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New Released in April 2026
Electric Guitar Chords: Power and Barre Chords
Electric guitar chords are the same chords as on acoustic guitar, played with lighter strings, often with distortion. That changes which shapes sound best: power chords for rock, movable barre chords for everything else, and small three-string shapes for funk. Here are the shapes electric players use most, with diagrams.
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- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
Power chords: the electric guitar classic
Root and fifth only, no third: neither major nor minor, so they stay clear even with heavy distortion. One shape, movable anywhere.
Barre chords: every chord from two shapes
The E shape with the root on the 6th string, the A shape with the root on the 5th. Slide them up the neck for every key.
Electric guitar chord tips
Less pressure than you think
Electric strings are thinner and lower, so barre chords that hurt on acoustic often ring clean on electric. Press just enough for the note to sound; squeezing harder bends notes out of tune.
Mute what you do not play
With gain, every loose string rings loud. Let the side of your fretting fingers rest on the unused strings, and keep the picking hand palm ready to damp the low strings.
Clean sound for full chords, gain for power chords
Full major and minor chords with lots of distortion turn muddy, which is why rock players switch to power chords. On a clean sound, open and barre chords and 7th chords shine.
Funk and small shapes
On the top three or four strings, small shapes of 7th and 9th chords give the tight sound of funk and soul. Learn the full chord first, then drop the low strings.
Practise full chords by playing
ChordRunner shows a chord name and listens through the microphone: put your amp near it, use a clean sound and play major, minor, 7th and 9th chords in random order.
- Chord changes against the clock, beginner to pro.
- Any shape with the right notes counts: open, barre or small.
- On piano, a USB MIDI keyboard is detected automatically.
Common questions
What chords are used most on electric guitar?
Power chords for rock, movable barre chords for pop and indie, and small 7th and 9th shapes on the top strings for funk and soul. Open chords work too, especially on a clean sound.
What is a power chord?
Just the root and the fifth, for example E and B for E5. Without a third it is neither major nor minor, which keeps it clear under heavy distortion. One shape moves to every key.
Are barre chords easier on electric guitar?
Usually yes. The strings are thinner and closer to the neck, so less pressure is needed. Press just behind the fret and only as hard as needed for the notes to ring.
Can I practise electric guitar chords with a game?
Yes. ChordRunner listens through the microphone: place your amp near it on a clean sound and play the chords it shows, major, minor, 7th and 9th, in random order.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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