sometimes but not if a minor chord is involved in the progression. Now maybe you're confusing the A shaped barre chord progression with the suspended second position, (ie X02200, x13311,X24422, etc..). In this example (using the sus2nd's the b string theory will work, but only with this ,( granted no minor chords are in the progression)................

Give everything but up.

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

SouthPaw41L wrote:
jerome.oneil wrote:

A "Power chord" is really just an interval of a perfect 5th.  You can take that shape anywhere down the neck, or across it to the B string, and you're playing a "power chord."

Uhm nope ...........

ummm... sortal

2 problems here.

1) it's up the neck, not down the neck ( going from fret 3 to fret 9 is an upward ascent, going from fret 9 to fret 3 is a descent)

Right.  I'll get that right some day.

2) playing the b string on an A shaped barre chord will work sometimes but not if a minor chord is involved in the progression. Now maybe you're confusing the A shaped barre chord progression with the suspended second position, (ie X02200, x13311,X24422, etc..). In this example (using the sus2nd's the b string theory will work, but only with this ,( granted no minor chords are in the progression)................

If you're playing the b string, it's no longer an interval of a perfect 5th.    "Power chords" aren't chords at all.  They're just intervals, so *any* shape that provides that interval will work for you.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

If you look into 4 string, or D shaped barre chords, the B string is used as a perfect 5th interval.
Example; E chord XX2454
                 F chord XX3565
                 G chordXX5787
                  A chordXX7 9 10 9
                     etc.............
     In  this case the b string will work but try to play A Bm C#m D progression without changing the shape of  the A form barre chord and you'll see(or hopefully hear, I know how some  bass players are?!?!) what I'm trying to convey. If you were sitting in front of me ,face to face, you'd see in 2 seconds what I'm talkin' about........

Give everything but up.

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

SouthPaw41L wrote:

If you look into 4 string, or D shaped barre chords, the B string is used as a perfect 5th interval.
Example; E chord XX2454
                 F chord XX3565
                 G chordXX5787
                  A chordXX7 9 10 9
                     etc.............

Those aren't power chords.    That's just a closed D shape, giving you a proper major chord.   A power chord is *just* the interval.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

A power chord is conceived of and intended to be a triad with the "third" note omitted (thus it is neither major nor minor). In addition, such chords are usually played with octave doubling, so they actually do have three (or four) notes, although in music theory they are considered "equivalent". (However they do change the sound.)

Give everything but up.

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

Just curious, when did the term "power chord" come into being? my early recollections of the word "power" was associated with the early "hard" rock sounds of groups like deep purple,zeppelin,Hendrix ect.. what gives this form the "power" over any D or A shaped bar position? smile

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

Russell_Harding wrote:

Just curious, when did the term "power chord" come into being? my early recollections of the word "power" was associated with the early "hard" rock sounds of groups like deep purple,zeppelin,Hendrix ect.. what gives this form the "power" over any D or A shaped bar position? smile

Power chords were introduced by Link Wray in his hit 1958 instrumental "Rumble".Wray utilized the power chord during an improvised show in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Before "Rumble", electric guitars were commonly used to produce clean sounds and jazz chords. Wray pioneered electric guitar distortions, like overdrive and fuzz, and was the first guitarist to use power chords to play a song's melody.

The first hit song built around power chords was "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, released in 1964 .


Early heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple also helped to popularize power chords.

Pete Townshend, having been influenced by Link Wray, is often credited for introducing the term and the power chord in general and is an avid user of them.

Give everything but up.

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

Thanks Toney, I remember Link Ray and the Raymen when Rumble first came out he used a tremelo effect on rumble I cant remember how many times I played this song at sock hops and cyo dances when I was a young upstart dude now im an old upstart lol

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

SouthPaw41L wrote:

A power chord is conceived of and intended to be a triad with the "third" note omitted (thus it is neither major nor minor).

Precisely.  That leaves you with an interval of a perfect 5th.

The tonality of triads is determined by the 3rd.  If you omit that, you're left with two notes, i.e. an interval.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

15 (edited by Flatliner0452 2008-12-12 01:24:23)

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

The reason it sounds as "powerful" (partial pun intended) as it does is because of the overtone series which creates the third in a way which is more detailed than i care to explain, but suffice it to say that the third is there, but not in the traditional sense that would be associated with in chords.

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

Flatliner0452 wrote:

The reason it sounds as "powerful" (partial pun intended) as it does is because of the overtone series which creates the third in a way which is more detailed than i care to explain, but suffice it to say that the third is there, but not in the traditional sense that would be associated with in chords.

Please do go into detail!  The physics of sound is well beyond me, but I know waveforms do strange things when blended and mixed.  I'd be really interested in hearing about it.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

Maybe I could answer that one. I have studied the physics of sound and can concur with flatliner.
A vibrating string, for example the low E string, will sound its fundamental frequency, the E, by vibrating along its whole length. (Say 25 inches for the sake of example). However, the string also vibrates in other "modes" such that it appears to vibrate along half its length, third its length, quarter its length, fifth its length and so on. These are called higher harmonics or overtones*. Each higher "harmonic" (or overtone) is weaker than the previous. So you tend to hear the lowest (fundamental) tone and the presence or absence of the higher harmonics colours the sound you hear. For example, playing near the bridge encourages higher harmonics and consequently colours the tone of the note.
Now the tricky bit. The harmonics create notes which relate to the fundamental (lowest tone) in a mathematical sequence. The 2nd harmonic (where the string vibrates along half its length) is twice the frequency of the fundamental. This creates a note an octave higher than the fundamental. This note sounds with the fundamental and colours the tone. The next harmonic (string vibrates in 3rds) produces a note 3 times the frequency of the fundamental, and is an octave plus a fifth (13 notes) above the fundamental. So if the fundamental was a C, the 2nd harmonic is C above that and the 3rd is the G above that. It goes on. The next harmonic produces the octave above that, and the 5th produces the third of the chord (the E) above that.

Guitarists can force these harmonics to sound by touching a finger on the vibrating string.
If you touch at the 12th fret you force the string to vibrate in two halves, producing the 2nd harmonic, an octave above the fundamental. If you touch the string at the 4th fret you force the 5th harmonic, which is the 3rd of the chord. (On the bottom E string you would get a G#)
If your guitar string is is 25 inches long, the 5th harmonic (the 3rd of the chord) is encouraged by playing or strumming about 7 or 8 inches from the bridge. On my acoustics, this is just above the sound hole. Plucking the E string hard here, and listening, one can hear the 3rd of the chord (the G#) sounding quite clearly.
The same applies to electrics.
Hope this helps.
* There is a lot of confusion and disagreement over the meaning of the words overtone and harmonic. I have used the convention where the lowest note (fundamental) is also called the 1st harmonic. The 2nd harmonic, the octave above, is referred to as the 1st overtone, and so on.

Re: Open Chords to Power Chords.

Thanks everyone, a very educational and informative thread, and some great answers smile

Cheers!

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█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █►
◥☼▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲☼◤ -Mr T says: Quit yo jibba Jabba! You Ain't hurt!