Suspended & power
A♯ power chord chord
Just the root and 5th — punchy and neutral, a rock guitar staple.
- Notes
- A♯E♯
- Formula
- 15
- Built from
- root · perfect 5th
How to play A♯5
About the A♯ power chord chord
Playing it
On guitar, the usual A♯5 shape is x133xx at the 1st fret. It has no open strings, so it’s a movable shape — slide it along the neck for other power chord chords. Don’t strum the low E, B and high E strings.
On piano, A♯5 has one black key (A♯) and one white key.
On ukulele the usual A♯5 shape is x568, using three fingers up at the 5th fret.
Related chords
Move a single note and A♯5 becomes a different chord: add C𝄪 for A♯, add C♯ for A♯m, add D♯ for A♯sus4 and add B♯ for A♯sus2.
Where you’ll hear it
Notice the E♯ in A♯5 (A♯ E♯): each note of the chord takes its own letter (A–E), so the perfect 5th has to be written E♯ rather than F — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
