Make Your Power Chords Sound Great

In this article, I will explain how you can make simple power chords sound better. The first thing I will discuss is what you might be doing already. You should start doing it right away if you're not doing it. The second thing that I'm going to talk about is straightforward. It makes your power chords sound heavier. Then the third thing might be a little tricky and might take a little practice, but it really makes your power chords sound super aggressive.

The first thing I will describe is simply sliding your power chords. That's it, and it's pretty basic. So if you wanted to play a power chord starting on your fifth string on the 7th fret, instead of just starting there, you could start a couple of frets away and slide up into it. You could also slide the other way. Once you can slide one fret, try two frets or three frets. It doesn't make a difference; it's just a matter of what type of sound you want to have happen. It also depends on how much time you have to do a slide if you're coming from another chord. If you were to do something dramatic, for example, sliding from the first fret, it sounds much different than just sliding from one fret away. Don't hang on to the first note too long if you don't want it there. 

The second thing I want to discuss with you requires taking the same power chord, first finger on the 7th fret, ring finger on the 9th fret, and pinky on the 9th fret. Typically we're not playing our low E string, but if we did play our low E string, you can take your first finger and put it across the 7th fret as well. Now you have a four-note power chord, which sounds much more aggressive. It's the same chord, except we're putting the fifth of the root note an octave below. This fattens up the sound and is super easy to implement.

Another thing I want to talk about really quickly is taking our power chords and adding vibrato to them. Vibrato is simply bending the strings. For starters, I'm not going to use the three-string power chord, I'm just going to use two fingers, and I suggest you try that too. It will be easier to control two fingers than it is three fingers. The type of vibrato that I'm talking about is bending both strings simultaneously. What you're going to do is bend them at the same time and return the strings to their starting point. Then you will want to speed it up and have a steady, consistent pulse. See how fast you can get it.

Most importantly, the bends go precisely to the same point every time and return to the original starting position. If you don't return your fingers to their starting point, you're playing notes that are out of tune. Make sure to look at your hand and look to see that it goes back to the original starting position. Look at your fingers, see where they start, move them away, and have them return. It is tricky, but it can sound cool with a little practice. If you feel playing with two fingers is more complicated than playing with the three-finger power chord, do the three-finger power chord first. Try it both ways and whichever is easiest, you should start using anywhere you want all over the fretboard. Plug them into any place you have time, and ensure that your pulses or bends are even; you're constantly bending to the same point every time and always return your fingers to their original starting position.

Remember, sliding your power chords or barre cards into your desired location is a great easy way to make your power cords sound less boring. You can add a lower string to your power chords by using your first finger and having it barre across the thicker string above it. Finally, the third thing is adding vibrato to your power chords. Remember, you want to keep the fingers moving the same distance, in time, and always returning to their original location.

Remember always to have fun with your guitar, and I'll see you next time…

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About Mark Turko: Mark Turko is a professional guitar player and instructor with over 30 years of experience and teaches guitar lessons online.