A#5 or B♭5 Power Chord
1st Fret · A-String RootThe standard A#5: index on the A string at fret 1 (A#), then flatten your ring finger across the D and G strings at fret 3 (F, then A# an octave up). Mute the low E and everything above.
A#5 or B♭5 Power Chord
Two-Note DyadA# and F only — root and 5th, no octave. Two fingers at the very bottom of the neck, and no barre in sight.
A#5 or B♭5 Power Chord
6th Fret · E-String RootThe same shape on the low E string, rooted on A# at fret 6. An octave below the A-string form and noticeably heavier.
You will nearly always see B♭5
This pitch belongs to flat keys in practice, so charts write B♭5. The shape and sound do not change.
The barre-free B♭
B♭ major is a barre chord at fret 1. B♭5 needs two fingers on adjacent strings, which makes this key far more approachable.
Neither major nor minor
A#5 leaves out the D of A#/B♭ major and the D♭ of the minor, so it fits over either without adjustment.
Mind the first fret
Fret 1 has the highest string tension on the neck. Place the finger close behind the fret wire rather than pressing harder.
Two roots to know
A# is fret 1 on the A string and fret 6 on the low E. Those two positions give you both shapes on this page.
About the A#5 Power Chord on Guitar
The A#5 power chord is built from two notes: A# (the root) and F (the perfect 5th — spelled E# in strict theory, but written and played as F). With no 3rd it is neither major nor minor, so it sits comfortably in either key. A#5 is enharmonically identical to B♭5, and in real music you will almost always see the flat spelling, because this pitch lives in flat keys. Like the other roots with no open-string chord, it is where power chords earn their keep: B♭ major is a first-fret barre, while B♭5 is two fingers on adjacent strings. This page covers three voicings — the A-string root at fret 1, the bare dyad, and a heavier low-E form at fret 6. Every diagram is interactive and playable with acoustic guitar sound.
- 013 A#5 or B♭5 power chord shapes from beginner to intermediate
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04A-string root, two-note dyad, and E-string root voicings
- 05A no-barre alternative to the B♭ major barre chord
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 2 notes that form the A# or B♭ Power chord and their role in the major scale.
Every power chord follows this same formula — root and perfect fifth, with no 3rd. Two notes, so it is neither major nor minor.