Power chord

The power chord - term English meaning “agreement of power literally” - is a simple agreement generally applied to the Guitare. It is only composed of the tonic - possibly doubled with the octave - and of the Quinte.

The power chord is, in a more precise way, a interval which with the diatonic function of a major agreement or minor. It is always composed of two height S of notes - or three if first is doubled with the higher octave. It generally includes/understands two distant heights distinct from a Quinte or sound inversion, the Quarte. One often meets of this fact the C5 notation for the agreement C in power chord .

Description

Harmonically, it acts of the poorest agreement; but this harmonic poverty goes hand in hand with a great power and a great uniformity. It is in “its light” that its harmonic poverty is most obvious; with a Distortion, it is a very effective agreement, which reveals way the purest - precisely by its harmonic poverty - richness of the distortion.

History

According to an article in Freelance Star , the extent of the possibilities of the power chord was prospected by the guitar Link Wray. The guitarist of blues, Elmore James, used power chords at the end of the Années 1950, in his song “I Need You”.

The first genuine tube built around the power chords is “You Really Got Me” of The Kinks in 1964

The first groups of hard rock and metal as Black Sabbath contributed to the popularization of this technique. Pete Townshend of the Who is known for its movement consisting in making sound power chords while making whirl its arm. Thereafter, the music Punk and the heavy metal abundantly used the power chords . These musical currents continue to employ them to ensure a powerful sound.

Use

This type of agreement is used only very exceptionally in musics where the harmonic richness is capital, like the Jazz. On the other hand, in the musical styles where the power imports more than the internal harmony of the agreements - in opposition to the harmony of the various agreements between them, which is not neglected - as the Hard rock, this agreement is very largely used. It is even, by far, the agreement more represented in these musical styles.

This agreement is easiest to play guitar, since two fingers are enough, to the maximum three. It is moreover very easily transposable: whatever it tonic, the position of the fingers is always exactly the same one on the handle - contrary to the more complex agreements, including for example third , which are played differently according to the tonic and the place of the handle where one is. If the guitar is tuned in Drop D , then its sixth and its fifth cord (and its fourth if the octave is added.) automatically form a power chord in D and only one finger is necessary to transpose it on the handle.

This agreement is thus very easy to learn, which makes it available to the people who do not know anything in musical theory or in Solfège.

Examples

Here, successively, the Fingering chart S of power chords of semi , the , F sharp , and C . As one can see it, the transposition of the power chords on the handle is commonplace, therefore accessible to all.

----------------- ----------------- -----2---------5 2----2----4----5 2----0----4----3 0---------2------ E5 A5 F#5 C5

External bonds

Course on the triads and the agreements of power
Exercises of '' power chords ''

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