3 Power Chord Riffs Perfect For Beginners (With Tabs)
There is nothing like a power chord played on a guitar. They are both easy and convenient to grab play for a beginner guitarist. Add a little distortion to your tone and BAM! You’ve got that rock n roll sound.
In this beginner guitar lesson, we are going to be diving into some real classics!
I love rock n roll by Joan Jett is the ultimate lesson combo: Fun to play, sounds familiar, and Packed full of mini guitar lessons. We’ll get you turning your guitar into a drum while you are playing power chords!
Ironman is another must know power chord classic. I don’t care who you are, a guitar player needs to be able to play this song! I have taught countless one on one guitar students. I try to go over this song with all beginner and intermediate students. The first time you play Iron Man, it’s hard not have to feel a new found connection to rock history.
So go grab your preferred 6 string, an amp (make sure you’ve got a bit of distortion or overdrive!) and let’s rock!
00:00 – Start
00:38 – Lesson Intro (get the tabs downloaded here!)
1:35 – Recap of Single String Version of ”I Love Rock And Roll”
2:38 – This is an Overview of Module 2 in Stairway To Strumming (Which is on sale right now!)
3:52 – Open String Power Chords – What Do They Look Like? (Upgrading “I Love Rock And Roll”)
5:00 – Power Chords and the “We Will Rock You” beat
5:25 – Rhythmic Hand Clap Sound
6:19 – Variation on an Open String Power Chord
7:40 – Moving Up to an “A” Power Chord
8:09 – Pro Tip: Muting Strings on an “A” Power Chord
9:11 – Example of First Part of Upgraded “I Love Rock And Roll”
9:25 – Exploring More Open Power Chords: The “D” Power Chord
11:00 – Quick Bonus Riff: “Back In Black”
11:31 – The Final Chord of “I Love Rock And Roll”
12:06 – The Power Chord Formula
13:40 – Putting The Pieces of “I Love Rock And Roll” Together
14:27 – More Muting Techniques
16:33 – Riff #1: “I Love Rock And Roll” Play through
16:48 – Pro Tip: Keeping Right Hand Connected To Guitar
18:22 – Riff #2: “Jailbreak” by Thin Lizzy
18:55 – Chord Breakdown
19:31 – Pro Tip: Trouble Stretching For Power Chords? Try This!
21:00 – Getting The Power Chords to Sound “Punchy”
22:45 – The Final Piece of “Jailbreak”
23:48 – Quick Bonus Riff: “Guerilla Radio”
24:08 – Adding “chika chika’s” Between Chords
24:45 – Riff #3: “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath
25:25 – Playing 10 9’s on Single String
25:59 – Putting The Riff Together
26:30 – Sliding A Power Chord on 10
27:00 – “Iron Man” Play through
27:33 – Power Chords with Pinky
28:29 – Closing Notes and More On Stairway To Strumming
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