POWER CHORDS: PART 3: THE FINALE
Preface (skip if this isn’t your first time here):
THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW ANYTHING USEFUL ABOUT THE GUITAR!
It’s because no one either showed them anything useful or they never found out the basics of playing guitar.
DON’T BE LIKE THEM!
Here we are going to talk about those guitar basics in bite-sized chunks.
Hopefully, this will give you everything necessary to understand how to play the instrument, fix any flaws in your playing, and form ideas on how to change things up in your technique.
You’ve done it. You’ve made it to the finale (and if you haven’t, check out Part 1 and Part 2 before trying this). You can play all the single-finger and two-finger power chords out there and so you think you’re ready for the three-finger power chords.
Now you think you’re ready, but this is boss-level power chords. You’re going to need everything you’ve learned from before: Finger Names, good Left Hand Technique, Rhythm, Reading Tabs. But you can do all that right? So let’s get started.
Three finger power chords require the same technique that you used for the two-finger ones. In fact, these will be the exact same chords with the addition of a string. This will be more challenging though since you have to include the additional finger.
For all these power chords, use your first, third, and fourth fingers to play them. You will need no other fingers for these. Remind yourself how your left hand should look with this:
For plucking the right strings, do exactly what you’ve done in the two-finger chords, but with a little more POWER!!!
Aim for plucking two strings this time instead of one. If you can do that, then add that extra power and you will play all three. If you can’t tell, pluck the individual strings of the chord (so you can hear how they sound), then play the chord. For this, focus on hearing the highest sounding string in the chord.
Okay, let’s start by playing these chords:
One question you may be wondering is why some chords like A5 can exist on two different places and how you should know which one to play. Please look at our post on the fretboard to find out the how, what, and where for these chords existing in two spots. Knowing that the chords exist in multiple places can give you options for playing riffs.
Now if you can play these chords, let’s try out these songs.
We’ll start with something that sounds like Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock n’ Roll.” The real tabs for the song are here.
Alright, good job. Now let’s play a song like Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla.” Real tabs are here.
Finally, the finale of the finale. If you’re really ready to rock, then it’s time for this song that sounds like Scorpions’ “Rock You Like A Hurricane.” Real tabs are here.
Remember the playing process. Practice these songs slow. Take your time with them. If it gets too hard, relax and come back to it. The most important thing is to have fun with it. Music is meant to be enjoyed!