chords A5 D5 E5

Play This Chord That Chuck Berry Uses In His Songs

Hey binaya,

When you feel comfortable playing the power chords we can add a harmonic color to make it a bit more interesting. I'm sure you've heard this before. If you've ever heard a Chuck Berry song you certainly know this chord.

This is the Power chord with an added 6th.

All you do is add the pinky to the chord a whole step or 2 frets higher from the 3rd finger. This happens to be the next note after the "5th note".

Some guitarists may have difficulty performing this stretch in lower positions. If this is the case, first check your technique. Make sure your hand is arched over the fingerboard and your elbow is shifted toward your hip.

If you're still having difficulty, move to a higher position. For example if you can't make the stretch on the F5 on the 6th string, 1st fret - play the F5 on the 5th string, 8th fret.

Below is an example of using the added 6th in a slightly altered 12 Bar Blues structure. I'm also using a shuffle rhythm. This has a triplet feel and adds a nice groove that's usually played when you add the 6th.

A5 A6 A5 A6 | A5 A6 A5 A6 | A5 A6 A5 A6 | A5 A6 A5 A6 |

D5 D6 D5 D6 | D5 D6 D5 D6 | A5 A6 A5 A6 | A5 A6 A5 A6 |

E5 E6 E5 E6 | D5 D6 D5 D6 | A5 A6 A5 A6 | E5 E6 E5 E6 |