"5" chords

[lobotomyactivist]

in the tablature for the great Television (the band) song Foxhole, the chords listed for the chorus/bridge are written as B5, A5, E5, and D5. I had never seen such chords written and upon searching the internet, came up with very little. are these different names for other chords? or is it an english thing...the guy who tabbed it is British. anyway, just looking for any input so I can play this brilliant tune.

There's no such thing as an "X5" chord, but it's a generally accepted term (often used with TAB) for your basic root+5th rock guitar shape:

"A5"
---
---
---
---
-7-
-5-

I haven't listened to the song, but the real chords are probably B, A, E and D. The advantage/disadvantage of using the root+5th shape is that it's ambiguous in terms of being major or minor.

Hope it helps, CS :-)

[Tim Bowen]

It's any 'chord' that contains root & fifth with no 3rd; doesn't have to be just a "two noter" on the low strings, doesn't have to start with the root either.

E5:

--0--
--5--
--4--
--2--
--2--
--0--

G5:

--3--
--3--
--0--
--0--
--X--
--3--

A5:

--5--
--5--
--2--
--2--
--0--
--X--

D5:

--5--
--3--
--2--
--0--
--0--
--X--

And many more. I love these sounds, use 'em all the time.

[schickman]

You'll also see these often referred to in rock songs
as "power chords."
Oddly enough, according to this month's
Guitar Player, technically they're not "chords"
since chords require three (or more) different notes
(e.g. the 1,3, and 5 for a major chord).
But they acknowledge that everyone calls
them power chords and not power intervals.
They're lots of fun with some palm muting,
used in many great rock songs...

Schickman