# Power (Fifth) Chord Fingering



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

I recently read an article about Jack White mentioning the way he plays power chords: _"He also has a peculiar way of holding fifth chords, planting his index finger on the root note and his little finger on the next string or the next two in a bar."_ Is this abnormal? From what I gather the author has said here, Jack puts his index finger on the root note and his pinky on the fifth. I do this as well. How do the rest of you play a power chord.

My teacher early on tried to get me to use the first and third fingers for power chords but I started playing young and I have short fingers in the first place. It always felt more natural to play with my first and fourth finger. I'd use my fifth if I had one.


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## surlybastard (Feb 20, 2011)

I use 1 and 3, but I don't think it's that abnormal to use your 4th. For speed, accuracy and comfort a lot of people use the 4th.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

First 3-4 frets I often use 1&4. It depends on your guitar's scale and your Hans's size.


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

sambonee said:


> It depends on your guitar's scale and your Hans's size.


... And how you solo! ( sorry, couldn't resist)


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

I do it clapton style, first and third while giving everybody the finger. My pinky is kind of useless.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

It depends. I suppose 1 and 3 is my default fingering, but I use 1 and 4 especially around a certain maj7 fingering or other fingerings for convenience. Context determines this for me.

Peace, Mooh.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I use 1 and 3 pretty much exclusively, mostly because early on I played a lot of tunes where I would play a blues shuffle thing, using my pinky to grab the 6 (and dominant 7 when it's within reach). I also will occasionally use my pinky to grab the octave for a root-five-octave power chord. Nothing wrong with using your pinky though - whatever works!


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

3rd alternative - root with index, 5th with ring, octave with pinkie. I do it occasionally, and see many others do it.

Otherwise, all 1 & 3 for me. I don't think my pinky is strong enough.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

1 and 3.

my pinky is a ritard.


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## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

I sometimes listen and other times not. Like I said, I power chord with the first and fourth, not at my teachers request, but my teacher explained the importance of using your pinky, which I used a lot. I think I have a pretty strong pinky. I can do vibrato with it!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

keto said:


> 3rd alternative - root with index, 5th with ring, octave with pinkie. I do it occasionally, and see many others do it.
> 
> Otherwise, all 1 & 3 for me. I don't think my pinky is strong enough.


this is how I do it. I also do it this way because i like to use my pinky to add extra notes (5-7-9 E-A-D for example)


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I learned power chords as root-5th-octave and used my index finger for the root & 3rd and 4th fingers for the fifth & octave.
however I do sometimes play the root & 5th only--especially if I want to add a different note in such as playing a blues type riff.
But I like the fuller sound of the octave note, so normally I play the three finger version.
I don't bar the 5th & octave as then I end up barring all the higher strings, and not muting them--which I normally do by leaning my fourth finger into them, but not pressing.
I use my middle finger to mute the 6th string if the root is on the 5th string.

But I also play the 5th & octave--ala Ritchie Blackmore, who did that often (Notably in the Smoke on the Water intro), and I've seen a lot of blues players do that--especially for heavier blues songs, and blues rockers as well.
For that I usually use my third & fourth fingers, and sometimes switch to my first & second for riffs, and sometimes I do barre them.


I like the sound.


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## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

I play with enough distortion usually that throwing the octave in doesn't show up for me. I bang the open strings a lot when transitioning between fifths that the sound usually fills out. Guitar is such a unique instrument to play, eh?


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I usually have distortion as well, and I find the octave makes a difference--maybe we use distortion differently, so it's not amount, but style of distortion.


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