Rock · Beginner
Power Up
The rock path. Power chords are two fingers, one movable shape, and they drop on any root anywhere on the neck — the fastest route from "I can fret a note" to "this sounds like rock."
You'll learn the one shape, relocate it all over the neck, then turn it into music: a punk down-strum, a two-chord vamp with a band, and two riffs anyone will recognise. Assumes you can already fret a note and switch shapes — but not a single open chord.
What you'll know at the end
- The movable power-chord shape — and how to drop it on any root
- E5 and A5, open and fretted
- A clean, even down-picked punk rhythm
- Two recognizable pieces: the Seven Nation Army riff and the Smells Like Teen Spirit chorus
What this path deliberately skips
- Full barre chords (the F is Barre Bootcamp's boss fight — power chords are the shortcut)
- Open chords with thirds (that's First Notes / Zero to Hero)
- Fine palm-muting control (not gradable with today's detection)
- Lead techniques — bends, vibrato, soloing
The Shape
Learn the one movable shape and your first two power chords.
The Two-Finger Shape
The movable power-chord shape: two fingers, two strings, root + fifth. Index on low E fret 3, ring on A fret 5. That's G5 — and it slides anywhere.
E5, the Anchor
Your first power chord. Open low E, one finger on the A string fret 2. The open string plays the bottom note for you. Sounds huge.
A5, Same Shape, New String
Same idea, one string over. Open A, one finger on the D string fret 2. One shape, two homes.
By the end · You can make a power chord, and it sounds huge.
Move It
Slide the shape — switch between chords and put it anywhere on the neck.
The Slide Switch
E5 to A5 and back, no clock. Ten clean switches. Notice your hand barely moves — it's the same shape.
Movable Power
Fret the whole shape — no open strings now. Fret 3 is G5; slide up to fret 5 and it's A5, the one you already know. The fret picks the chord.
All Over the Neck
Four power chords, all over the neck — E5 open, then G5, A5, C5 up the low-E string. Find each one fast. The shape is your map.
By the end · One shape, any fret. You can put a power chord anywhere on the neck.
Rock
Turn the shape into music: rhythm, a band, and two real riffs.
The Down-Down-Down Strum
Hold E5. Down on every click — all downstrokes, even and hard. The entire rhythm part of a hundred punk songs.
Two-Chord Vamp
E5 for a bar, A5 for a bar, loop — one minute, no stopping. Steady switches under pressure, like holding down the rhythm in a band.
Seven Nation Army
The riff. One string, six notes, up around the 7th fret — the most recognizable bass line of the 2000s.
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Four power chords, one real song. F5, B♭5, A♭5, D♭5 — the Nirvana chorus. The shape never changed; you're just moving it.
By the end · You can drive a punk strum, vamp with a band, and play two riffs anyone will recognize.
Next: fill the shape in with the rest of the strings (Barre Bootcamp), or pick up open chords in First Notes / Zero to Hero.