hey all! ...getting back into the routine of practicing after coming back from spring break vacation, and i want to practice power chords. my friends all say they're really easy once you get the hang of em, but i just can't seem to get my hand to stay in that position! anyway, what do you guys think are some good songs to practice power chords? i'm thinking of trying led zep's "the ocean" or "babe i'm gonna leave you" so i can practice some fingerpicking as well.
what do you guys think of those songs? are they too hard for an intermediate/beginner? also if you have any other suggestions i'd love to hear them, my taste in music leans toward classic 60s and 70s rock but i'm willing to try anything at this point!
thanks in advance guys!
Have you checked out the Three's a Crowd lesson here at GN?
Dunno if it'll be any help but might not be a bad place to start. I believe there's a few songs there you can try. :)
From little things big things grow - Paul Kelly
Some easy songs to start off with would be Paranoid or Iron Man by Black Sabbath. If you wanna practice a song with both fingerpicking and powerchords I'd recommend More than a Feeling by Boston.
ooh, quick replies :)
i did look over that lesson - maybe i'll go back and read it more in depth. some of the theory was a little over my head at a glance (still interesting though!)
i'll definitely try more than a feeling, i love that song! thanks!
i'm thinking of trying led zep's "the ocean" or "babe i'm gonna leave you" so i can practice some fingerpicking as well.
Neither of those use power chords. The Ocean for the most part is single notes and Babe I'm Gonna Leave you uses all open chords.
How about "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, or "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple?
The first one uses all perfect fifth power chords, the second perfect fourths (inverted power chords)
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Anything by Blink-182, Greenday and similar bands. May not be 60s/70s but they are good for learning power chords.
for example:
Greenday - When I Come Around, Boulevard of Broken Dreams...
Blink-182 - All The Small Things, What's My Age Again...
Those songs are about as easy as it gets if you like power chords.
Neither of those use power chords.
really?? hmmm....maybe my friends are playing them wrong then...(not to say that they're used throughout the song, but i thought that certain riffs...?)
as far as green day goes, who doesn't like their 90s stuff? i think dookie was the first cd i ever bought :) doesn't "brain stew" use power chords? it sounds easy enough, i can probably handle that one, lol.
I could be wrong on "The Ocean". I know the main riff and secondary riff doesn't use them. I haven't played the song in awhile so I could be wrong on the rest.
I just checked and yes Babe I'm Gonna Leave You does use them but, very breifly. I play that song as a single guitar arangement so I don't do the quick power chord part.
If you want to practice power chords I would work on a song that uses them a lot or come up with your own thing. How are you doing them now? I myself use my index and ring and I've seen and heard of people using their index, ring and pinky. It's all in what you are more comfortable with.
Have fun and sorry for the confusion.
Mike
looking at some tabs for "the ocean":VERSE: ...i thought the 5s mean it's a power chord? i agree that i'm going to have to practice them a lot before i get the hang of it. i've been using my index, ring and pinky but my fingers won't stay in the right spots when i switch to the next chord. really frustrating, but i guess it's all about muscle memory (not quite sure on the exact definition, but i've heard that term used before, lol)
D5 C5 A5 G5
Singing in the sunshine,
A5 D5
laughing in the rain,
D5 C5 A5 G5
hitting on the moonshine,
A5 D5
rocking in the grain.
D5 C5 A5 G5
Got no time to pack my bag,
A5 D5
my foot's outside the door,
D5 C5 A5 G5
I got a date, I can't be late for the
A5 D5
high hopes haila ball.
