Power Chords, yay or nay?

[bleedingskeptic]

This is kind of for all you guitar players out there. Do you often use power chords when playing/writing rhythym guitar? I make a conscious effort not to play use them, but people tell me that songs I write would sound better with power chords instead of the chords I use. I just want to hear your view on power chords since they are used almost all the time in metal.

 

[Hexxan]

easy to play, but if ya want to show off dont use em

 

[bleedingskeptic]

yargh, i meant to put this in off topic.

 

[osse87]

A bit of topic 'n stuff. But what is a power chord ?

 

[Lethe78]

I use alot of power chords for rhythm playing, but they can be quite boring and don't take an astronimical amount of talent to master.

 

[_]

I don't like to use power chords often. I only use them where I see fit in terms of harmony.

 

[L0bster]

hmm it really depends. Some rhythmguitars get a great sound with powerchords, as long as they stay in the background. Powerchords in the foreground ..ahmu..punk I guess.

 

[Alteredmindeath]

Power chords are for punk rockers to an extent, if you want to be original and creative design your own chords using the building blocks of music, but if you want to stay basic any one can do a power chord just look at Opeth they stray away from them.

 

[Kate Bush Rules!]

Use them a bit in your rhythm guitar, don't make a conscious effort to avoid them. Just don't use the "nothing but powerchords" approach.

 

[The Master]

A bit of topic 'n stuff. But what is a power chord ?

The electric guitar, when put through high levels of gain and distortion, puts out an INSANE ammount of dissonance and noise when there is more than three or so tones being played at once. It just can't handle it.

So, the power chord was invented. Its basically a chord with only two tones - typically the root note (first) and fifth note of a standard chord. There are variations of course.

 

[Eirik]

hrrm...

unless you have some good harmony going on, I'd definitely try to sneak more notes in there because there's virtually no power chord combo that sounds really original and beautiful..

for some moments it's called for but I try to avoid them...

 

[Cyclonus]

Chords really sound crap on a fully distorted electric guitar. So I use power chords.

 

[Immortal Death]

Power chords fucking rock!

 

[BiatchGuy]

uh, I guess I use a lot of them *shrug*

 

[bleedingskeptic]

I'm not talking necessarily about full chords. With distortion on I usually try to do triads or use thirds a lot.

 

[Morningrise]

I don't make an effort not to use them, but I do make an effort to use more interesting chords. Even if it is just adding a bit of interest to the typical power chord by adding a note or something.
Hey, bleeding skeptic, I'd be interested in hearing anything you have if that's cool, I'm always interested in unconventional writing, even if it is just not using power chords? PM me or something.

 

[Mantraschism]

I use power chords when they're called for, and full chords when they're called for. Sometimes a simple power chord is all that's needed (and desired), whereas at other times you need a richer chord to get the musical message across. I'm a big fan of ninth chords, and suspended second chords, as well as tritones when that certain dissonance is what I'm after. Thinking about it, I guess I don't use as many power chords as I once thought I did. I play a lot of things that sort of feel like power chords, but are in fact a variation on them, or something totally different altogether. And then there's the other way: just using single notes from time to time. Chords can be mis/overused, and can detract from the feeling or power that a single note riff/melody would bring. Then, to step it up, two-note harmonies are often an even better change of pace from chords, because they're the middle-ground between single notes and chords (three notes or more, obviously). Eh, I don't suppose this was a very helpful post... but hopefully, I said something along the way that made some sense. =P

 

[Katatonic]

borknagar make AWESOME music only using power chords. its just personal taste mainly

 

[Anarkissed]

It really depends what kind of song you're trying to play. I know Opeth, (especially in Deliverance) has some riffs using just powerchords, and it doesn't make the music sound 'emptier' than any other riff in the song, because it's designed to suit the current mood in that particular time in the song. (for example the end of Deliverance, where they repeat the same riff over and over, mindnumbingly but it sounds awesome, almost like a death march)

However a song written complete with powerchords is pretty limited, unless there is a second or more guitarists playing other stuff over it (maybe some disharmonic stuff). When I think power chord, i think of Blink 182. If you want to write good metal(i'm guessing that's the stuff most of you would want), i reckon you should try limiting your use of powerchords...but that might be just me.

 

[Jeremy]

Well Dimebag from Pantera uses tons of power chords and he's my favourite rythm guitarist so....