D5 Power Chord
5th Fret · A-String RootThe standard moveable D5, rooted on the A string at fret 5: index at fret 5 (D), then flatten your ring finger across the D and G strings at fret 7 (A, then D an octave up). Mute the low E and everything above.
D5 Power Chord
Open Position · D-String RootOpen D5 (x-x-0-2-3-x): D string open (D), index on the G string at fret 2 (A), middle on the B string at fret 3 (D an octave up). The one power chord shape you cannot barre — the octave sits a fret higher because the G and B strings are a major 3rd apart.
D5 Power Chord
10th Fret · E-String RootThe low E string version, rooted on D at fret 10. Same two notes, lowest register — the heaviest of the three D5 shapes.
Watch the D-string shape
On the open D5 the octave is at fret 3, not fret 2. The G-to-B string pair is a major 3rd apart, so every shape crossing it shifts up a fret.
Aim your strum
Open D5 uses only the D, G, and B strings. Start the strum from the D string and stop before the high e.
Neither major nor minor
D5 leaves out the F# that would make it D major and the F that would make it D minor, so it fits over both.
Learn the A-string form too
x-5-7-7 is the same chord in a moveable shape. Slide it around and you have every power chord on the neck.
Great against a droning open D
The open D string rings underneath a lot of rock and folk riffs. D5 is the chord that drone naturally resolves to.
About the D5 Power Chord on Guitar
The D5 power chord is built from two notes: D (the root) and A (the perfect 5th). The 3rd is deliberately absent, so D5 is neither major nor minor — it works over a D major progression and a D minor one alike. The usual D5 is the moveable A-string shape at fret 5, fingered like every other power chord: index on the root, ring finger flat across the 5th and the octave. D is also one of the few roots with a genuine open power chord, x-x-0-2-3-x, which uses the open D string as the root. That one is the exception to the barre grip — it puts the octave a fret higher than the other shapes, because the G and B strings sit a major 3rd apart rather than a perfect 4th, so its three notes land on three different frets. This page covers three voicings — the moveable A-string and low E forms plus the open shape. Every diagram is interactive and playable with acoustic guitar sound.
- 013 D5 power chord shapes from beginner to intermediate
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04Moveable A-string and E-string forms plus the open D-string shape
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 2 notes that form the D 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.