There are several ways to play any one chord. Each chord has a specific set of notes. The different ways to play the same notes are called “voicings”. For this example we are using “A major”. The A major chord consists of an A, a C#, and an E. Any combination of these 3 notes will make an A major. Learning as many “voicings” for each chord adds more diversity to your playing. Shown below are 5 different ways to play A major just using the top 4 strings.

For some more A chord voicings click here.

Another guitar effect gadget you might want to buy is a compressor. Compressors are very useful tools that help even out your sound.

What they do is boost softer notes while taming louder ones. It’s like having someone constantly fine tuning your volume, only electronically and in milliseconds. The adjustment is made before the note even hits the speaker. So if you happen to hit a note too soft or hit another one too hard the adjustment is made before the note even hits the speaker.

Now don’t think you have no control over your own dynamics. The compressor can be adjusted to kick in at certain points. You can control how much control the compressor has over your playing.

By the nature of how it operates it also has the ability to act as a sustainer. As a note’s sound begins to fade the compressor takes the diminishing volume and keeps it up at a constant level. This is very useful in all kinds of rock, blues and modern country.

Like so many other effects pedals there is no shortage to choose from. Boss, MXR, Joe Meek, and Johnson are some popular ones. Just search Guitar Center or Musician’s Friend website to see how many there are. Compressor pedals start at around 100$ and can be as much as 300$. Rackmount compressors can be a whole lot more.