Electric guitar chords use the same shapes you already know from acoustic guitar. What changes is the sound, because your amp and its distortion shape every note. That’s why rock players lean on power chords: two-note shapes built from a root and a fifth.
In 1958, Link Wray released “Rumble,” a distorted, tremolo-soaked instrumental. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame credits it with inventing power-chord rock, and it inducted Wray in 2023. This lesson covers five open chords, their power chord versions, five jazz voicings, and amp settings for eight styles.
Notes in a basic power chord
2the root and the fifth, with no third, so the chord is neither major nor minor
What Are the Notes of Electric Guitar Strings?
A six-string electric guitar in standard tuning plays E, A, D, G, B, and E, from the thickest string to the thinnest. Chord diagrams and finger instructions number the strings from the thinnest up.
- 6th string: low E, the thickest
- 5th string: A
- 4th string: D
- 3rd string: G
- 2nd string: B
- 1st string: high E, the thinnest
Most neighboring strings sit a perfect fourth apart. The only exception is G to B, a major third. Keep these electric guitar notes in mind, because every power chord below starts on the 6th or 5th string.
What Are Power Chords on Electric Guitar?
A power chord has a root and a fifth but no third. Without the third, it has neither a major nor a minor quality. Many shapes also double the root an octave higher, which adds weight without adding a new note.
Power chords also love distortion. Research cited by Open Music Theory finds that distortion makes major triads somewhat dissonant and minor triads even more so. Let’s compare a regular open chord with its power chord version, starting with C major.
C Major Chord
Played the usual way, C major is an open chord that uses three fingers and two open strings.
- Place your 1st finger on the 2nd string, 1st fret.
- Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string, 3rd fret.
- Play strings 1 and 3 open, and avoid the 6th string.
C5 Power Chord
For the C5 power chord, you use a simpler shape. It plays C on the 5th string, G on the 4th string, and an optional high C on the 3rd string.
- Place your 1st finger on the 5th string, 3rd fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string, 5th fret.
- Optional: place your 4th finger on the 3rd string, 5th fret.
- Mute strings 1, 2, and 6, and string 3 too if you skip the optional note.
Hear the difference? Through a distorted amp, the C5 sounds tight and heavy. It’s also a movable shape, so you can slide it along the neck to play other power chords. Your 1st finger always plays the root, the note that names the chord.
G Major Chord
Next up is open G major, one of the first chords most guitarists learn.
- Place your 1st finger on the 5th string, 2nd fret.
- Place your 2nd finger on the 6th string, 3rd fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string, 3rd fret.
- Place your 4th finger on the 1st string, 3rd fret.
- Play strings 3 and 4 open.
G5 Power Chord
G5 uses the same power chord shape, moved to the 6th string. Its notes are G, D, and an optional high G.
- Place your 1st finger on the 6th string, 3rd fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string, 5th fret.
- Optional: place your 4th finger on the 4th string, 5th fret.
- Mute strings 1, 2, and 3, and string 4 too if you skip the optional note.
D Major Chord
Open D major sits on the top four strings, so keep your strum away from the two thickest strings.
- Place your 1st finger on the 3rd string, 2nd fret.
- Place your 2nd finger on the 1st string, 2nd fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string, 3rd fret.
- Play the 4th string open.
- Mute strings 5 and 6.
D5 Power Chord
For D5, move the C5 shape up two frets. The root D now sits on the 5th string at the 5th fret, with A and an optional high D above it.
- Place your 1st finger on the 5th string, 5th fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string, 7th fret.
- Optional: place your 4th finger on the 3rd string, 7th fret.
- Mute strings 1, 2, and 6, and string 3 too if you skip the optional note.
E Major Chord
Open E major uses all six strings, which makes it one of the fullest-sounding chords on the guitar.
- Place your 1st finger on the 3rd string, 1st fret.
- Place your 2nd finger on the 5th string, 2nd fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret.
- Play strings 1, 2, and 6 open.
E5 Power Chord
E5 is the easiest power chord of all, because the open 6th string plays the root. The 5th string adds B, and the 4th string doubles E.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string, 2nd fret.
- Optional: place your 4th finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret.
- Play string 6 open.
