Power Chord Reverse Fingers

Instead of the usual power chords with 2 fingers, what if the 1st and 3rd fingers were reversed, 3rd finger on low e string and 1st finger on d string? Is that a power chord and if so, what is it called?

Hi Kevin - a power chord contains just a root and fifth (sometime the octave of the root too), specifically it omits the third and is therefore neither major or minor. Any two notes a fifth interval apart could technically be considered a power chord (with the lowest note the root).
I’m not entirely sure which notes you are referring to in your example, if you can give strings and frets then I’m sure we can suggest what the chord might be called (although you shouldn’t get too hung up on what something is named - there are often many possibilities!)

Here are two such options. One has the highest note as the root, making the lowest note a major 3rd interval. One has the lowest note as the root, making the highest note a b6th interval.

image

To go back to my original post, 3rd finger on low e string 5th fret, 1st finger on d string 3rd fret, hope that is more helpful.

Richard, i read your words but don’t understand any of it, from posts i have done some time ago, root notes are alien to me, my mind goes blank and to be honest, i find it very uninteresting and boring, (not your post but root notes), i have searched for the easiest explanation of what a root note is. I may as well be banging my head against a brick wall.

Thought i would ask a question but has made me even more confused, just when i was thinking of trying again, for about the 14th time. :frowning:

If you want to play power chords “backwards”, then play e.g. 2nd fret on the D string and 5th fret on the low E string. Also, you may find the Practical Music Theory course beneficial in the long run. Until then, check these lessons out:

“Big Six” essential notes

It is not a power chord.

Kevin

This makes me recall some of your similar questions on the old forum. So as you keep trying I will try to help.

The Root note is the lowest and highest note in a scale. Think

Do Re Mi Far So La Te Do

So Do is the Root, 1 and 8 are both Root Do and Do an octave apart

When you build a Major chords it is built on thirds, ie every other note. So a Major chord is
1 3 5 or Do Me So

A power chord is just the 1 & 5 so just Do and So. If you play the 3 finger power chord it is
1, 5 & 1 Do So Do when played across three strings.

Going back to your reverse “power chord” I would call this a diad, ie a 2 note chord, a family of which power chords belong too but there are others.

So

So either of the two fretted notes could be taken as the Root note and the corresponding start of the scale, which is how Richard has represented them in both diagrams.

In the first diagram E would be the Root note. The red R note on the D string 2nd fret is the octave of the note E of the open E string. So the equivalent to highest Do in Do Re Mi Far So La Te Do. This would make the fretted note on the 6th string 5th fret to be G# and the 3rd interval of the scale in the Key of E

E F# G# A B C# D# E

So you are just playing the Major 3rd and the Root. So not a traditional power chord which is just the Root and 5th, with no third it is neither Major or minor. So strictly speaking the 3r d and Root you suggest is just a 2 note chord and not a Power Chord x5 per se x being the Root, So this fingering would be a Major 3rd diad.

In the 2nd diagram, the note on the 6th string 4th fret is designated as the Root ie the start of Do Re Mi Far So La Te Do in this case it could be seen as G# or more commonly Ab.

So we need to map out the Ab Major scale ala Do Re Mi Far So La Te Do

Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab

But Richard’s diagrams shows a b6 on the D string 2nd fret which is not in the Ab Major. Clearly the fretted note is E but the 6th of the scale is F thus E is the b6 and would be called Fb in this instance. So a flat 6th diad.

So neither are Power chords as we know them ie Root and 5ths but still valid 2 note chords, diads which have there place in certain styles of music,

I have a whole host of similar 2 note chords/diads used in a lot of metal. But the whole point of Power Chords is negating the label of Major and minor or for that matter augmented or diminshed,

Hope that helps … if just a little

:sunglasses:

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Do you mean : do re mi fa soL la SI do ?

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It depends on where you’re from, in your case yes - Toby is originally from the UK where that would be correct - other countries use what you said.

I think you’ll find that Julie Andrews (who is practically perfect in every way) says it’s ‘Te’ :slight_smile:

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I thought she said “ti” but it was her accent that sounded like “te”?

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She actualy said Tea a drink with jam and bread, if we’re going down that root, route.

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:flushed:Never thought that Ti (we sing that) except for the pronunciation example word over the border is TE , unnecessary confusion :upside_down_face:

now looking forward to the next birthday :sunglasses:

No, that is not a power chord.
Those two notes are A (on the low E string) and F on the D string.

Think of an F major chord. Its root note is the note F.
Think of an A minor chord. Its root note is the note A.

Think of an F major scale. Its root note is the note F.
Think of an A minor pentatonic scale. Its root note is the note A.
It is no more mysterious than that.

See this addition.

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I think you’ll find that Julie Andrews (who is practically perfect in every way) says it’s ‘Te’ :slight_smile:

I always thought it was a mispronunciation because she wasn t fluent in french :sweat_smile: :rofl:

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