Just a note on practicing on the guitar.

I'm pretty sure I'll never make it past standard tuning.

Jim, can you tell me the difference between "power chords" and barre chords? I thought they where one and the same, but I hear them spoken of as meaning two different things.

TonyKgull ,I believe Tony's given a pretty good explanation of power chords.  They are generally chords with no 3rd, therefore neither major nor minor.
Irish trad musicians often call them "five chords".
Bluegrass musicians often play a G chord with no third - 3X0033 (GDGDG)
In rock and pop music, usually on electric guitars, a G power chord might be 35XXXX.  Since it has no open strings it can be moved to get other power chords.
The same would be true for a C power chord X35XXX.

Since the dictionary definition of a chord is "a group of three or more notes sounded together, as a basis of harmony," I guess a power chord is not really a chord, but a double stop.

I am not an authority on power chords and certainly won't have my feelings hurt if someone would like to amend this.  This is just how I have understood it.

Wild Weekend - The Rebels