What is the equivalent to the 80's power chord?

[Scottgman]

I was just pondering this yesterday and I was curious what other guitarists thought.

If I had to use two words to describe guitar playing in the 80s, it would be "power chord." I mean, everybody from Motley Crue to Poison to Ratt to Quiet Riot utilized power chords in almost every song.

So I started wondering if there was some chord formation or style in today's music that is so ubiquitous that it is analogous to the power chord in 80s music.

The closest I could come up with is the octave chord (for lack of a better name)... you know... the power chord minus the 5th:

E------------------
B------------------
G-------------7---
D----5--------x---
A----x--------5---
E----3------------

It seemed to be popular in the 90s-- possibly due to Dave Navarros work in Janes Addiction. And you do hear these chords in today's music fairly often.

What say you?

[scottboyher]

Hhahahhhahhahahhahahhhhaaaaa!!!!! Nothing matches the power of the POWER CHORD! BWWWAAAA!!!!!

[Toad Rush]

Yes you do.

listen to Foo Fighters or Smashing Pumpkins..

Particulary Foo Fighters - Everlong and even more so Smashing pumpkins - cherub rock

[Scottgman]

lol.. two fingers and your are a rock star!

[Toad Rush]

Octave chords are 2 fingers too...or is that what you meant?

[ZoSo58LP]

id have to agree, and say power chords are really big...it seems no bands today have talent anymore, hardly any use open chords, and if they do, it's an open E...

[Dethska]

two fingers?!!! bah!, I drop tune the E and then I can play with ONE! finger. I like to play with the middle finger cause it shows attitude!

[maestro_dmc]

The 90's was all about drop D tuning, obviously, no news there.

I think the trend of songs in E where there is no 3rd, and the B and high E string drone through all the chords has become a signature sound of today.

--E(no3)---Bsus/E------A2---------C#m-----CMAJ7

E---0---------0---------0-----------0---------0
B---0---------0---------0-----------0---------0
G---9---------8---------6-----------6---------5
D---9---------9---------7-----------6---------5
A---7---------7---------0-----------4---------3
E---0---------0---------X-----------X---------X

I can think of songs by Jars of clay, Sixpence None the Richer, Delerious, Goo Goo Dolls, and more that use this.

[Scottgman]

Good call! I think you may have the winner! I can think of several songs using those style of chords.

[maestro_dmc]

Originally posted by Scottgman
Good call! I think you may have the winner! I can think of several songs using those style of chords.

Thank you Gman! (Bows low) Thank you vermuch!

[Scottgman]

lol.. no thank you for entertaining my ridiculous pondering. I've been bored at work all day if you can't tell.

[maestro_dmc]

Me Too!

But actually pretty busy here. . .

[jake-owa]

Aww geez, I gotta stop reading this stuff. I had no idea those chords were the new thing, now I gotta stop using them.

Damnit!~

[King Elvis]

another thing the bands did back in the 80's was to tune down 1/2 a step

[maestro_dmc]

Originally posted by jake-owa
Aww geez, I gotta stop reading this stuff. I had no idea those chords were the new thing, now I gotta stop using them.

Damnit!~

Didn't say they were the "new thing", just kind of becoming a signature sound of modern guitar oriented stuff.

I've heard people use that stuff for the last 15 years, but it was more fringe, now most everybody's doing it at some point.

[scottboyher]

Gone is the guitar solo....

[PFDarkside]

Also simple "Cowboy Chords" in sus4, sus2 add9, et al... configurations

[64Firebird]

Originally posted by scottboyher
Gone is the guitar solo....

It'll be back. We just need someone that's doing something new, but still simple. In other words, we need a young Van Halen.

[Kelly5150]

I drop the E and A and play with NO fingers....

[scottboyher]

Originally posted by 64Firebird
It'll be back. We just need someone that's doing something new, but still simple. In other words, we need a young Van Halen.

That would be awesome. I hope you're right!

[Aaron Cheney]

Originally posted by 64Firebird
It'll be back. We just need someone that's doing something new, but still simple. In other words, we need a young Van Halen.

Ya, that's the one thing I loved about EVH: all his stuff was so darn simple.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

[64Firebird]

Originally posted by Aaron Cheney
Ya, that's the one thing I loved about EVH: all his stuff was so darn simple.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

It really was, the early stuff I mean. All that tapping, pick scratches and dive bomb wammy things. It was always easy for me anyway.

[scottboyher]

When I started playing guitar EVH was IT! As I matured I found that it wasn't all that hard just different than what everyone else was playing. Looking back it is fairly easy to pick it up. Why can't I pick up stuff like Brent Mason plays that easily?

[Aaron Cheney]

Ya, Eddie's stuff is not too deep theory-wise. It's his sense of timing and how he puts notes together ryhtmically that makes his playing so charismatic. He is without a doubt the best improvisor in all rock guitar-dom.
And that's what we need: a guitar player with that inate, charismatic style of playing that makes people want to play the guitar. When I was 15, I wanted to be EVH. I could play along with every VH LP front to back. My girlfriend (now my wife!) used to hate it, 'cause she'd come over and I'd ignor her while I finished the record.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

[Monsterpop]

HEY! WHADDYA MEAN?"Back in the frickin 80's"?
We still do that!
Waaaaaaaaaghhhh,,,im old,,,,,,,,waaaahhhh!
Etc etc,,,


here,,,,,
www.mp3.com/Just_Another-Dream
www.nowhereradio.com/justanotherdream

Originally posted by King Elvis
another thing the bands did back in the 80's was to tune down 1/2 a step