I can play Bm in many different ways and B7 etc. but never saw a b power chord in a song until today.

thanks a lot

[This message has been edited by toremainn (edited 05-01-2005).]

Most people fret the chord that toremainn listed much like a "single bar chord" at the 7th fret where the index finger of the fretting hand is on the 7th fret 6th string, the ring finger is on the 9th fret 5th string, and the pinky is on the 9th fret 4th string. But a lot of electric players will use the alternative fingering of a "double bar chord" where the index finger is on the 7th fret 6th string and the ring finger frets both the 5th and 4th strings at the 9th fret. This is a little harder to do on an acoustic guitar compared to an electric but you really should learn these fingerings as they are great to have in your arsenal.

Lastly, a second version of a B power chord involves moving this whole shape to the 2nd fret so that it looks like this (please note that the x's refer to muted strings):

.....x
.....x
.....4
.....4
.....2
.....x

But it sounds a little cooler, bigger, and more ominous (especially on electric guitar with distortion) if you add a 5th in the bass and fretted like a "double bar" chord:

.....x
.....x
.....4
.....4
.....2
.....2

quote:

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Originally posted by Scott Jacobs:
Classical musicians be damned!

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Now, now, Scott, we can be more generous than that -

Classical musicians be darned!

or

Classical musicians be HECKed!

or

Classical musicians be consigned to 10,000 years of purgatory listening to Bobby Goldsboro records, maybe....

But we needn't be quiteso harsh!

I know I may sound old fashioned,and downsizing is so -now-...but...well you know..

If you want you could probably get some distortion by using different muting tecqnicues in the playing hand.

quote:

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Originally posted by anthony:
Who says power chords don't sound good on acoustic. You have to strum or pick the chords with some emphasis, that's all. Either with the side of your thumb or with the side of the pick. Play them with some strength in the picking. They might not be as distorted, but the sound is still quite powerful.

If you want you could probably get some distortion by using different muting tecqnicues in the playing hand.

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I'll agree with Anthony here - I do use these so-called power chords on acoustic guitar; they're just another option, like anything else.

If you play them with a downstroke and mute with your palm, as Anthony suggests, you can punch them pretty hard. As it happens, I find it a lot easier to vary the rhythmic emphasis with power chords than with six string chords.

Not that I play six string chords all that often - they sound pretty watery and flabby compared to most three and four string chords. But just as there are some things where you WANT those first position campfire chords firing on all six cylinders, there are times when the different sounds that "power chords" give you work better than anything else.

They're all just textures and tone colors you can use when you choose.

quote:

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Originally posted by Wade Hampton Miller:

Now, now, Scott, we can be more generous than that -

Classical musicians be darned!

or

Classical musicians be HECKed!

or

Classical musicians be consigned to 10,000 years of purgatory listening to Bobby Goldsboro records, maybe....

But we needn't be quiteso harsh!

Wade Hampton "My Sister Is An Opera Singer" Miller

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Hey, some of my best friends are classical musicians...