C5 Power Chord
3rd Fret · A-String RootThe standard C5: index on the A string at fret 3 (C), then flatten your ring finger across the D and G strings at fret 5 (G, then C an octave up). Mute the low E and everything above.
C5 Power Chord
Two-Note DyadC and G only. Drop the octave and you are left with the bare root and 5th — the tightest version, and the one that stays cleanest under heavy distortion.
C5 Power Chord
8th Fret · E-String RootThe same shape moved to the low E string, rooted on C at fret 8. Deeper and heavier than the A-string form — the usual choice for a riff that needs weight.
Only two notes
C5 is C and G. The third fretted note is the C an octave up — drop it and the chord still works exactly the same.
Mute everything else
Let the tip of your index touch the low E, and rest the underside of your ring finger on the B and high e so stray strings stay silent.
Neither major nor minor
With no 3rd, C5 sits comfortably over both C major and C minor — which is why rock riffs move through power chords so freely.
One shape, twelve roots
Slide x-3-5-5 up two frets for D5 or down two for B♭5. The finger pattern never changes; only the root note moves.
Distortion loves it
Two notes a perfect 5th apart stay defined under heavy gain, where a full C major triad turns muddy.
About the C5 Power Chord on Guitar
The C5 power chord is built from only two notes: C (the root) and G (the perfect 5th). Written with a 5 after the letter, it deliberately leaves out the 3rd — the note that would make the chord major or minor — so C5 is neither. That neutrality is the whole point: a power chord fits over a major or a minor progression without argument, and its bare perfect 5th holds together under distortion where a full triad would smear. Most guitarists play C5 with the A-string root at fret 3, adding the octave on the G string for thickness or dropping it for a tighter two-note stab. This page covers three voicings, all fully moveable. Every diagram is interactive and playable with acoustic guitar sound.
- 013 C5 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
- 05Every shape is fully moveable to all 12 roots
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 2 notes that form the C 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.