Many new acoustic guitarists wonder if they can play power chords on an acoustic guitar.
You can play power chords on an acoustic guitar. In fact, many famous acoustic songs make use of power chords. For example, many of the songs on Nirvana’s famous MTV Unplugged in New York album feature power chords.
In Nirvana’s cover of the Meat Puppets song “Lake of Fire” (above) you can see the guitarist playing power chords extensively on his acoustic guitar. This is a good example of a very popular song in which power chords are played on an acoustic guitar.
How to Play Power Chords on Acoustic Guitar
So now you now that you can play power chords on an acoustic guitar. But are you wondering exactly how to do so?
It’s not too hard. Simply find the root of the power chord you’d like to play on the low E string. For example, if you want to play a C power chord on the acoustic guitar, you would put your first finger on the 8th fret of the low E string, which is a C note.
Next, place the ring finger of your fretting hand two frets up from your first finger, but on the A string. So for a C power chord, your first finger would be on the low E string 8th fret, and your ring finger would be on the A string 10th fret.
Congrats, you just formed a power chord on the acoustic guitar!
Need More Help With Power Chords?
If you’re still looking for more free guitar lesson resources, I’d recommend subscribing to some of the awesome acoustic guitar YouTube channels out there. The only trouble is – it can be hard to find the right channels, and to know who’s really putting out good information.
That’s why I wrote up a whole guide post on my 8 favorite YouTube channels for learning acoustic guitar.
Ready to Get Better at Guitar, Faster?
Whenever you’re ready to take your guitar playing to the next level, check out a few of my favorite resources below:
The Best Acoustic Guitar Strings – A unique polymer coating makes these guitar strings last for months or even years at a time, making for an exceptional value. They provide the perfect mix of boom, range, twang, and brightness that acoustic music is known for. — CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
The Best Acoustic Guitar – Beloved by everyone from Paul Simon to Gordon Lightfoot, the Martin D-18 is one of Martin’s most legendary guitars ever… It’s an excellent, premier quality acoustic guitar for bluegrass, country, folk, rock and more. This is also what I play myself — CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
Chords, Tabs & Video Lessons for 100 Epic Songs – This free guide that I created for fellow guitarists gives you chords, tabs, and video lessons for the 100 best songs to learn on guitar… I spent many hours putting this guide together to help you get better at guitar, faster. — CLICK HERE TO GET IT FREE
Fingerpicking vs Flatpicking Guitar – Learn which picking style is right for YOU by exploring examples, history, and popular players of each style. Discover essential techniques and pros and cons of each approach. — CLICK HERE TO GET IT FREE