8 Power Chords Guitar Players Should Know

For every power chord I’ll cover the notes that make up that chord and include a power chords chart. Also, if you know the notes on the guitar fretboard, you’ll be able to use the chord notes to come up with your own variations of these power chords.

Power chords are commonly used in rock guitar playing. Most often they are played on an electric guitar with distortion. You can hear Power chords utilized by guitar players of world famous rock bands including Metallica, Def Leppard, Van Halen, AC/DC and Muse.

F Power Chord (1st fret)

This F Power chord, played from the 1st fret, has these notes: F, C, F

Do not play any of the open strings.

Here is how this F Power chord is played:

Note, this chord shape does not include F Minor third (Ab) or Major third (A) notes. Therefore it is not technically a F Major or F Minor power chord. It can be considered either!

F Power Chord (8th fret)

This F Power chord, played from the 8th fret, has these notes: F, C, F

Do not play any of the open strings.

Here is how this F Power chord is played:

Note, this chord shape does not include F Minor third (Ab) or Major third (A) notes. Therefore it is not technically a F Major or F Minor power chord. It can be considered either!

B Power Chord (7th fret)

This B Power chord, played from the 7th fret, has these notes: B, F#, B

Do not play any of the open strings.

Here is how this B Power chord is played:

Note, this chord shape does not include B Minor third (D) or Major third (D#) notes. Therefore it is not technically a B Major or B Minor power chord. It can be considered either!

B Power Chord (2nd fret)

This B Power chord, played from the 2nd fret, has these notes: B, F#, B

Do not play any of the open strings.

Here is how this B Power chord is played:

Note, this chord shape does not include B Minor third (D) or Major third (D#) notes. Therefore it is not technically a B Major or B Minor power chord. It can be considered either!

C Power Chord (8th fret)

This C Power chord, played from the 8th fret, has these notes: C, G, C

Do not play any of the open strings.

Here is how this C Power chord is played:

Note, this chord shape does not include C Minor third (Eb) or Major third (E) notes. Therefore it is not technically a C Major or C Minor power chord. It can be considered either!

C Power Chord (3rd fret)

This C Power chord, played from the 3rd fret, has these notes: C, G, C

Do not play any of the open strings.

Here is how this C Power chord is played:

Note, this chord shape does not include C Minor third (Eb) or Major third (E) notes. Therefore it is not technically a C Major or C Minor power chord. It can be considered either!

A Power Chord (5th fret)

This A power chord, played from the 5th fret, has these notes: A, E, A

Do not play any of the open strings.

Here is how this A power chord is played:

Note, this chord shape does not include a Minor third (C) or Major third (C#) notes. Therefore it is not technically a Major or a Minor power chord. It can be considered either!

A Power Chord (12th fret)

This A power chord, played from the 12th fret, has these notes: A, E, A

Do not play any of the open strings.

Here is how this A power chord is played:

Note, this chord shape does not include a Minor third (C) or Major third (C#) notes. Therefore it is not technically a Major or a Minor power chord. It can be considered either!

Further reading

1. 10 Basic Guitar Chords For Beginners
2. 14 Bar Chords Guitar Player Should Know (6th string root)
3. 14 Barre Chords Guitar Players Should Know (5th string root)
4. Five Easy Guitar Chords You Should Know: F Chords
5. Five Easy Guitar Chords You Should Know: C Chords
6. Power Chord Alternatives: Five Voicings to Try