CHORD REFERENCE

A Power Chord

A – E1 5

The A Power Chord chord and everything around it — the notes and how they are built, the shape on piano and guitar, the sound, and the keys it belongs to.

Notes
A1E5

A5 is A, E — the 1 and 5 above the root A.

Piano
AE
Guitar

Guitar — every position (frets 0–12)

357912eEAEBEAGAEDEAAAEAEEAE

Root notes are red. There is no standard open shape for this chord — any group of these notes on the neck sounds the chord.

Ukulele (standard G–C–E–A)

357912AAEAEEAECEAGAE

Every position of the chord tones on the ukulele neck — any group that sounds only A, E plays the chord.

In which keys

A power chord has no 3rd, so it fits both the major and the minor key on A — that ambiguity is exactly why it works under a distorted guitar.

Other A chords

Triads

AMajorAmMinorAdimDiminishedAaugAugmentedAsus2Suspended 2ndAsus4Suspended 4th

Sixths & sevenths

A6Major 6thAm6Minor 6thA7Dominant 7thAmaj7Major 7thAm7Minor 7thAm(maj7)Minor–Major 7thAdim7Diminished 7thAm7♭5Half-Diminished (m7♭5)A7sus47sus4

Altered dominants

A7♭57♭5A7♯57♯5 (Augmented 7th)A7♭97♭9A7♯97♯9 (Hendrix Chord)

Extended & added

Aadd9Added 9thA6/96/9A9Dominant 9thAmaj9Major 9thAm9Minor 9thA11Dominant 11thA13Dominant 13th
Power Chord on another root
CC♯D♭DE♭D♯EFF♯G♭GA♭G♯AB♭A♯B
Keep exploring

Work out the chords of a whole key with the Scale & Chord Finder, name a chord from its notes with the Chord Identifier, or browse every chord tool. The theory behind how chords are built is in the free Cloud Atelier music guides.