Play C53 shapes
Choose a root note
12 diagrams · 12 playable
Anatomy
Power Chord Formula
The 2 scale degrees that form every power chord — in any key.
I
Root0 st
V
Perfect 5th+7 st
A power chord is a major or minor triad with the 3rd removed — only the root and the perfect 5th are left. Because the 3rd is the note that decides whether a chord sounds happy (major) or sad (minor), a power chord is neither: it states the root and nothing more. Two notes make it technically a dyad rather than a chord, but every guitarist calls it a chord, and the shape usually adds the root again an octave up for thickness.
Applied to C: C (root) – G (perfect 5th). Applied to E: E – B. Applied to A: A – E.
About this tool
About Power Chords on Guitar
The power chord — written with a "5" after the root letter, as in C5, E5, or A5 — is a two-note chord built from the root and the perfect 5th (formula 1 – 5). Leaving out the 3rd is the whole idea: with nothing to make it major or minor, one shape covers both, and a riff can move anywhere without worrying about the key. It also survives distortion. A full triad played through heavy gain turns muddy because the 3rd clashes with the overtones the amp generates; a bare perfect 5th stays clear and defined, which is why power chords are the foundation of rock, punk, and metal rhythm guitar. The fingering is the same everywhere: your index frets the root, and your ring finger lies flat across the 5th and the octave, which sit on the next two strings at the same fret. That two-finger grip slides up and down the neck to give you all 12 roots, and the low E and A string forms mean most players learn them long before their first barre chord. E5, A5, and D5 also have open-string versions in standard tuning.
- 01Built from 2 notes: root and perfect 5th (formula 1 – 5)
- 02No 3rd — neither major nor minor, so one shape fits both keys
- 03Written with a "5" after the root letter: C5, E5, A5
- 04Stays clear and defined under heavy distortion, where full triads turn muddy
- 05Two-finger grip: index on the root, ring finger flattened across the 5th and octave
- 06E5 (022xxx), A5 (x022xx), and D5 (xx023x) have open-string shapes
- 07Every shape is fully moveable — one fingering covers all 12 roots
- 08Often used in place of a barre chord: B5 and F5 need two fingers, not six strings
- 09Technically a dyad (two notes) rather than a triad, but universally called a chord
Questions
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