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
Frequently Asked Questions
A power chord is a two-note chord made of the root and the perfect 5th. For example, C5 contains C and G. It leaves out the 3rd, so it is neither major nor minor — and most shapes add the root again an octave up for thickness.
Neither. The 3rd is the note that makes a chord major or minor, and a power chord does not have one. That is why the same C5 shape works over a C major progression and a C minor one.
There are 12 power chords — one for each note in the chromatic scale: C5, C#5/D♭5, D5, D#5/E♭5, E5, F5, F#5/G♭5, G5, G#5/A♭5, A5, A#5/B♭5, and B5. Because the shape is fully moveable, learning one teaches you all 12.
Distortion adds harmonics to whatever you play. The 3rd of a full triad clashes with those added harmonics and the chord turns muddy, while a bare root and perfect 5th reinforce each other and stay defined however much gain you use.
The power chord formula is 1 – 5: root and perfect fifth, seven semitones apart. Applied to C that is C (1) and G (5).
Two. Your index frets the root, and your ring finger lies flat across the next two strings at the same fret to cover the 5th and the octave. Ring and pinky on separate strings works too, but the flattened ring finger is what most players use and it keeps the grip identical as you move up the neck. On the open E5 and A5 shapes the root is an open string, so the index does the flattening instead.
In rock, punk, and metal, yes — the power chord is the idiomatic choice, not a compromise. F5 and B5 need two fingers where F major and B major need a full barre. In folk, pop, or jazz, where the 3rd carries the harmony, the full chord matters more.
Strictly speaking it is a dyad — two notes, where a chord normally means three or more. In practice every guitarist, chart, and songbook calls it a chord, and the three-string shape does play three notes (the third one being the root repeated an octave higher).
E5 (0-2-2-x-x-x), A5 (x-0-2-2-x-x), and D5 (x-x-0-2-3-x) use an open string as their root in standard tuning. Every other root uses a fretted, fully moveable shape.
All Chord Types
Looking for something else? Search the full Chord Library — hundreds of diagrams across every chord type, including diminished 7th, augmented, 6th, slash, and extended chords.