Skip to main content
Music: Practice & Theory

Return to Question

Tweeted twitter.com/#!/StackMusic/status/485337208040488960
deleted 6 characters in body
Source Link
Lee White
Lee White
  • 6k
  • 5
  • 31
  • 61

Every guitar player runs into these at least once (and probably way more often, too): power chords. This is a general term for chords consisting of the root note, the major fifth, and an octave.

In most situations, these chords are played on the lower strings, often with distortion/overdrive. In my view, that's why power chords never contain thirds; with the distortion and the low tones, this small interval would sound a bit messy.

I wonder if this kind of chords is ever used in other situations though. In rock music, you'll sometimes find chord schemes consisting entirely of power chords played on guitars, with not a single third note anywhere. Is this something that appears in other kinds of music, and on other instruments as well? Additionally, is there a specific kind of emotion/feeling that you create by omitting the third note of your chord(s)?

Every guitar player runs into these at least once (and probably way more often, too): power chords. This is a general term for chords consisting of the root note, the major fifth, and an octave.

In most situations, these chords are played on the lower strings, often with distortion/overdrive. In my view, that's why power chords never contain thirds; with the distortion and the low tones, this small interval would sound a bit messy.

I wonder if this kind of chords is ever used in other situations though. In rock music, you'll sometimes find chord schemes consisting entirely of power chords played on guitars, with not a single third note anywhere. Is this something that appears in other kinds of music, and on other instruments as well? Additionally, is there a specific kind of emotion/feeling that you create by omitting the third note of your chord(s)?

Every guitar player runs into these at least once (and probably way more often, too): power chords. This is a general term for chords consisting of the root note, the fifth, and an octave.

In most situations, these chords are played on the lower strings, often with distortion/overdrive. In my view, that's why power chords never contain thirds; with the distortion and the low tones, this small interval would sound a bit messy.

I wonder if this kind of chords is ever used in other situations though. In rock music, you'll sometimes find chord schemes consisting entirely of power chords played on guitars, with not a single third note anywhere. Is this something that appears in other kinds of music, and on other instruments as well? Additionally, is there a specific kind of emotion/feeling that you create by omitting the third note of your chord(s)?

Source Link
Lee White
Lee White
  • 6k
  • 5
  • 31
  • 61

Do power chords have some kind of function/meaning?

Every guitar player runs into these at least once (and probably way more often, too): power chords. This is a general term for chords consisting of the root note, the major fifth, and an octave.

In most situations, these chords are played on the lower strings, often with distortion/overdrive. In my view, that's why power chords never contain thirds; with the distortion and the low tones, this small interval would sound a bit messy.

I wonder if this kind of chords is ever used in other situations though. In rock music, you'll sometimes find chord schemes consisting entirely of power chords played on guitars, with not a single third note anywhere. Is this something that appears in other kinds of music, and on other instruments as well? Additionally, is there a specific kind of emotion/feeling that you create by omitting the third note of your chord(s)?