How To Play the D Power Guitar Chord
In today's lesson, we'll go over 3 distinct ways to play the D5 guitar chord. The technical term for this chord is a "5th chord" but its slang term is a "power chord" because it has a powerful sound to our ears!
These guitar chords are built using the root note and the fifth note of the scale (hence the number 5) and not only sound great but they are also very easy to learn for beginners.
Power chords are used in all genres but are specifically important for rock and heavy metal music.
D5 Power chord In Open Position
To play the D5 in an open position, place your:
- Index finger on the third string, second fret
- Strum the open D string and the third string
You can also play the D5 chord in this position by adding in another D note on the second string third fret using your middle finger.
This simply adds a little "top end" to the chord as it’s played with two root notes. And yes.., It spells dad 
D5 chord 5th Fret Position
This next example doesn't use any open strings and is only played as follows. Place your:
- Index finger on the fifth string, 5th fret
- Ring finger on the fourth string, 7th fret
If your fingers don't stretch and you feel you need to use your pinky, it's because your thumb is in the wrong place, which is causing your hand to not stretch or work properly. (see video) If you use your pinky, it will paint you into a corner for things to come later.
You can also add your pinky finger to the 3rd string 7th fret to add some top end to the chord. Personally I prefer adding in the second root note!
D5 Chord 10th Fret Position
To play the D power chord on the low E string, place your:
- First finger on sixth string, 10th fret
- Ring finger on the fifth string, 12th fret
- Only strum the 5th and 6th strings
As you can see, this is the same chord shape and same chord notes as the previous example. This would be considered a moveable chord. Meaning, you can move the chord shape around the fretboard and the finger positions stay the same.
Just like the other chord shapes, you can add in your pinky to add a bit more top end and range to the chord.
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D5 Guitar Chord Theory
Now, let’s break down the theory of the D5 chord so you can better understand how it's constructed and what's going on under the hood.
The D5 guitar chord is built from the D major scale: D E F# G A B C#
To understand the chord formula, you need to understand "scale degrees," which is simply numbering the notes of a scale starting with the root note.
Often, music teachers reference the piano due to the simplicity of the layout for scales, but I think the illustration below will do:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
D E F# G A B C#
The D Power Chord is Neither Major Nor Minor
In music theory, the 3rd scale degree determines if a chord is major or minor, and because the 3rd scale degree is not part of this chord's formula, it's simply not a major nor minor chord.
If you've read my breakdown of the D major chord, you'd know that a D chord uses notes D F# A, which are chord notes 1 3 5 notes of the scale. The D minor chord uses the 1 b3 5 notes of a scale which would be notes D F A with the F note being the only difference. Where the D5 only uses the 1 and 5 notes, it uses notes D and A.
Using the Power Chords
As already mentioned, because the power chords sound strong, they are used extensively in rock and heavy metal but are found in all types of music.
Because only two notes are used to make this chord, it’s much easier for soloing due to their versatility, and they reduce clutter when using distortion. You'll also find them used for the big chorus in pop songs.
Chord Progressions Using D Power Chord
D5 - C5 - Bb5 - C5 (very popular chord hard rock and metal)
D5 - G5 - A5 (very popular for punk rock)
D5 - A5 - B5 - G5 (very popular for rock and pop)
Now you know a few ways to play the D5 chord and understand some D5 chord theory!
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