- Mute strings 1, 2, and 3, and string 4 too if you skip the optional note.
A Major Chord
Open A major lines up three fingers on the 2nd fret, so press firmly and keep each finger arched.
- Place your 1st finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret.
- Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string, 2nd fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string, 2nd fret.
- Play strings 1 and 5 open.
- Mute string 6.
A5 Power Chord
A5 moves the G5 shape up two frets. The 6th string plays A at the 5th fret, with E and an optional high A above it.
- Place your 1st finger on the 6th string, 5th fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string, 7th fret.
- Optional: place your 4th finger on the 4th string, 7th fret.
- Mute strings 1, 2, and 3, and string 4 too if you skip the optional note.
Experiment With Your Power Chords
Now that you know how the shape works, slide it around the fretboard and name each chord you land on. Then practice switching between power chords, and between open chords and power chords. Those changes are what you’ll use in real songs.
beenherePractice tip: mute with your fretting handLet the underside of your 1st finger rest lightly on the strings you don’t play. Then strum with more confidence, since the muted strings won’t ring through the distortion.
Two notes can carry a whole song. Jimmy Page, who inducted Link Wray into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, explained what “Rumble” meant to him.
As a guitar instrumental, the attitude of Rumble was totally unique in its mystery, imagination, and execution. It had a profound effect on me.
Jimmy Page, as quoted by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
How Do You Play Jazz Chords on Electric Guitar?
Power chords may be your focus, but jazz chords shine through a clean channel. These five voicings add sevenths and upper extensions, the notes that give jazz its rich color.
G7b9 Chord
G7♭9 is a dominant seventh with a lowered ninth. This voicing plays G, B, F, and A♭ and leaves out the fifth.
- Lay your 1st finger across strings 1 to 4 at the 4th fret.
- Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string, 5th fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string, 6th fret.
- Mute strings 5 and 6.
Am7b5 Chord
Am7♭5, also called A half-diminished, stacks A, C, E♭, and G. The open 5th string gives you the root for free.
- Place your 1st finger on the 2nd string, 4th fret.
- Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string, 5th fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string, 5th fret.
- Place your 4th finger on the 1st string, 5th fret.
- Play string 5 open.
- Mute string 6.
Eb7sus4 Chord
In a sus chord, another interval replaces the third. Here, A♭ takes the place of G, so the chord plays E♭, A♭, B♭, and D♭.
- Place your 1st finger on the 4th string, 1st fret.
- Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd string, 2nd fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string, 3rd fret.
- Place your 4th finger on the 1st string, 4th fret.
- Mute strings 5 and 6.
Am11 Chord
Am11 is a minor chord with the seventh, ninth, and eleventh stacked on top. This shape plays A, C, G, B, and D and skips the fifth.
- Lay your 1st finger across all six strings at the 3rd fret.
- Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string, 4th fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 6th string, 5th fret.
- Place your 4th finger on the 4th string, 5th fret.
Bb13 Chord
A thirteenth chord implies the seventh, ninth, and eleventh below it. This B♭13 voicing plays B♭, E♭, A♭, D, G, and C, with the fifth left out.
- Lay your 1st finger across all six strings at the 6th fret.
- Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string, 7th fret.
- Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string, 8th fret.
- Place your 4th finger on the 1st string, 8th fret.
Jazz chords can look intimidating, but they open new ways to play. They also teach you how notes relate across the fretboard. If you can read a chord diagram, you can learn every one of these shapes.
How Do You Get the Most Out of Your Amp?
Your amp shapes your tone as much as your fingers do. Not every amp offers the same controls, but most share a few basics. The settings below use the Fender FM 212R, a 100-watt combo with two 12-inch speakers.
According to Fender’s manual, the FM 212R has a Normal channel and a Drive channel. Each has its own volume and tone controls, and a single reverb knob serves both.
What Do the Buttons and Control Knobs Do?
Before you adjust anything, learn what each control does. Here’s a quick overview, based on the FM 212R manual.
- Channel Select: This button switches between the clean Normal channel and the distorted Drive channel.
- More Drive: This button boosts the intensity and range of the Drive knob for heavier sounds.
