Today you’re going to learn 10 essential metal guitar chords you need to know.
And you’re guaranteed to see these chords in your favorite metal riffs.
Let’s dive in and play some heavy metal chords!
Table of Contents
Power Chord
Power chords are the fundamental metal guitar chord, and they’re built from a root and the 5th.
They are also called “5” chords. For example, an E power chord may be written as E5.
A typical power chord shape is played with your 1st finger (index) and your 3rd finger (ring).
You’ll often play them in the open position as well, which you can see in the fretboard diagram.
Major Dyad
A major dyad is made up of two notes: the root and a major third above it.
In metal, you’ll usually play major dyads at the 6th and 7th degrees of the minor scale. For example, if you’re playing in the key of E minor, you could play major dyads at the notes D and C at frets 5 and 3 on the A string.
Minor Dyad
A minor dyad includes the root note and the minor third above it. You can think of it like an upside-down power chord.
Minor dyads are the 1st chord to appear diatonically in the natural minor scale, and you’ll see minor dyads in every metal genre from thrash to neoclassical to black.
Tritone Dyad
Also known as a diminished dyad, this interval pairs the root note with a tritone (another name for a sharp 4 or flat 5).
Tritone dyads are usually played a whole step above the root note in the natural minor scale because they appear at that degree of the scale when harmonized diatonically. That means you’d play it at the F# note if you’re playing in the key of E minor.
You can move them up and down the neck in minor 3rds (3 frets at a time), resulting in a neat diminished sound ideal for metal. For example, you could play the tritone dyad at frets 7, 4, and 1, resulting in an awesome-sounding diminished arpeggio.
Augmented Dyad
An augmented dyad consists of a root note and an augmented fifth (sharp 5). Augmented dyads exist to build “extreme” tension and they sound very alienlike.
In the minor scale, you can play an augmented dyad at the root note and the 5th. In the key of E minor, this means you’d play it at the E and B notes, which you can find at frets 7 and 2 of the A string.
Inverted Power Chord (5th on top)
An inverted power chord is a power chord with the 5th in the bass. This means it’s on the fret directly above the root note, which is usually on the low E string.
These chords have a very heavy sound that I generally associate with bands like Death or Saxon. Check out this Crystal Mountain Tab to get a feel for the sound.
Octave Dyad
An octave dyad is made up of the root note and the octave above it.
You’ll usually play an octave dyad with your 1st finger (index) and 4th finger (pinky). Strum through the dyad, and mute the string between the root note and the octave by positioning your index finger in a resting position.
Sus2/ Add 9 (no 3rd) Chord
The suspended 2nd (sus2) chord has three notes: the root, the major 2nd, and the perfect 5th.
But the way you’ll usually see it played in metal is with a power chord shape + the 9th. This is especially popular in progressive metal.
Sus4 Chord
A suspended 4th (sus4) chord is built from the root, the perfect 4th, and the perfect 5th.
The sus4 chord is well-known for its neutral sound, and it can substitute major or minor chords.
Minor 11 Chord
The minor 11 chord is built from five notes: the root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, and the eleventh (which is the same as the fourth, but an octave higher).
It’s often played without the fifth to keep the voicing more manageable, especially on guitar.
Progressive metal bands like Animals As Leaders and Haken tend to use minor 11 chords.
What you need to learn after heavy metal guitar chords
Do you want to use these chords to their full potential? If so, you’ll need to learn some heavy metal scales. I especially recommend learning the natural minor scale.
Scales will help you construct chords, and they’ll make it easy for you to write heavy metal riffs. They’ll also help you write melodies and guitar solos, so definitely learn a few scale shapes.