Power Chords (5ths) over/under Minors & Majors.

[rayc]

I'm a slow learner & don't trust my ears so it was grteat that I doscovered, through some research on this and other parts on the net, that a power chord can overlay or be overlain by a minor or a major chord with no problem. It seems that the 5th is indetermiante and will take on the character of the over/underlay very happily.
This makes life a little easier for me as my chord vocab is very limited & that, in turn, limits my arrangements.
I know you know & that you now know that I didn't know but now that I'm in the know, well, you know!

[mixsit]

I's and VI's when you don't want to say (or add to the sound of) major or minor.

[Steenamaroo]

It seems that the 5th is indeterminate and will take on the character of the over/underlay very happily.

Correct! The third not of the scale dictates whether a chord's major or minor.

[famous beagle]

I'm not quite sure I understand what you're saying here.

I mean ... I know Roman numerals, but I don't get the "ones and sixes when you don't want to say ..." What about ones and sixes?

I's and VI's when you don't want to say (or add to the sound of) major or minor.

[Steenamaroo]

Funny i wondered about that myself.
I figured he meant Is and Vs since that's what a power-chord is.

[mixsit]

I'm not quite sure I understand what you're saying here.

I mean ... I know Roman numerals, but I don't get the "ones and sixes when you don't want to say ..." What about ones and sixes?

Funny i wondered about that myself.
I figured he meant Is and Vs since that's what a power-chord is.

Yes. Damn, I'm sorry, ones and fives and that would be V' not VI!
My bad.
The 'first- 'one- the tonnic, and the fith of the scale/chord. For example the low three strings of your bar chord. That is the I-V sound- not major, not minor' (the sound of pure power
That place (is one of that..) lends to the typical rock/blues scales and riffs that while might use the minor third, the key is (can be) still major.

[jamintravis]

I do mostly acoustic work, and when I record I like to really fill in the gaps and make it sound as full as I can while maintaining an entirely acoustic sound, so I add a lot of what I call "octave" or "slider" chords over top of things, which is common in a lot of music nowadays, especially newer pop-punk bands and such. They aren't really chords, or intervals even. They're power chords with the 5th taken out, so it's just the root note played at 2 different octaves. Simple shape that can be moved anywhere on the neck quickly and easily. If used right, it can add a lot of depth and harmonic quality to an otherwise bland chord pattern.

[Justsomeguy]

the only thing i'd add is be careful. for 6 chords out of a 7 standard chords in a scale the "power chord as a major or minor" works fine but if the chord should be diminished then power chords/5th chords don't work as diminished chords have 1,b3,b5. For example, in the key of G major, the chord over F# is diminished. if you want to still play power chords over it there's two ways; one, move the 5th down a fret. in this case, assuming F# as the root, moving the finger from the 4th fret on the A string to the 3rd fret on the A string would solve the problem. the alternative, and what i hear/do a lot is play a G5 chord and move the root note down to F# (so third fret on the E to second fret on the E) this works especially well when moving back to the G chord.

Other than that, power chords rule and not having a defined tonality means you can easily jump between keys/chords without it sounding too odd

[guitaristic]

the only thing i'd add is be careful. for 6 chords out of a 7 standard chords in a scale the "power chord as a major or minor" works fine but if the chord should be diminished then power chords/5th chords don't work as diminished chords have 1,b3,b5. For example, in the key of G major, the chord over F# is diminished. if you want to still play power chords over it there's two ways; one, move the 5th down a fret. in this case, assuming F# as the root, moving the finger from the 4th fret on the A string to the 3rd fret on the A string would solve the problem. the alternative, and what i hear/do a lot is play a G5 chord and move the root note down to F# (so third fret on the E to second fret on the E) this works especially well when moving back to the G chord.

Other than that, power chords rule and not having a defined tonality means you can easily jump between keys/chords without it sounding too odd

Or you could just throw in an F power chord instead of the F# dim. power chord to give it that awesome G-D-F-C feel. Forget what that scale/mode/whatever is called but it's cool!

[Greg_L]

Powerchords ftw.