- Mid Contour: This button “scoops” the midrange, a sound suited to modern distortion on the Drive channel.
- Drive: This knob sets how much distortion the Drive channel adds.
- Volume: Each channel has its own volume knob to set its loudness.
- Treble: This knob shapes the high frequencies. Turn it up for more definition, or down for a softer tone.
- Mid: This knob shapes the midrange. More mids help you cut through a band, while fewer mids sound more muted.
- Bass: This knob shapes the low end. More bass sounds beefier, and less sounds light and crisp.
- Reverb: This knob adds spring reverb, a wash of tightly spaced echoes. Turn it up for a fuller, roomier sound.
With the controls in mind, you can start shaping tones for different styles of music.
Which Amp Settings Suit Each Style?
Electric guitar tones fall broadly into clean and dirty, but each has many shades. Use these settings as starting points on a 0 to 10 scale, then adjust by ear.
The Clean Indie Sound
For pop or indie music, try a crystal-clear clean tone like this one.
- Channel: Normal
- Treble: 7
- Mid: 5
- Bass: 4
- Reverb: 3
The Cool Jazz Feel
For swing, bebop, or similar jazz styles, keep your tone clean and soft with plenty of reverb.
- Channel: Normal
- Treble: 5
- Mid: 4
- Bass: 6
- Reverb: 7
The Good Old-Fashioned Blues
For the blues, start with a little distortion and plenty of clarity so every note comes through.
- Channel: Drive
- Drive: 3
- Treble: 7
- Mid: 8
- Bass: 5
- Reverb: 4
The Down and Dirty Blues
This blues tone has more grit, with extra drive and a heavier low end.
- Channel: Drive
- Drive: 5
- Treble: 6
- Mid: 4
- Bass: 8
- Reverb: 4
The Classic Rocker
Rock and the blues share a lot, so a classic rock tone builds on the dirty blues settings.
- Channel: Drive
- Drive: 9
- Treble: 8
- Mid: 4
- Bass: 6
- Reverb: 6
The Psychedelic Trip
Effects pedals can take this sound further, but a high reverb setting gets the trip started.
- Channel: Drive, with More Drive on
- Drive: 5
- Treble: 8
- Mid: 4
- Bass: 4
- Reverb: 10
The Jazz-Rock-Funk Crusader
For a blend of styles, use the extra drive but keep it moderate so your notes stay clean and precise.
- Channel: Drive, with More Drive on
- Drive: 4
- Treble: 8
- Mid: 6
- Bass: 3
- Reverb: 6
The Heavy Rock Touch
To make your power chords roar, go heavy on the distortion and raise the bass a little.
- Channel: Drive, with More Drive on
- Drive: 10
- Treble: 7
- Mid: 3
- Bass: 7
- Reverb: 5
Which Tips Help You Sound Better on Electric Guitar?
Keep these pointers in mind as you explore your instrument and your amp.
- Your tone shapes which chords sound best. In general, the clean channel favors open chords, and the distorted channel favors power chords.
- There are exceptions, so experiment to hear what works in each situation.
- Set your tone to fit the genre you play. Get to know your amp and find the settings you prefer.
- Move the power chord shape around the fretboard to play new chords. Your 1st finger always plays the root.
Guitar skills take time to build. Practice a little every day, and progress at your own pace.
Sources
- "Pentatonic Harmony," Mark Gotham and Bryn Hughes, Open Music Theory, Version 2. Available at: https://viva.pressbooks.pub/openmusictheory/chapter/pentatonic-harmony/. Accessed 28 Sept. 2026.
- "Chord Symbols," Megan Lavengood, Open Music Theory, Version 2. Available at: https://viva.pressbooks.pub/openmusictheory/chapter/chord-symbols/. Accessed 28 Sept. 2026.
- "Standard Guitar Tuning Explained (E A D G B E)," S.I.T. Strings. Available at: https://sitstrings.com/standard-guitar-tuning/. Accessed 28 Sept. 2026.
- "FM 212R Owner’s Manual," Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Available at: https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/OM_leg_gtramp_FM_212R.pdf. Accessed 28 Sept. 2026.
- "Link Wray," Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Available at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/link-wray/. Accessed 28 Sept. 2026.
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