Power chords are the first thing an angsty teenage boy learns to play on the guitar. Because of their versitility and awesome sound, power chords are used in almost every kind of music. But, I often find myself uninspired by these bland stand-bys, especially when trying to write music. The following are some spicy alternatives to power chords that themselves have been used (and overused) in many forms of pop- and rock-music. I will cover (briefly) First Inversions, Sus2 Chords, Major 7ths, and Close Thirds.
First, Inversions
A first inversion is a chord whose lowest note isn't the root of the chord. These can be used to give a passage a fuller sound, to better match a moving baseline, or just to give an extra feeling of movement. There are many ways to play first inversions, but as replacements to power chords, the following works rather nicely:
Standard Tuning:
E, 1st Inversions
e[---------------------]
B[---------(9)---------]
G[(9)-------9----------]
D[-9----(6)-6----------]
A[-7-----7-------------]
E[-------4-------------]
These chords lack the 5th, so they do not necessarily have the thickness of a power chord, but they have a rich texture. The chords listed are inversions of Major chords.
In drop-tunings, we can also play in inversions. See the following examples
C F
1st Inversion
e[---------------|
B[---------------|
G[---------------|
D[-5-2---10-7----|
A[-3-3---8--8----|
D[-2-2---7--7----|
Often, the inversions act as dominant to the chords they precede. For Instance, the following patterns are rather common in Anberlin's music:
F -> Bb C->F
e|-------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------|
D|--7(10)-8---------2(5)-3-------|
A|--8-----8---------3----3-------|
D|--7-----8---------2----3-------|
Or, in a variety of pop-punk music:
E -> A
e[----------------]
B[----------------]
G[----------------]
D[----------------]
A[--7----7--------]
E[--4----5--------]
Second, Sus2 Chords
In general, 'sus' chords are a nice texture alternative, not just in rythmic playing, but also in more lyrical music. A 'sus' chord is so-called because it contains a 'suspended' note which wants to resolve to the third of the chord (or, it did back in the 19th century). Sus-chords come in two flavors: sus2 and sus4. sus2 chords are often interchanged with power chords, so I will focus on them specifically. As rock-rhythm chords, they are not very commonly used in standard tuning.
A sus-2 chord has member a '2nd' above the root. That is, in an A-sus2 chord, you would find A (the root), E(the fifth), and B(the second or ninth). For that reason, a Csus2 chord is often referred to as a C9 (though there are some technical differences between the two names).
The following is a power-chord alternative sus-2 chord scheme in drop-tuning:
F Bb C F Bb C D
Power Ch. sus2
e[---------|---------|
B[---------|---------|
G[---------|---------|
D[-3-8--10-|-5-10-12-|
A[-3-8--10-|-3-8--10-|
D[-3-8--10-|-3-8--10-|
These chords have a rather open, hollow sound and thus sound especially great in drop-tunings. They can be used in major or minor keys.
The following would be the sus-2 chord scheme in standard tuning:
F Bb C F Bb C D
Power Ch. sus2
e[---------|---------|
B[---------|---------|
G[---------|---------|
D[-3-8--10-|-5-10-12-|
A[-3-8--10-|-3-8--10-|
E[-1-6--8--|-1-6--8--|
Major 7ths
Major 7ths have a unique, bright, open sound to them. They receive their name from the Major 7th formed between one member and the chord root. A Major 7th is actually just one-half step below an octave, so played by itself, it can be a tad dissonant.
As a replacement to a power chord, a Major 7th can be formed as follows:
Stadard Tuning: Drop Tuning
F Bb C F Bb C F Bb C
Power Ch. Maj7 Maj7
e[---------|--------------------| e[---------]
B[---------|----------9---------| B[---------]
G[---------|----9-----10------4-| G[---------]
D[-3-8--10-|-2--10--7-8---9---5-| D[-2-7--9--]
A[-3-8--10-|-3--8---8-----10--3-| A[-3-8--10-]
E[-1-6--8--|-1------6-----8-----| D[-3-8--10-]
Try using them in place of major chords. Because of their odd bright tone, they sound best in higher registers (on higher strings).
Close Thirds
Close thirds are not really a chord-type to themselves, but another kind of diad (like the power chord) with a different tone. Instead of being composed of a root and a fifth, close thirds contain two notes that can sound like a root and a third. They can be used as a replacement to power chords to add a more lush, harmonically full sound. They can also be used more like a melodic line, so they need not follow the chord structure of the song.
They come in two types: Major and minor.
A5 Maj Min Major Scale
e[-------------|-------------------|
B[-------------|-----------------5-|
G[-------------|-------------4-6-5-|
D[-------------|-------4-6-7-6-7---|
A[-7---4----3--|-4-5-7-5-7-9-------|
E[-5---5----5--|-5-7-9-------------|
Try these in place of power chords(Major for Major, Minor for Minor), or play around with them to create riffs.
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