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!
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Songs with cool power chords (1–10)
Perfect-Sense DreamerONE OK ROCK
ONE OK ROCK’s fourth single, released in February 2010.
The intro uses octave playing, but since the left hand is just a slightly altered power chord shape, it’s easy to play.
In the A section and the interlude, switching between muted and ringing notes adds accents, making the performance sound complex and cool despite relying on power chords.
The chorus mostly consists of simply strumming power chords, so it’s a number that even beginner guitarists can pull off.
cloudy skyDOES
A song by the three-piece rock band DOES, used as an opening theme for the TV anime Gintama.
Aside from short, accent-driven parts like the rock ’n’ roll-style backing heard in the intro and the arpeggios in the interlude, most of the song can be played with power chords.
With its thick, powerful power-chord sound that stands up to the strong vocals, it’s a track where even beginner guitarists can stand out.
The Never-Ending SongTHE BLUE HEARTS
A track included on THE BLUE HEARTS’ first original album, “THE BLUE HEARTS,” released in May 1987.
Aside from a section featuring acoustic guitar chord strumming, it can be played almost entirely with power chords, making it an easy number for beginners to master.
While there’s a backing pattern that follows the drum rhythm, there aren’t many chord changes, so it’s easy to remember—a simple song that really gets the band fired up.
A Little Love SongMONGOL800
A track included on MONGOL800’s original album “MESSAGE,” released in September 2001.
It’s a well-known classic that has been covered by many artists.
While the guitar features sections of strumming and accents with palm muting, the fretting positions are only power chords, making it relatively easy for beginners to learn and an enjoyable song to play.
RewriteASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
Released in August 2004, this is ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION’s fifth single, used as the opening theme for the TV anime Fullmetal Alchemist.
While single-note playing—such as monophonic riffs and arpeggios—is used effectively, the phrases themselves are slow, so once you memorize them, you can play them comfortably.
The power chords in the chorus may feel difficult due to the large position shifts, but since the phrase repeats the same chord progression, once you learn it, you can ride the chorus’s energy and play it with momentum.
Overall, it’s a simply constructed song suited for beginner guitarists.
Don’t say lazySakurakou Keionbu
This song, released in 2009 as the second single by the Sakuragaoka High School Light Music Club, is also known as the ending theme for the TBS anime K-On!.
It features several techniques that require careful muting—such as the offbeat backing pattern heard in the interlude and the brushed strumming in the A section—which add accents to the otherwise simple power-chord backing and give the track a sense of drive.
There’s no single-note guitar solo, and since the arrangement is built around power chords, it’s easy to learn and approachable even for beginner guitarists.
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.