Power Chord - E

            After a great deal of thought I have come to a decision. Place your first finger across the first five strings on the second fret. Then add your third finger to the third string on the fourth fret and your little finger on the second string fifth fret. It may be a bit of a reach for you but practice it diligently and I think that you will grow to love this chord. You will probably be muting the first string but whether you are or not, it sounds good open. This is a form of an E chord. It is entirely made up of E and B notes. Since technically a chord is not a chord unless it has three different, let us settle for calling this an E power chord.

            Practice using this “E” chord as a replacement for the E that all of the beginner books and charts show as “E.” It sounds especially good in “Born To Be Wild,” “China Grove,” and the chorus for “Voodoo Child.” When you are playing this particular song keep your first, third and fourth fingers in the positions assigned above and play the sixth string open a couple of times then place that second finger on the sixth string, third fret. Follow this with a few down and up strums across all six strings. I tell my students that this “E” chord makes the other “E” sound like a Mickey Mouse chord, not to shed any negative vibes toward the old “E” but I think  you will like this better.

            Part of the reason I have chosen this chord is that once you get a good beat going you may experiment with taking off the little finger as long as the second finger is on the second string, third fret. You may also move your little finger the fifth fret of the first string then later place your little finger on the fourth fret of the first string. Lifting the second finger from the second string third fret and the third finger from the third string, fourth fret. Hammer it back on some CCR songs such as “Green River.”

            Well, this may not turn out to be your favorite chord but it is certainly a great chord to use with all of its modifications In the songs I mentioned above as well as hundreds more.