F5 Power Chord
1st Fret · E-String RootThe standard F5: index on the low E string at fret 1 (F), then flatten your ring finger across the A and D strings at fret 3 (C, then F an octave up). Mute the top three strings.
F5 Power Chord
Two-Note DyadF and C only — the bare root and 5th on the two lowest strings. Two fingers, and no barre anywhere near it.
F5 Power Chord
8th Fret · A-String RootThe same shape shifted to the A string, rooted on F at fret 8. Brighter than the first-fret form and easier to reach mid-riff.
The barre-free F
F major at fret 1 is the chord that stops most beginners. F5 needs no barre at all and covers the same harmonic ground in a rock context.
Keep the low action honest
Fret 1 is the stiffest spot on the neck. Press just behind the fret wire rather than squeezing harder.
Neither major nor minor
F5 drops the A that would make it F major and the A♭ that would make it F minor, so it fits over either.
Mute the top strings
Let your barring ring finger lie flat enough to rest against the G, B, and high e. A clean power chord is as much muting as fretting.
Same shape, new root
The 1-3-3 shape at fret 1 is F5. Slide it to fret 3 for G5, fret 5 for A5 — the pattern never changes.
About the F5 Power Chord on Guitar
The F5 power chord is built from two notes: F (the root) and C (the perfect 5th). Because it has no 3rd it is neither major nor minor, and it sits equally well over F major and F minor. F5 matters for a practical reason as well as a musical one: F major is the barre chord that stalls most beginners, and F5 gives you a usable F using two fingers on adjacent strings with no barre involved. The low E string root at fret 1 gives it real weight, and the whole shape is moveable — the same fingering two frets up is G5. This page covers three voicings, from the first-fret form to a brighter A-string version at fret 8. Every diagram is interactive and playable with acoustic guitar sound.
- 013 F5 power chord shapes from beginner to intermediate
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04E-string root, two-note dyad, and A-string root voicings
- 05A no-barre alternative to the F major barre chord
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 2 notes that form the F 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.