A power chord is a chord that’s made up of just 2 notes: the root note and the perfect 5th. This chord is also known as a modal chord or open chord.
Many schools of music teach that the most basic chord is a triad (root note, 3rd and 5th) and brush aside the existence of what is, in various genres both traditional and modern, one of the most common types of chords.
“It’s an interval!”
Time and again I will come across the argument that a modal chord (aka power chord) isn’t a chord because a chord needs at least three notes. A two-note chord isn’t a chord, it’s an interval, they say.
First, notes in a chord can be doubled, in unison or any number of octaves. On guitar, for example, modal chords are used extensively in some genres, some even using different tunings to enable more of such chords to be played on all 6 strings.
Which leads me to a point. An interval has ONLY two notes. Add an octave and you have 3 notes, which, surely, is a chord. It’s certainly not just an interval anymore.
Furthermore, even two notes played together as a “chord” become three notes if there is a melody over the chords. A chord is made up of all the notes that occur at a given moment. If it’s a brief moment, it’s called a passing chord (I’m not suggesting that you need to analyse music to that degree… unless you want to…).
Finally, I would argue that even with a single note, such as a drone, and a melody over it, the progression of intervals produced acts like a chord progression, like chords with a note left out.
“It’s a major chord with the 3rd left out!”
Others will describe a modal/power chord as a major chord with the 3rd left out. To me, that’s like saying a major chord is a 7th chord with the 7th left out… it’s creating complexity where there is none. Worse, it’s misleading.
The beauty of a modal chord is that, by not having a 3rd, it can fit the context of either a major chord or a minor chord. A major chord can’t do that, so not having a 3rd gives a modal chord a completely different character to a major chord.
For example, if the melody had the minor 3rd followed by the major 3rd, both would be main notes (chord notes). The same chord would act as minor to accommodate the first note, then major for the second note. This may seem obvious because it is…
Please feel welcome to comment, whether you agree or disagree. Posts in this category are just my thoughts and opinions and I’d love to read yours. This category is a forum for discussion.