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Normally a C power chord is played by using C and the G in the same octave (that is, 3rd fret of 5th string and 5th fret of 4th string). But a friend says the C power chord can be played just by barring the 6th and 5th string at 3rd fret, that is C and the lower G note.

Is that possible? Will it sound good if I play that in place of the standard C power chord?

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E:3, A:3, D:5, G:5, is my favourite way to play this power chord :) – gingerbreadboy Dec 24 '12 at 11:09
for what is worth, this kind of inversion is my preferred way of playing the opening riff from “Smoke on the Water”. I wouldn't have it any other way. – Agos Dec 26 '12 at 12:24

6 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

It has a different total quality, especially when you use distortion, so the only way to see if it works in your situation is to try it.

It is one of several power chord inversions you can play with; try 5th fret on E string and 6th fret on A, or 6 and 5, or 7 and 5 etc- many possibilities.

Update As an example, Faith No More have a lot of riff variants which sound broadly the same within the same song until you realise that the sequence of power chords is a different inversion each time. Listen to Surprise You're Dead a few times to see what I mean.

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Yes, the answer to "will it sound good if I ..." is always "try it". – slim Dec 18 '12 at 10:25
Often the bass will be playing a C anyway, so you'll end up with CGC (low to high) as an ensemble. – Dave Dec 18 '12 at 14:01
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+1 for calling what it is: an inversion. – Agos Dec 26 '12 at 12:24
up vote 1 down vote

What you've described is a fourth.

A 5th and 4th are the same, but where the bass note is what you would normally use as a 5th.

E (7th fret, 5th string) + B (9th fret, 4th string) = E with the fifth B (7th fret, 6th string) + E (7th fret, 5th string) = E is the fourth

EDIT: (This looked fine as I was writing it, but when it was posted it doesn't seem to work... so, I'm not sure how to write tab on this)

E:7 A:7 D:9 G:9 (where the numbers are the fret, and letters are string obviously)

Just play any normal 5th chord that you would, and play the fret on the string above, and you'll see what I'm getting at.

I've also included a link to a website that shows you the same thing.

http://www.torvund.net/guitar/chords/index.php?page=E4

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I think made things more confusing. B is E's fifth - because E,F,G,A,B is five notes. E is B's 4th because B,C,D,E is four notes. But if the chord I want is an E, I wouldn't describe it as B and its 4th -- I'd describe it as E and its fifth, with the fifth played an octave lower. That's because we want to keep in mind what the tonic is. – slim Dec 18 '12 at 14:28
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jTab is supported here if you'd like to learn how to use it. Otherwise if you're looking for fixed formatting, put <pre> before the relevant text and </pre> after. – Matthew Read♦ Dec 18 '12 at 16:24
It's not a forth if the root is (using the original posted example) considered the C. Isn't G the fifth of C regardless of where they are played?? Every chord can be called multiple names depending on the usage. Like most things in music, context is key. – gingerbreadboy Dec 24 '12 at 11:06
up vote 0 down vote

Yes, you can play a 5th below the root string, but it becomes a 4th at that point. It will have a distinctly darker sound than a typical power chord so I don't know that they can be interchanged freely, but it is useful in it's own right.

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It's not a forth if the root is (using the original posted example) considered the C. Isn't G the fifth of C regardless of where they are played?? Every chord can be called multiple names depending on the usage. Like most things in music, context is key. – gingerbreadboy Dec 24 '12 at 11:07
up vote 0 down vote

If the root is the C and the other note a G then the chord described is still a fifth, in this case C5. Context is king.

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up vote 0 down vote

It's getting too semantic!! If you play a C and a G above or below it, it's still a pwer chord (C5). The G is always a pefect 5th of C. Talking about a 4th gives a different chord - look at the chord being played in that bar - if it's a C then a G note will fit perfectly. If it's a G chord then the C note won't fit anyway.....

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up vote 0 down vote

It's an inversion and it will sound different.

In drop D tuning, barring the 6th and 5th string at the 3rd fret is a typical power chord. So it's possible that maybe your friend doesn't know anything other than drop D tuning...

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