RAG MusicGuitar for Beginners
A web magazine to enjoy the guitar even more

A song with cool power chords

I bet a lot of guitarists started out on electric guitar by practicing a song that’s packed with power chords, right?

As many of you probably know, a power chord is made by stripping notes from a standard chord and playing just the root and the fifth.

Because of that simplification, you get a punchier sound that’s perfect for distorted rock—super cool tone!

And when you play power chords with a palm mute, it really feels like you’re playing a bona fide rock track—it sounds awesome.

In this article, I’ll introduce some cool songs that feature power chords.

I think it’ll also help beginners find great songs to practice!

Songs with cool power chords (1–10)

We’re in the car again today.Hump Back

Hump Back – “We’re in the car again today” Music Video
We’re in the car again today.Hump Back

A track included on Hump Back’s first original album, “Ningen Nanosaa,” released in July 2019.

It features a variety of techniques such as single-note phrases in the interlude and clean-tone arpeggios, but since the tempo isn’t fast, the phrases are easy for beginners to learn.

In the chorus, instead of strumming power chords continuously, they are played in short, clipped strokes to highlight the vocals and further emphasize the guitar’s presence.

Despite its simplicity, the performance lets you feel how cool the guitar can be.

SupernovaELLEGARDEN

A song included on ELLEGARDEN’s original 2004 album “Pepperoni Quattro.” The guitar part features lots of accented techniques like slide, octave playing, and choppy bridge-muted strumming, but since the left hand can mostly stick to power chord shapes, it’s an easy number for beginner guitarists to try.

Even in the chorus where the drum rhythm is fast, the guitar uses power chords with minimal position changes, making it a recommended track for those who want to start a band and get the crowd going right after picking up the guitar.

Gather round! Party people!Yabai T-shatsu Yasan

Yabai T-Shirts Yasan – “Gather Around! Party People” Music Video [Major Version]
Gather round! Party people!Yabai T-shatsu Yasan

A three-piece rock band known by the nickname Yaba-T, Yabai T-Shirts Yasan’s song.

It may feel challenging with the guitar, bass, and drums locking in rhythm and the fast tempo, but aside from the guitar solo, you can play through the whole number using only power chords.

The guitar solo also has no fast phrases and is simple, so even beginner guitarists can enjoy playing it in a band with energy and excitement.

Cool Songs with Power Chords (11–20)

Precious thingsroodo obu mejyaa

The first indie single by the four-piece rock band Road of Major.

It’s a track that captures the distinct drive of rock music, with all phrases—aside from the guitar solo—played using power chords.

While techniques like palm muting and brushing are used for accents, the song is simply constructed so that everything can be played with standard power-chord shapes, making it a great recommendation for beginner guitarists.

only my railgunfripSide

A classic song that has continued to be loved by anisong fans as the opening theme of the anime A Certain Scientific Railgun.

The track itself rides on an energetic, electro-driven sound, so the guitar can be hard to pick out at first—but if you listen closely, those cool phrases will definitely catch your ear! Although the performance includes high-difficulty techniques like picking harmonics and fast palm-muted passages, there are actually many sections played with power chords.

It’s a cool song where the simple, punchy sound of power chords fits perfectly!

Rolling starYUI

YUI – Rolling Star (Live)
Rolling starYUI

A song by the singer-songwriter YUI that was used as the opening theme for the TV anime BLEACH.

Aside from simple single-note phrases like the intro riff and guitar solo, it’s a straightforward number that can be played entirely with power chords.

While there are many accent techniques—such as palm muting in the A section and brushing in the B section—the left-hand positions are just power chords, making it an approachable piece even for beginner guitarists.

avocadoyonige

yonige - Avocado - [Official Video]
avocadoyonige

This song by yonige, a female rock duo from the Kansai region, features a powerful sound driven by power chords from the intro that really gets you hyped.

With a structure that alternates between arpeggios in the A verse and repeating power chords from the B section onward, it delivers dynamic contrasts that match the emotions of the lyrics.

There are no fast phrases—even including the guitar solo in the outro—so it’s easy to play and recommended for beginner guitarists to tackle.